cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis with Ordinal Measurement

Ever since Fisher and Pareto discovered at the end of the nineteenth century that increasing transformations of utility functions have no impact on the consumer demand functions derived from them, and hence that utility could be understood as being ordinal in character, economists have been familiar with ordinal measurement. Today, many other variables like product quality and effort, to name but two, find ordinal expression in economic models. Often, however, these variables have been treated as if they were cardinal variables, and this, in turn, has been shown to create a significant potential for errors and misconceptions (Katzner [5 (this volume, Essay 8)]). Models containing ordinally measured variables really do need to be constructed and manipulated keeping the presence of that ordinality clearly in mind. For such models frequently cannot maintain the same meaning, significance, and explanatory power as those whose variables are all cardinally or ratio calibrated, and the ability to manipulate the ordinal variables in them is often severely limited. Thus it is natural to ask about the kinds of things that can and cannot legitimately be accomplished when constructing and manipulating models with ordinal variables. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the possibilities.
Mast Cell Morphologic Cycles

During the studies that we did of the ultrastructural kinetics of anaphylactic degranulation and recovery of isolated, purified human lung mast cells, we observed cell size changes that suggested cyclical events to us (Dvorak et al. 1987). These cell size cycles were somewhat analogous to similar size changes which are routinely associated with lymphocyte biology (Dvorak et al. 1971, 1987). The mechanism for these size changes shares some similarities for both lymphocyte and mast cell cycles.
Inferring shortfall costs and integrating environmental costs into optimal production levels for an all-you-care-to-eat food service operation

Abstract This study examines how optimal food production policies at an all-you-care-to-eat (AYCTE) facility would change were life cycle cost estimates of embodied CO2 included in the disposal costs associated with overproduction, in an aim to study production planning possibilities in a situation that places increased emphasis on the environmental impacts of overproduction. AYCTE operations exhibit a lack of revenue associated with each item served, since there is no per-item lost sales value incurred when demand exceeds supply; accordingly, the second objective of this research is to present a novel method for estimating shortfall costs in a setting with no marginal revenue per satisfied unit of demand. We examine empirical data from AYCTE operations at the University of Missouri's Campus Dining Services (CDS) to infer the per-item shortfall costs that are implied by CDS management's historical production decisions. Consistent with CDS management's stated aversion to shortfalls, we estimate shortfall values which are between 1.6 and 2.7 times larger than the procurement cost and between 30 and over 100 times larger than the disposal cost. Utilizing published estimates of life cycle CO2 and the social cost of carbon, we identify a per-portion environmental cost. We incorporate the environmental costs associated with wasted overproduction and the inferred shortfall cost estimates into a newsvendor model formulation, to identify new optimal production levels, illustrating this approach with application to a set of food items served by CDS. We find that optimal production levels are decreased significantly (18–25%) for food items with high environmental impacts (such as beef), and reduced less for foods with less embodied CO2.
Fibrous Composite Materials

Fibrous composites are materials consisting of lightweight, high modulus fibers inbedded in a surrounding material called the matrix. These composites have properties that vary with the direction of interest.
Breaking resolution limits: advances and challenges in single molecule microscopy

The resolution of an optical system is a measure of its ability to distinguish two closely spaced point sources. In optical microscopy, Rayleigh's criterion has been extensively used to determine the resolution of microscopes. Despite its widespread use, it is well known that this criterion is based on heuristic notions that are not suited to modern imaging approaches. Formulated within a deterministic framework, this criterion neglects the stochastic nature of photon emission and therefore does not take into account the total number of detected photons. In fact, single molecule experiments have shown that this criterion can be surpassed in a regular optical microscope thereby illustrating that Rayleigh's criterion is inadequate for current microscopy techniques. This inadequacy of Rayleigh's criterion has, in turn, necessitated a reassessment of the resolution limits of optical microscopes. By adopting an information-theoretic framework and using the theory concerning the Fisher information matrix, we proposed a new resolution measure that overcomes the limitations of Rayleigh's criterion. Here, we provide a review of this and other related results. The new resolution measure predicts that distances well below Rayleigh's limit can be resolved in an optical microscope. The effect of deteriorating experimental factors on the new resolution measure is also investigated. Further, it is experimentally verified that distances well below Rayleigh's limit can be measured from images of closely spaced fluorescent single molecules with an accuracy as predicted by the new resolution measure. We have also addressed an important problem in single molecule microscopy that concerns the accuracy with which the location of a single molecule can be determined. In particular, by using the theory concerning the Fisher information matrix we have derived analytical expressions for the limit to the 2D/3D localization accuracy of a single molecule.
COX2/mPGES1/PGE2 pathway regulates PD-L1 expression in tumor-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells

