cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Hybrid FPGA Model to Estimate On-Chip Crossbar Logic Utilization in SoC Platforms

FPGA analytical models, that express the relationship between architectural parameters (e.g., LUT size, cluster size, inputs per cluster, etc) and performance (e.g., logic utilization, critical path delay, power, etc), have been designed mainly for island-style FPGAs targeting a general application. Therefore, most analytical models will produce inaccurate results when heterogeneous FPGA architectures are targeted. Furthermore, the inherent continuous nature of mathematical models also prevent them from capturing the discrete effects of uniform circuits. Example of such circuits are crossbar switches and barrel shifters. In this paper, we derive a biased model that captures the discrete effects with respect to the logic utilization of crossbar switches by varying the LUT size.
Functional characterization of medaka CYP3A38 and CYP3A40: Kinetics and catalysis by expression in a recombinant baculovirus system

Abstract Phylogenic analysis of the teleost genomic lineages has demonstrated the precedent for multiple genome duplications. Among many of the genes duplicated, cytochrome P450 genes have undergone independent diversification, which can be traced to a single ancestral gene. In teleosts, cytochrome P450s, from all major families, have been identified. Among these, the CYP3A family has been cloned in several teleost species and demonstrated to contain multiple paralogs differing in gene expression patterns and tissue distribution. Herein we characterized the catalytic and kinetic activities of two medaka CYP3A paralogs (CYP3A38 and CYP3A40) with benzyloxyresorufin (BFC), a fluorescent 3A-selective substrate, and testosterone, a known metabolic substrate for CYP3A enzymes. Recombinant CYP3A was produced using the baculovirus expression vector system in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) and Trichoplusia ni (Tn5) insect cells and accounted for up to 24% of total cellular protein. Following addition of a heme-albumin conjugate to log phase cells, spectral P450 content reached a maximum of 560 and 2350 pmol/mg microsomal protein for CYP3A38 and CYP3A40, respectively. Incubations containing recombinant CYP3A, human NADPH-cytochrome P-450 oxidoreductase reductase, human cytochrome b5, and a NADPH generation system catalyzed the dealkylation of BFC and hydroxylation of testosterone with a high degree of stereoselectivity. However, efficiencies and specificities were significantly different between the two isoforms. Km and Vmax activities based on BFC-catalysis were 0.116 and 0.363 μM, and 7.95 and 7.77 nmol/min/nmol P450 for CYP3A38 and CYP3A40, respectively. CYP3A38 preferentially catalyzed testosterone hydroxylation at the 6β-, 2β- and 16β-positions with minor hydroxylation at other positions within the steroid nucleus. Testosterone catalysis with CYP3A40 was limited predominantly to the 6β- and 2β-positions. Putative identification of CYP3A substrate recognition sites (SRS) 1–6 indicates that 12 of the 49 amino acid differences between CYP3A38 and CYP3A40 OFRs occur in SRS regions previously known to be associated with steroid hydroxylation. We suggest that differences in kinetics and catalytic activities are a result of amino acid substitutions in SRS regions 1, 3 and 5 within the CYP3A38 and CYP3A40 protein sequence.
Purification of gramicidin C

Abstract Gramicidin C can be purified from a mixture of gramicidins by preparative thin-layer chromatography. A maximum R f difference, 0.24, was attained on aluminum oxide plates. The antibiotic was identified by amino acid analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and uv absorbance spectroscopy.
Effect of oral and intravenous cobaltous chloride on thyroid function.

Following oral administration of cobaltous chloride (37.5 mg. of cobalt per day) for more than ten days, there was marked depression of thyroidal I131 uptake at half an hour and at twenty-four hours, in 2 of 4 patients. In 1 of these subjects, half an hour after administration of I131, thyroidal radioactivity was discharged almost completely by 1.0 Gm. of NaSCN intravenously. In 1 of 2 subjects who received both oral and supplemental intravenous cobalt, early thyroidal uptake was depressed and the thyroidal radioactivity accumulated at sixteen minutes was discharged by NaSCN. In 3 of 6 subjects receiving intravenous cobalt immediately before, and in some cases immediately after intravenous I131, there was a depression of early thyroidal uptake and partial discharge of accumulated thyroidal I131 by NaSCN. These results demonstrate that the action of cobalt is to block organic binding of radioiodide by the thyroid. Results of distribution and excretion studies of Co60Cl2, with and without carrier, in human ...
Calculated photoelectron pitch angle and energy spectra

Calculations of the steady-state photoelectron energy and angular distribution in the altitude region between 120 and 1000 km are presented. The distribution is found to be isotropic at all altitudes below 250 km, while above this altitude anisotropies in both pitch angle and energy are found. The isotropy found in the angular distribution below 250 km implies that photoelectron transport below 250 km is insignificant, while the angular anisotropy found above this altitude implies a net photoelectron current in the upward direction. The energy anisotropy above 500 km arises from the selective backscattering of the low energy photoelectron population of the upward flux component by Coulomb collisions with the ambient ions. The total photoelectron flux attains its maximum value between about 40 and 70 km above the altitude at which the photoelectron production rate is maximum. The displacement of the maximum of the equilibrium flux is attributed to an increasing (with altitude) photoelectron lifetime. Photoelectrons at altitudes above that where the flux is maximum are on the average more energetic than those below that altitude.
Helper T-cell epitope immunodominance associated with structurally stable segments of hen egg lysozyme and HIV gp120.

Although many antigen sequences potentially can bind to the MHCII proteins, only a small number of epitopes dominate the immune response. Additional mechanisms of processing, presentation or recognition must restrict the immune response against a large portion of the antigen. A highly significant correlation is found between epitope immunodominance and local structural stability in hen egg lysozyme. Since antigen proteins are likely to retain substantial native-like structure in the processing compartment, protease action may be focused on regions that are most readily accommodated in the protease active sites, and thus, the intervening sequence are preferentially presented. Immunodominance also correlates with sequence conservation as expected from the constraints imposed by structure. These results suggest that the three-dimensional structure of the antigen limits the immune response against some antigen segments. For HIV gp120, a substantial improvement in the accuracy of epitope prediction is obtained by combining rules for MHCII binding with a restriction of the predicted epitopes to well-conserved sequences.
Categorization as probability density estimation

Abstract A category can be represented as a probability density function (pdf), that is, as a set of exemplars along with the probability or likelihood that each is selected as a stimulus. This article examines the relation between categorization and pdf estimation. We first discuss the differences between classifiers that know the true category pdfs and classifiers that must estimate these functions from trial-by-trial feedback. Consistency is shown to be the key statistical properly that guarantees two such classifiers will reasonably agree. Parametric and nonparametric pdf estimators are interpreted from the perspective of the categorization process. It is shown that the prototype model and several decision-bound models of categorization are parametric, whereas most exemplar models are nonparametric. The exemplar models are shown to be equivalent to a classifier that uses the minimum variance unbiased estimator of the category baserates and a nonparametric pdf estimator that is one of the most commonly used estimators of professional statisticians (i.e., the kernel estimator). It is also shown that in most applications, the exemplar models predict essentially optimal performance. Finally, the implications of these results are discussed and an alternative approach to the study of categorization is suggested.
Assays for human cytokines and their interpretation

Summary Assays for cytokines have become a part of a laboratory repertoire at many institutions. As the knowledge of cytokine biology and their role in human disease accumulates, cytokine assessment is likely to become even more extensive. It is essential that this assessment be performed expertly, preferably in clinical laboratories with established QC and QA programs, and interpreted accurately. The correct interpretation of results is a key to defining and validating clinical usefulness of cytokine assays. More than a single assay may be necessary to confirm the involvement of a cytokine in a disease. Cytokines mediate interactions between various cells and they are also involved in signaling within the cell. The wide choice of cytokine assays available today offers possibilities for evaluating diverse aspects of the cytokine biology. Monitoring strategies for biotherapy trials as well as cytokine profiling in disease are likely to represent major efforts of clinical immunology laboratories in the immediate future.
Current and future helmet-mounted displays for piloted systems

Scientists and Engineers in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are constantly asked what are the new technologies and concepts that are being developed to significantly increase the warfighters capabilities. The warfighting communities have different opinions and priorities based on their platform capabilities and operational requirements that the Laboratory has to make trade-offs to maximize the payoff on investment for the Air Force operator community in this tighter budget era. This paper will discuss the current state of helmet mounted displays in rotorcraft and fast jets as well as the future technology advancements needed to increase warfighter productive and/or reduce life cycle costs.
Rare-earth (RE) exchanged NaY zeolite promoted knoevenagel condensation

Abstract Knoevenagel condensation is assisted by rare-earth exchanged NaY zeolites wherein various functionalized arylaldehydes react readily with active methylene compounds to produce corresponding olefinic products.
Laser beam widening mechanisms in turbid media

We examine theoretically and experimentally the transverse intensity profile of a laser beam as it traverses through a turbid medium. By increasing the concentrations of milk in an aqueous solution we examine the transition from the weakly scattering to the diffusive regime. The experimental data of the transverse beam profiles for various scattering strengths are obtained in a non-contact geometry from digital images of the exit surface of the medium. The intensity distributions are compared with theoretical data obtained from Monte Carlo simulations.
Patterning ULSI circuits