In recent years, it has been established that programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1)–mediated inhibition of activated PD-1+ T lymphocytes plays a major role in tumor escape from immune system during cancer progression. Lately, the anti–PD-L1 and –PD-1 immune therapies have become an important tool for treatment of advanced human cancers, including bladder cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of PD-L1 expression in cancer are not fully understood. We found that coculture of murine bone marrow cells with bladder tumor cells promoted strong expression of PD-L1 in bone marrow–derived myeloid cells. Tumor-induced expression of PD-L1 was limited to F4/80+ macrophages and Ly-6C+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells. These PD-L1–expressing cells were immunosuppressive and were capable of eliminating CD8 T cells in vitro. Tumor-infiltrating PD-L1+ cells isolated from tumor-bearing mice also exerted morphology of tumor-associated macrophages and expressed high levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-forming enzymes microsomal PGE2 synthase 1 (mPGES1) and COX2. Inhibition of PGE2 formation, using pharmacologic mPGES1 and COX2 inhibitors or genetic overexpression of PGE2-degrading enzyme 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), resulted in reduced PD-L1 expression. Together, our study demonstrates that the COX2/mPGES1/PGE2 pathway involved in the regulation of PD-L1 expression in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells and, therefore, reprogramming of PGE2 metabolism in tumor microenvironment provides an opportunity to reduce immune suppression in tumor host.
State-Level Comparison of Traffic Fatality Data in Consideration of Marijuana Laws:

Recently, several states have revisited their laws governing cannabis possession and consumption. Whereas some states have legalized cannabis use at different levels (i.e., legal recreational use, decriminalized possession, or legal medical use), others have zero tolerance. This study used 5 years of data (2010 to 2014) from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System to assess differences across states with various laws for cannabis use. Random parameter logistic regression models were estimated to examine differences in the prevalence of positive cannabis tests across states while controlling for other salient factors, including driver and roadway characteristics. The findings demonstrate that drivers in states with more lenient laws for cannabis possession and consumption were more likely to test positive compared with drivers in states with zero tolerance. In addition, ordinal logistic regression models were estimated to assess the relationships between injury severity, cannabis laws, and other factors ass...
A prognostic model of Alzheimer's disease relying on multiple longitudinal measures and time-to-event data.

Abstract Introduction Characterizing progression in Alzheimer's disease is critically important for early detection and targeted treatment. The objective was to develop a prognostic model, based on multivariate longitudinal markers, for predicting progression-free survival in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Methods The information contained in multiple longitudinal markers was extracted using multivariate functional principal components analysis and used as predictors in the Cox regression models. Cross-validation was used for selecting the best model based on Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative–1. External validation was conducted on Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative–2. Results Model comparison yielded a prognostic index computed as the weighted combination of historical information of five neurocognitive longitudinal markers that are routinely collected in observational studies. The comprehensive validity analysis provided solid evidence of the usefulness of the model for predicting Alzheimer's disease progression. Discussion The prognostic model was improved by incorporating multiple longitudinal markers. It is useful for monitoring disease and identifying patients for clinical trial recruitment.
Clinical Decision Support at the Radiologist Point of Care

The field of radiology is broad: a single imaging examination can present significant findings that span multiple body systems. For example, an abdominal computed tomography (CT) might show infectious disease of the hepatobiliary system, traumatic injury to the musculoskeletal system, or an obstructive malignancy of the genitourinary tract. In addition to these acute findings, it is not uncommon for a radiologist interpreting an abdominal CT to encounter incidental findings, such as pulmonary nodules, adrenal nodules, renal masses, hepatic hypodensities, pancreatic cystic lesions, or adnexal cysts, among others. This means that radiologist must possess—or have readily available—considerable knowledge of these entities and their management crossing multiple medical specialties to provide accurate and clinically meaningful interpretations.
Choice of pretransplant treatment and timing of transplants for chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase [see comments]

We analyzed the outcome of 450 HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase performed between 1985 and 1990 and reported to the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR). All patients received either hydroxyurea (n = 292) or busulfan (n = 158) to treat their CML before transplant. The median interval between diagnosis and transplant was 10 months (range, 1 to 191). Patients treated with hydroxyurea had a higher probability (95% confidence interval) of leukemia-free survival (LFS) at 3 years than those treated with busulfan (61% [51% to 70%] v 45% [36% to 55%], P < .0003). Probability of LFS was also higher in patients transplanted within 1 year of diagnosis (61% [53 to 68%] v 47% [38% to 57%], P < .001). After adjustment for patient and transplant covariables in a multivariate analysis, prior chemotherapy and duration of disease pretransplant were independently associated with LFS. These data support the use of hydroxyurea rather than busulfan and transplant within 1 year of diagnosis for patients with CML and an HLA-identical sibling.
Variability in adolescent portal privacy features: how the unique privacy needs of the adolescent patient create a complex decision-making process.