The traditional scaling of feature sized to ever smaller dimensions which has driven the semiconductor industry for 30 years is being challenged by physical and cost limits. As we approach the development of the 180-nm generation, we have a quite different technology scenario facing us than we have seen in the past. The approaches being contemplated can be summarized in order of utility as (1) extensions of existing patterning methods, (2) nonlithography patterning approaches, (3) extensions of the optical projection/reduction approach, (4) new beam techniques, and (5) probe techniques. I will review the challenges in each of these categories and indicate where serious development efforts are needed to sustain technology scaling into the ULSI generations.
A Kalman-filter based method for creation of super-resolved mosaicks

muUAVs have found increasing utility as a platform for visual data collection about an area of interest. One user-friendly way of presenting visual data about the area of interest is to create a mosaick of all data observed by the muUAV, absolving the user from having to watch the entire flight video. In addition, because multiple frames in the video sequence will in general observe an area of interest, super-resolution techniques can be applied to yield a mosaick with higher resolution than the camera on-board the muUAV. While super-resolution and mosaicking are both well studied problems, muUAVs present some interesting challenges in combining the two capabilities. Most super-resolution algorithms work within a constrained environment where the size of the superresolved image is fixed and known a priori. Mosaicking, however, is the process of creating a dynamically-sized image from multiple fixed-sized images, where each input image could contain visual data on previously unobserved areas. In this paper, we present a system that can do both: construct a mosaick, incorporating data on previously unobserved areas, while super-resolving the mosaick for areas that are observed by multiple input images
Paraneoplastic syndromes are associated with adverse prognosis among patients with renal cell carcinoma undergoing nephrectomy

To analyze the association of paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) with progression-free (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) among patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) undergoing nephrectomy. We performed a retrospective analysis of 2865 patients undergoing nephrectomy for localized RCC at Mayo Clinic from 1990 to 2010. PNS analyzed were anemia, polycythemia, hypercalcemia, recent-onset hypertension, and liver dysfunction. PFS and CSS were estimated using Kaplan–Meier method and compared with Cox proportional hazard models, unadjusted and adjusted for clinicopathologic features. A total of 661 (23 %) patients had anemia, 37 (1 %) had polycythemia, 177 (9 %) had hypercalcemia, 51 (2 %) had recent-onset hypertension, and 224 (10 %) had liver dysfunction at time of nephrectomy. Patients with PNS were more likely to have high-grade tumors and advanced disease stages. A total of 675 (24 %) patients developed progression and 1171 (41 %) died of RCC, over a median follow-up of 8.2 years. On univariable analysis, the presence of any PNS was associated with inferior CSS [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.86, p = 0.007] and a trend toward shorter PFS (HR = 1.33, p = 0.07) compared with patients without PNS. Specifically, anemia, polycythemia, hypercalcemia, and liver dysfunction were each associated with inferior CSS and PFS (all p < 0.05). However, on multivariable analysis PNS (overall or each individual syndrome) did not remain independently associated with CSS or PFS. Patients with RCC undergoing nephrectomy presenting with PNS have worse oncologic outcome than those with incidentally found tumors. However, the adverse outcome among PNS patients seems to be largely explained by adverse pathologic features of these tumors.
Distinguishing HIV-1 drug resistance, accessory, and viral fitness mutations using conditional selection pressure analysis of treated versus untreated patient samples

HIV can evolve drug resistance rapidly in response to new drug treatments, often through a combination of multiple mutations [1–3]. It would be useful to develop automated analyses of HIV sequence polymorphism that are able to predict drug resistance mutations, and to distinguish different types of functional roles among such mutations, for example, those that directly cause drug resistance, versus those that play an accessory role. Detecting functional interactions between mutations is essential for this classification. We have adapted a well-known measure of evolutionary selection pressure (K a /K s ) and developed a conditional K a /K s approach to detect important interactions. We have applied this analysis to four independent HIV protease sequencing datasets: 50,000 clinical samples sequenced by Specialty Laboratories, Inc.; 1800 samples from patients treated with protease inhibitors; 2600 samples from untreated patients; 400 samples from untreated African patients. We have identified 428 mutation interactions in Specialty dataset with statistical significance and we were able to distinguish primary vs. accessory mutations for many well-studied examples. Amino acid interactions identified by conditional K a /K s matched 80 of 92 pair wise interactions found by a completely independent study of HIV protease (p-value for this match is significant: 10-70). Furthermore, K a /K s selection pressure results were highly reproducible among these independent datasets, both qualitatively and quantitatively, suggesting that they are detecting real drug-resistance and viral fitness mutations in the wild HIV-1 population. Conditional K a /K s analysis can detect mutation interactions and distinguish primary vs. accessory mutations in HIV-1. K a /K s analysis of treated vs. untreated patient data can distinguish drug-resistance vs. viral fitness mutations. Verification of these results would require longitudinal studies. The result provides a valuable resource for AIDS research and will be available for open access upon publication at http://www.bioinformatics.ucla.edu/HIV This article was reviewed by Wen-Hsiung Li (nominated by Eugene V. Koonin), Robert Shafer (nominated by Eugene V. Koonin), and Shamil Sunyaev.
Ticlopidine-Induced Phenytoin Toxicity

OBJECTIVE:To report a probable case of ticlopidine-induced phenytoin toxicity.CASE SUMMARY:A 72-year-old man suddenly developed combative behavior, refused to leave his room, stopped eating, and began falling to the floor 6 weeks after being given ticlopidine. The total phenytoin concentration was measured at 43.6 μg/mL; the dosage of phenytoin was decreased and the symptoms later resolved. After ticlopidine was discontinued, the patient was rechallenged with the same dose of phenytoin without symptoms of toxicity.DISCUSSION:Possible mechanisms of the drug interaction are discussed with emphasis on cytochrome P450 metabolism.CONCLUSIONS:Clinicians should be aware of this potentially serious drug interaction and either avoid the phenytoin–ticlopidine combination, or monitor closely for phenytoin toxicity.
Simulation based design methodology for affordable performance of vacuum electron devices

Since future military systems are likely to require a relatively small number of highly specialized vacuum electron devices, a reduction of development costs will have a significant impact on the total cost of the device. Experimental testing cycles can be reduced or eliminated through the use of a new, simulation-based design methodology, thereby reducing the time and cost of development. This paper will describe recent progress in the development of such design tools for vacuum electronics and will present plans for future developments in this area.As an example, the measured transfer characteristic of a CPI Ku-band TWT is compared with CHRISTINE3D calculations.
The motion of long bubbles in polygonal capillaries. Part 2. Drag, fluid pressure and fluid flow

This work determines the pressure–velocity relation of bubble flow in polygonal capillaries. The liquid pressure drop needed to drive a long bubble at a given velocity U is solved by an integral method. In this method, the pressure drop is shown to balance the drag of the bubble, which is determined by the films at the two ends of the bubble. Using the liquid-film results of Part 1 (Wong, Radke & Morris 1995), we find that the drag scales as Ca2/3 in the limit Ca → 0 (Ca μU/σ, where μ is the liquid viscosity and σ the surface tension). Thus, the pressure drop also scales as Ca2/3. The proportionality constant for six different polygonal capillaries is roughly the same and is about a third that for the circular capillary.The liquid in a polygonal capillary flows by pushing the bubble (plug flow) and by bypassing the bubble through corner channels (corner flow). The resistance to the plug flow comes mainly from the drag of the bubble. Thus, the plug flow obeys the nonlinear pressure–velocity relation of the bubble. Corner flow, however, is chiefly unidirectional because the bubble is long. The ratio of plug to corner flow varies with liquid flow rate Q (made dimensionless by σa2/μ, where a is the radius of the largest inscribed sphere). The two flows are equal at a critical flow rate Qc, whose value depends strongly on capillary geometry and bubble length. For the six polygonal capillaries studied, Qc [Lt ] 10−6. For Qc [Lt ] Q [Lt ] 1, the plug flow dominates, and the gradient in liquid pressure varies with Q2/3. For Q [Lt ] Qc, the corner flow dominates, and the pressure gradient varies linearly with Q. A transition at such low flow rates is unexpected and partly explains the complex rheology of foam flow in porous media.
Oral Therapy with Sodium Estrone Sulfate. I. Induction of Bleeding and Cycle Regulation in Functional Amenorrhea1

SLUCCESSFUL oral treatment of climacteric symptomatology with a commercial preparation2 containing sodium estrone sulfate has been reported (1–4). The source of this conjugated, water soluble, natural estrogen is urine of pregnant mares and it is available commercially in the form of tablets, each of which contains 1.25 mg. of the conjugated estrogen, expressed as sodium estrone sulfate. Previous clinical studies have indicated that it is far more active by mouth than other natural estrogens or their derivatives and that, when administered orally, its effectiveness compares favorably with that of synthetic diethylstilbestrol. In view of these facts, we have employed two objective clinical applications of estrogens to assay the effectiveness of sodium estrone sulfate: a) the induction of bleeding and cycle regulation in functional amenorrhea; and b) the induction of hemostasis and cycle regulation in functional uterine hemorrhage. Since factual data are available with regard to the effectiveness of oral th...
Numerical Investigation of Three-Dimensional Separation in Internal and External Flows