Objective Medical privacy policies, which are clear-cut for adults and young children, become ambiguous during adolescence. Yet medical organizations must establish unambiguous rules about patient and parental access to electronic patient portals. We conducted a national interview study to characterize the diversity in adolescent portal policies across a range of institutions and determine the factors influencing decisions about these policies. Methods Within a sampling framework that ensured diversity of geography and medical organization type, we used purposive and snowball sampling to identify key informants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed with inductive thematic analysis, followed by a member check. Results We interviewed informants from 25 medical organizations. Policies established different degrees of adolescent access (from none to partial to complete), access ages (from 10 to 18 years), degrees of parental access, and types of information considered sensitive. Federal and state law did not dominate policy decisions. Other factors in the decision process were: technology capabilities; differing patient population needs; resources; community expectations; balance between information access and privacy; balance between promoting autonomy and promoting family shared decision-making; and tension between teen privacy and parental preferences. Some informants believed that clearer standards would simplify policy-making; others worried that standards could restrict high-quality polices. Conclusions In the absence of universally accepted standards, medical organizations typically undergo an arduous decision-making process to develop teen portal policies, weighing legal, economic, social, clinical, and technological factors. As a result, portal access policies are highly inconsistent across the United States and within individual states.
Somatosensory Potentials in Humans Evoked by Both Mechanical Stimulation of the Skin and Electrical Stimulation of the Nerve

Somatosensory potentials evoked by electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves can be recorded by surface electrodes at various locations along the somatosensory pathway. The potentials correspond to activity in peripheral nerves (Dawson and Scott, 1949; Gilliatt and Sears, 1958; Buchthal and Rosenfalck, 1966), spinal cord (Cracco, 1973; Matthews, Beauchamp, and Small, 1974; Jones, 1977), brainstem and midbrain (Cracco and Cracco, 1976; Jones, 1977), and somatosensory cortex (Dawson, 1947; Goff, Rosner, and Allison, 1962; Cracco and Cracco, 1976). The neural generators of these potentials in humans have been proposed from comparable experiments in animals using the correlation between potentials recorded from brain structures comprising the sensory pathway and the surface derived potentials (Iragui-Madoz and Wiederholt, 1977).
The Fibrillar Extracellular Matrix of the Trabecular Meshwork

The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the trabecular meshwork (TM) is a complex network of proteins, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans that are arranged into a three-dimensional fibrillar network. The specific arrangement and composition of these proteins provide the structural support and signaling cues for cell survival, migration, differentiation, gene expression, growth factor signaling, and cell contractility. Three of the major fibrillar ECM proteins in the TM are fibronectin, type I collagen, and type IV collagen. This article discusses recent findings about the biological and structural properties of these fibrillar proteins and how they could contribute to the regulation of aqueous humor outflow in the trabecular meshwork.
Educational strategies to foster diversity and inclusion in machine intelligence

To attract and retain talent from all backgrounds, new educational models and mentorship programmes are needed in machine intelligence, says Shannon Wongvibulsin.
Charles Cole. The Consciousness’ Drive: Information Need and the Search for Meaning . Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018. 247p. Hardcover, $79.99 (ISBN 978-3-319-92455-7). LC 2018-946105.

Author Charles Cole’s understanding of human consciousness is built foundationally upon the work of evolutionary psychologist Merlin Donald, who visualized the development of human cognition in four phases, with three transitions. According to Donald’s Theory of Mind, preceding types of cognition do not cease to exist after human cognition transitions to a new phase, but exist as four layers within the modern consciousness. Cole’s narrative in the first part of the book recounts Donald’s model of human cognition, categorizing episodic, mimetic, mythic, and theoretic phases of cognition. The second half of the book sets up a particular situation of consciousness using the frame theory of Marvin Minsky, uses Meno’s paradox (how can we come to know that which we don’t already know?) in a critique of framing as Minsky conceived it, and presents group and national level framing and shows their inherent danger in allowing information avoidance and sanctioning immoral actions. Cole concludes with a solution of information need being sparked or triggered that takes the human consciousness out of a closed information loop, driving the consciousness to seek new information.
Exercise and Cardiovascular Risk among Masters Athletes with Type 2 Diabetes.