For Navy relevant geometries, separation of wall bounded flows is a highly complex phenomenon. Because of the relatively high Reynolds numbers involved,separation is always associated with considerable unsteadiness. This unsteadiness is caused by large coherent structures that are a consequence of hydrodynamic instability mechanisms of the mean flow. In addition, due to the shape of underwater vehicles (submarines, torpedoes, low aspect ratio lifting or control surfaces) the separation is three-dimensional (3D). The combination of three-dimensionality and unsteadiness results in a highly complex time-dependent topology of the separated region. In a combined numerical/experimental effort, we are studying laminar separation bubbles in external flows. For these simulations, we employ highly-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) to obtain a deeper understanding of the various physical mechanisms governing separation, transition, and reattachment of 3D bubbles. Ultimately, such understanding may pave the way for the development of effective and efficient strategies for preventing separation for practical applications. We are also evaluating hybrid turbulence models for high Reynolds number flows. In particular, we describe DNS, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), and hybrid simulations of a turbulent square duct flow. Based on these simulations we decided on two hybrid strategies for simulating the asymmetric diffuser experiments that were conducted at Stanford University by J. Eaton et al. The first mean flow results look very encouraging. If successful, this research will result in hybrid models that are suitable for a wide variety of flow topologies and Reynolds numbers.
Secondary Malignancies After Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hemopoietic stem cell transplantation is being carried out for rapidly increasing numbers of patients. Survival probabilities have increased progressively, and most patients return to productive lives. However, delayed complications do occur. Here, we review the incidence and spectrum of post-transplant malignancies, discuss risk factors and mechanisms, and assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
Cross-National Comparisons Of Health Systems Using OECD Data, 1999

This paper presents selected components of the most recent (1999) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Health Data. Previous trends in spending for health care, supply and use of health care resources, and health status are updated for the thirty industrialized countries in the OECD. In 1999 the United States spent 53 percent more on health care than any other OECD country spent. The paper reviews two possible reasons for the difference: economic development and population aging. It discusses spending, supply, and utilization for specific categories of health care services: pharmaceuticals, physicians, hospitals, and high-technology services. The paper concludes with a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of using OECD data to compare health systems.
Estimation of WECC system inertia using observed frequency transients

Computer models being developed to understand the interaction between demand-response technology, power system deregulation, and market transformation depend in part on understanding the relationship between system frequency and load control. Frequency, load, and plant outage events data collected over the last several years have permitted analysis to determine the Western Electricity Coordination Council system's inertia during each event. This data were used to evaluate the relationship of system inertia to total load, which is used to model system response to load curtailment programs in next-generation power system simulations.
High-efficiency single-photon detectors

Visible light photon counters (VLPCs) and solid-state photomultipliers (SSPMs) are high-efficiency single-photon detectors which have multi-photon counting capability. While both the VLPCs and the SSPMs have inferred internal quantum efficiencies above 93%, the actual measured values for both the detectors were in fact limited to less than 88%, attributed to in-coupling losses. We are currently improving this overall detection efficiency via a) custom anti-reflection coating the detectors and the in-coupling fibers, b) implementing a novel cryogenic design to reduce transmission losses and, c) using low-noise electronics to obtain a better signal-to-noise ratio.
Discussion About the Practice of Using a Heated Surface in Film Cooling Studies

It is found in many film-cooling experiments and computational analyses that a heated surface is employed to simulate the actual film-cooling condition with a cooling jet and a hot main flow. Considering that the dominant energy passage in turbine airfoil film cooling is always from the hot combustion gas flowing into the airfoil, employing a heated surface to simulate the actual film cooling condition does not provide the correct physics of the heat flow under an actual film cooling condition, and therefore, the results are questionable. The objective of this paper is to investigate the consequent results associated with the practice of employing a heated surface by comparing its result with actual conditions including a conjugate metal wall and internal cooling via a series of computational simulations. When the surface is heated, in some conditions, negative film cooling effectiveness can be found as a result of a higher surface temperature than the main gas stream temperature. This is unrealistic for an operational turbine system. The heated wall acts as an active heat source; as a result, the concept of using the adiabatic wall temperature (Taw ) as the driving temperature potential is no longer valid because an artificially created competing heat source is added into the system, and the heat transfer mechanism on the airfoil is not solely determined by Taw . Heating the surface to simulate the film cooling boundary condition, although it does not provide correct physics, can provide the heat transfer coefficient value within 10–15% of the value calculated from the correct boundary conditions. Using a heated surface is only correct under one condition: when all the conditions are reversed, i.e. with a hot jet and cold main gas flow. The practice of using a jet flow with the same temperature of the hot gas (isoenergetic jet) to obtain the film heat transfer coefficient will result in about 20–25% discrepancy from the cooling jet case. The uniformly cooled wall cases fair better than heated cases because it provides correct physics in most part of the surface.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Spectral comparison using k-means clustering

There is a growing number of infrared (IR) spectral signature data in the scientific community gathered from a variety of sensors using a variety of collection techniques. As the quantity of collected data grows, automated solutions for searching and matching signatures need to be developed. When searching and matching signatures, reducing computational complexity and increasing matching accuracy are essential. We present a signature classification method via k-means clustering using a novel application of spectral angle mapping to efficiently determine spectral similarity. We evaluate the method against spectral data in the “SigDB” spectral analysis software application developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL). The key component to this approach is the set of characteristic functions used to map signatures' similarity into a spatial representation. Existing methods used to autonomously identify and classify IR spectral data include spectral angle mapping and key feature detection. Spectral mapping is computationally slow due to the need for direct individual comparison, and key feature detection improves computation time but is limited by the specific features selected for comparison. The accuracy and computation time of the spectral cluster classification method is evaluated against spectral angle mapping and visual analyses on the ASTER NASA spectral library. The goal of this method is to improve both the accuracy and speed of classifying newly collected unlabeled spectra. We find that the proposed method of scoring signatures offers a speed increase of three orders of magnitude in comparing spectra at the expense of a high false positive rate, suitable for use as a first-pass filter. We further find that the k-means cluster-based classification is highly sensitive to the selection of initial cluster centroids, and offer alternative solutions to use with our scoring method.
Gratuitous evil and divine providence

Discussions of the evidential argument from evil generally pay little attention to how different models of divine providence constrain the theist's options for response. After describing four models of providence and general theistic strategies for engaging the evidential argument, I articulate and defend a definition of `gratuitous evil' that renders the theological premise of the argument uncontroversial for theists. This forces theists to focus their fire on the evidential premise, enabling us to compare models of providence with respect to how plausibly they can resist it. I then assess the four models, concluding that theists are better off vis-a-vis the evidential argument if they reject meticulous providence.
Need Priorities of Adrenalectomy Patients as Perceived by Patients, Nurses, and Physicians

Adrenalectomy is one method of palliative and therapeutic treatment for advanced metastatic breast cancer. The physical and psychosocial ramifications of adrenalectomy on the patient are many, and she will need help in adapting to a new lifestyle. To identify need priorities of adrenalectomy patients as perceived by nurses, physicians, and patients, a study was undertaken of these patients and their health care providers. The findings showed that patients, nurses, and physicians differed in their perception of need priorities of adrenalectomy patients.
An Active Global Attack Model for Sensor Source Location Privacy: Analysis and Countermeasures

Source locations of events are sensitive contextual information that needs to be protected in sensor networks. Previous work focuses on either an active local attacker that traces back to a real source in a hop-by-hop fashion, or a passive global attacker that eavesdrops/analyzes all network traffic to discover real sources. An active global attack model, which is more realistic and powerful than current ones, has not been studied yet. In this paper, we not only formalize this strong attack model, but also propose countermeasures against it.
Minimal subset evaluation: rapid warm-up for simulated hardware state

This paper introduces minimal subset evaluation (MSE) as a way to reduce time spent on large-structure warm-up during the fast-forwarding portion of processor simulations. Warm up is commonly used prior to full-detail simulation to avoid cold-start bias in large structures like caches and branch predictors. Unfortunately, warm up can be very time consuming, often representing 50% or more of total simulation time. Previous techniques have used the entire fast forward interval to obtain accurate warm up, which may be prohibitive for large parameter-space searches, or chosen a short but ad-hoc warm-up length that reduces simulation time but may sacrifice accuracy. MSE probabilistically determines a minimally sufficient fraction of the set of fast forward transactions that must be executed for warm up to accurately produce state as it would have appeared had the entire fast forward interval been used for warm up. The paper describes the mathematical underpinnings of MSE and demonstrates its effectiveness for both single-large-sample and multiple-sample simulation styles. In our experiments, MSE yields errors of less than 1% in IPC measurements with cycle-accurate simulation, while reducing simulation times by an average factor of two or more.
Male circumcision and HIV/AIDS: challenges and opportunities

2enrolled in the respective studies. The Kenya and Uganda trials replicated the landmark fi ndings of the South African Orange Farm study, the fi rst randomised controlled trial to report a greater than 50% protective benefi t of male circumcision. 3 Before the availability of data from these three African randomised controlled trials, multiple observational studies correlated male circumcision with reduced risk of HIV infection. 4–9 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis of observational studies provide further evidence of the association of male circumcision with reduced risk of HIV infection 10–12 and a plausible explanation for the biological mechanism for reduced risk of infection has been suggested. 13 Recently released longitudinal evidence of the range of health benefi ts that male circumcision provides, 14
Guide RNA-independent and Guide RNA-dependent Uridine Insertion into Cytochrome b mRNA in a Mitochondrial Lysate from Leishmania tarentolae ROLE OF RNA SECONDARY STRUCTURE