This review was designed to provide a scientific and clinical framework for the care of physically active men and women with an emphasis on the management of T2DM. The preventative and therapeutic benefits of physical activity (PA) on adult onset or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are well established. Individuals diagnosed with or are at risk for T2DM should be counseled and maximally supported to pursue an active or athletic lifestyle. Optimally, this translates into the adoption of an athletic lifestyle. “Masters athletes”, men and women above the age of 35 who regularly train for and/or participate in competitive sport, represent a rapidly growing segment of the population. Although the high level of exercise characteristic of this population has numerous health benefits, it does not confer immunity from T2DM or cardiovascular (CV) disease. Providing effective care for men and women above the age of 35 who regularly train for and/or participate in competitive sport requires an understanding of the interplay between basic exercise physiology and the pathogenesis of insulin resistance.
The effect of remote sensing resolution limits on aeolian sandstone measurements and the reconstruction of ancient dune fields on Mars: Numerical experiment using the Page Sandstone, Earth

The distribution of cross-set thicknesses is important field-collected data for reconstructing ancient aeolian dune fields from the strata they accumulated, but most aeolian strata on Mars must be observed with remote sensing. We hypothesize that remote sensing resolution limits will affect cross-set thickness measurements and the dune field reconstructions that follow. Here, we test this hypothesis using a numerical experiment mimicking the effects of remote sensing resolution limits performed on a distribution of aeolian cross-set thicknesses measured in the field from the Page Sandstone, Arizona, USA. Page set thicknesses are exponentially distributed, representing the accumulations of dry (no water table) dune fields in a state of net-sediment bypass. Set-thickness measurements are progressively blended into adjacent sets based on the map-view distance between their upper and lower bounding surfaces on exposures with different dips. This is termed the “exposure distance” of a cross set, and in this experiment is a function of (1) set thickness, (2) the dip of the outcrop surface, and (3) assumptions of the number of remote sensing image pixels required to detect a set (detection limit). Using outcrop dips from 1° to 60° and detection limits from 3 to 10 HiRISE pixels, gently sloping surfaces (< 13°) allow most of the Page Sandstone sets to be measured, conserving the bypass interpretation made from the true set thicknesses at all detection limits. Although these results are specific to the Page, they can be used as a rule of thumb for future Mars work.
Social Learning and Scaffolding to Improve Student's Self-efficacy and Engagement

The majority of Computer Science courses frequently use out-of-class activities to promote skill-building. Yet, the shortcomings of these activities limit their applicability in improving students' skills. This poster presents an innovative mobile-app-based approach to engage students in out-of-class activities. The app - Dysgu - builds on the theories of social learning and enables instructors to break regular out-of-class activities into smaller and interactive entities with instructional scaffolding. Dysgu allows students to compare their progress with their peers and provides personalized notifications and feedbacks to keep students engaged. The goal is to improve student's self-efficacy and engagement in out-of-class activities.
Potato Growth and Development

This chapter describes the somewhat unique characteristics, structures, and growth patterns of the potato plant and is designed to enhance the understanding of management strategies described in later chapters.
Modified limited bedding and nesting is a model of early-life stress that affects reproductive physiology and behavior in female and male Long-Evans rats.

We used a modification of the limited bedding and nesting (LBN) model to evaluate the effects of early-life stress (ELS) on female and male reproductive physiology and behavior in Long-Evans rats. On postnatal day (PD) 2, dams and pups were transferred to a cage containing 100 mL of bedding (LBN condition) or to a cage containing 500 mL of bedding (control condition); bedding conditions remained until PD 10. In female rats, we measured vaginal opening, estrous cyclicity, female sexual behavior and motivation, and anxiety-like behavior. In male rats, we measured preputial separation, the development of male copulatory behavior, sexual motivation, and anxiety-like behavior. We found that relative to controls, female rats reared with LBN experienced precocious puberty and enhanced sexual motivation, but normal estrous cyclicity. Relative to controls, male rats reared with LBN experienced delayed puberty and enhanced sexual motivation, but normal development of copulatory behavior. Anxiety-like behavior was not affected by LBN in either female or male rats. In summary, the ELS of being reared with LBN affected the onset of puberty in the opposite direction in females and males, but enhanced sexual motivation in both. The current study is the first to examine the effects of ELS on sexual motivation using the LBN model. These findings further support the hypothesis that maternal care affects the development of sexual maturation and sexual motivation.
Adverse childhood experiences and psychological well-being in a rural sample of Chinese young adults.