A primer extension assay was used for the detection of uridine insertions occurring in vitro in synthetic pre-edited cytochrome b mRNA during incubation with a Leishmania tarentolae mitochondrial extract. Two different activities were detected that inserted uridines within the first two editing sites: one that is dependent on the secondary structure of the mRNA but is independent of both exogenous and endogenous guide RNA, and a second that does not put the same structural constraints on the mRNA, but is dependent on the presence of a cognate guide RNA.
Monitoring global vegetation using AVHRR

The availability of AVHRR time series for the past two decades has attracted many scientists to investigate interannual variability and trends in land surface conditions. To study interannual variability of land surface processes using these data, the change in radiances due to two varying factors-sensor sensitivity and illumination conditions-must be accounted for. This study analyzes the behaviour of global AVHRR shortwave data over land, processed using updated post-launch calibration, for a 12-year period from April 1985-October 1997, and investigates their usefulness for the monitoring of global land surface processes. The author focuses on verifying the stability of post-launch calibrations for NOAA-11 and -14 by assuming correct calibration of NOAA-9 and by excluding the illumination effects, modeled with NOAA-9 data. The residual trends in data averaged over global, stable aggregates, such as deserts and rainforests, are then attributed to errors in calibration. These trends should be removed from the rest of the data to alleviate their misidentification as the real trends in the Earth's climate system and to make statistical studies of anomalies more reliable. This study illustrates the potential of improving the available global AVHRR time series to infer more reliable conclusions from inter-annual variability studies. Spectral dependence of residual trends was examined. Preliminary assessments suggest that a desert calibration that has been widely used may not be sufficiently accurate for applications to vegetated areas.
Heroes of the Age: Moral Fault Lines on the Afghan Frontier

Heroes of the Age: Moral Fault Lines on the Afghan Frontier. David B. Edwards. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. xvii. 307 pp., maps, notes, glossary, bibliography, index.
Scope of Self: Toward a Model of Television’s Effects on Self-Complexity in Adolescence

Identity complexity has been associated with resilience, such that people with multidimensional self-concepts appear to suffer fewer emotional and physical health problems in response to stress. Adolescence is a time to build identities and manage new stressors; therefore, self-complexity is an important topic for research concerning adolescents. Studies have explored media effects on the content of the self-concept but have largely ignored its structural properties, one of which is self-complexity. Existing communication theories, moreover, have limited applicability to self-complexity as an outcome of media exposure. Thus, theory building is needed. This article presents cross-sectional data from two studies with adolescents, the first diverse in gender, the second diverse in race. Although television viewing was linked with different self-descriptors for different gender and racial groups, it predicted decreased self-complexity for all groups except African American females. In both studies, the downturn in self-complexity occurred at about 20 hours per week. Based on these findings, the development of a new model of television’s effects on self-complexity, the Scope of Self model, is proposed. Discussion focuses on key assumptions, constructs, and processes within the model, along with its predicted applicability to different groups.
Interference Effects of Non-Ideal Dynamic Spectrum Access on Primary and Secondary User Capacities

Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) technology can improve the spectrum utilization significantly and is the key solution to the spectrum scarcity problem. In a typical DSA scenario, the secondary user (SU) is required to co-exist with the primary user (PU) in a non-interfering manner. However, the SU's spectrum sensing limitations can result in erroneous secondary transmissions that can affect the PU's capacity. In this paper, we model the interference caused by the SU to the PU and simulate the resulting capacity loss experienced by the PU. The trends in the PU and SU capacities that occur with variation in the system parameters such as transmit SNR, PU - SU spatial separation and the spectrum sensing time have been discussed. The results presented in this paper show that the capacity loss of the PU as well as the SU due to DSA interference is insignificant when limits are placed on the SU system parameters. Furthermore, the maximum effective throughput that can be achieved by the SU under such limited operation is also computed.
A novel method for expediting the development of patient-reported outcome measures and an evaluation of its performance via simulation.

Developing valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is a critical step in promoting patient-centered health care, a national priority in the U.S. Small populations or rare diseases often pose difficulties in developing PROMs using traditional methods due to small samples. To overcome the small sample size challenge while maintaining psychometric soundness, we propose an innovative Ordinal Bayesian Instrument Development (OBID) method that seamlessly integrates expert and participant data in a Bayesian item response theory (IRT) with a probit link model framework. Prior distributions obtained from expert data are imposed on the IRT model parameters and are updated with participants’ data. The efficiency of OBID is evaluated by comparing its performance to classical instrument development performance using actual and simulation data. The overall performance of OBID (i.e., more reliable parameter estimates, smaller mean squared errors (MSEs) and higher predictive validity) is superior to that of classical approaches when the sample size is small (e.g. less than 100 subjects). Although OBID may exhibit larger bias, it reduces the MSEs by decreasing variances. Results also closely align with recommendations in the current literature that six subject experts will be sufficient for establishing content validity evidence. However, in the presence of highly biased experts, three experts will be adequate. This study successfully demonstrated that the OBID approach is more efficient than the classical approach when the sample size is small. OBID promises an efficient and reliable method for researchers and clinicians in future PROMs development for small populations or rare diseases.
Effect of UV crosslinking and physical aging on the gas permeability of thin glassy polyarylate films

Abstract The effect of crosslinking by UV irradiation on the gas permeation properties of thin films (thickness ≤1 μm) made from two benzophenone-based polyarylates were examined. In addition to the permeation response to UV crosslinking in these two polymers, the effects of crosslinking on the rate of physical aging was also explored. The sequence of physical aging and crosslinking, as well as reversal of the aging process was studied in order to separate the similar effects of aging and crosslinking. The results show that crosslinking very thin films can greatly improve the long-term performance of membranes when compared to noncrosslinked films of similar thickness.
The Green500 list: escapades to exascale

Energy efficiency is now a top priority. The first four years of the Green500 have seen the importance of energy efficiency in supercomputing grow from an afterthought to the forefront of innovation as we approach a point where systems become increasingly constrained by power consumption. Even so, the landscape of energy efficiency in supercomputing continues to shift--with new trends emerging and unexpected shifts in previous predictions. This paper offers an in-depth analysis of the new and shifting trends in the Green500. In addition, the analysis offers early indications of the path that we are taking towards exascale and what an exascale machine in 2018 is likely to look like. Lastly, we discuss the emerging efforts and collaborations toward designing and establishing better metrics, methodologies, and workloads for the measurement and analysis of energy-efficient supercomputing.
Religious Orientation and the Democratic Citizen

Religion is the frequent recipient of both blame and praise for its role in shaping democracy. Although views on how it affects the political system are varied, there is a general consensus that religion alters the way democracy functions. From a distance it appears that religion offers a mixed bag for democracy. It provides moral structure, civic engagement and interpersonal trust, but also creates intolerance, intergroup conflict and dogmatic beliefs. This paper proposes that religion’s relationship with democracy depends on the religious experience of the individual citizen. In addition to the level of religiosity and religious tradition, there is also a variance in the individual’s psychological relationship with religion. Religion can be used as an internal belief structure, as a set of norms that connect a community, or simply as a spiritual experience. These varying attachments to religion affect the type of democratic citizen one will be, and can partially account for the apparent disparate affect religion has on citizenship. This paper will discuss the use of the religious orientation scale, originally used by psychologist Gordon Allport, in order to test the relationship between an individual’s psychological attachment to religion and their interaction with a democratic society.
Campaign Speech and Contextual Analysis

Recent developments - such as a wave of FEC enforcement actions, the FEC's publication of its case by case approach to determining political committee status, and the Supreme Court's decision in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life - have made it necessary to reconsider the kinds of campaign finance reforms desirable and constitutionally permissible. This Article examines the proposition that, if section 527 groups and groups exempt under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code are part of a network of commonly managed organizations, then the FEC should decide whether they need to register as political committees under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by looking at their relationships with other members of the network in addition to evaluating the character of these groups viewed in isolation. In 2006 the Campaign Finance Institute issued a report looking twelve nationally important nonprofits that had been active in the 2004 election. It found that in ten of the twelve cases, a section 527 group that had not registered with the FEC had an affiliated group that was expressly involved in promoting the candidacy of one or more individuals who were running for a federal office. Sometimes the affiliated group was a PAC registered with the FEC and sometimes it was a 501(c) organization engaged in political campaign activity. Based largely upon the study's findings, I develop my recommendation for a network approach to determining political committee status.I then examine two potential First Amendment barriers to implementing the approach I recommend. According to the first, which is based upon a line of cases starting with Regan v. Taxation with Representation of Washington, the government cannot condition tax and other financial benefit for a potential recipient on its surrendering free speech rights that it otherwise would have unless there is an alternate channel available for the recipient to exercise those rights. The second depends upon the reasoning of the Supreme Court in, which limits the ability of the FEC to examine the context surrounding campaign messages in deciding whether electioneering communications have occurred. I argue that both of these constitutional obstacles can be overcome and, thus, that a network approach to political committee status is desirable from a public policy point of view and constitutionally valid.