Abstract Background International interest in adverse childhood experiences (ACE) is on the rise. In China, recent research has explored the effects of ACEs on health-related outcomes, but little is known about how ACEs impact the psychological functioning of rural Chinese youth as they make transition to adulthood. Objective This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and psychological consequences of ACEs among a group of rural Chinese young adults. Participants and settings 1019 rural high school graduates from three different provinces of China participated in this study. Methods A web-based survey was used to assess ten conventional ACEs and seven other novel ACEs using the Childhood Experiences Survey. Using validated brief measures, six indicators of psychological functioning were assessed: anxiety, depression, perceived stress, posttraumatic stress, loneliness, and suicidality. Descriptive and correlational analyses of all ACEs were performed, and multivariate regressions were conducted to test associations between ACEs and study outcomes. Results Three-fourths of Chinese youth endorsed at least one of ten conventional ACEs. The most prevalent ACEs were physical abuse (52.3 %) and domestic violence (43.2 %). Among seven new adversities, prolonged parental absence (37.4 %) and parental gambling problems (19.7 %) were most prevalent. Higher conventional ACEs scores were significantly associated with poorer psychological functioning, and each type of new adversity was associated with one or more psychological problems. Conclusion ACEs were prevalent among rural Chinese young adults and had deleterious effects on their psychological well-being. Further work is needed to address ACEs by developing culturally appropriate assessment practices, interventions, and policy responses.
Volume/Pressure Rebound with Mannitol in Head Injured Patients with Raised ICP

Mannitol has been shown to improve the pressure/volume status in head injured patients. This improvement in compliance has been considered to be the basis for ICP reduction (Miller et al. 1975). We posed the question that if compliance is improved with Mannitol, why does ICP gradually return and in some cases continue to rise? One view is that, in the presence of a compromised blood brain barrier, the osmolarity gradient between blood and brain produced by Mannitol is gradually dissipated as the Mannitol eventually leaks into damaged tissue. An alternative view, offered by many investigators, is that the rate of brain swelling caused by continued extravasation of edema or vascular engorgement following traumatic injury exceeds the volume that can be accommodated by hyperosmolar therapy. The objective of this study was to examine the time course of PVI and ICP following mannitol administration to determine the duration of improvement of the pressure/volume status in severely head injured patient and relate these changes to serial measurements of ICP, osmolarity and blood viscosity.
Can advanced type systems be usable? An empirical study of ownership, assets, and typestate in Obsidian

Some blockchain programs (smart contracts) have included serious security vulnerabilities. Obsidian is a new typestate-oriented programming language that uses a strong type system to rule out some of these vulnerabilities. Although Obsidian was designed to promote usability to make it as easy as possible to write programs, strong type systems can cause a language to be difficult to use. In particular, ownership, typestate, and assets, which Obsidian uses to provide safety guarantees, have not seen broad adoption together in popular languages and result in significant usability challenges. We performed an empirical study with 20 participants comparing Obsidian to Solidity, which is the language most commonly used for writing smart contracts today. We observed that Obsidian participants were able to successfully complete more of the programming tasks than the Solidity participants. We also found that the Solidity participants commonly inserted asset-related bugs, which Obsidian detects at compile time.
A Guarneri violin in the attic: the power of dendrochronology for analysing musical instruments

Dendrochronology is the science that dates wooden artefacts by measuring annual growth rings visible in the wood. And, in the case of musical instruments, the method is non-invasive. In addition, dendrochronology can also help to identify the wood’s provenance and to supply information on how the soundboard was made, giving details of ring width and regularity. This study also demonstrates the effectiveness of dendrochronology in attributing a musical instrument to an important luthier. It deals with a privately owned violin, whose date and origin had previously remained uncertain, despite various attempts to authenticate, at least, its technical and stylistic characteristics. The outermost tree-ring of the instrument’s soundboard was dendrochronologically dated to the year 1696 and attributed, with certainty, to the Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri filius Andreae, father of the famous Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesu". Thanks to dendrochronology, in this way, a twin of an already existing violin has been identified that was made by the same luthier. Both violins are identical in construction, having the same veining and dimensions, and the wood from the same tree was used in all parts, including the soundboard. Dendrochronology has, thus, been proven to be an extremely useful method, which has transformed a violin of uncertain value into a museum piece.
Size dependent infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 via respiratory droplets spread through central ventilation systems

Abstract Here we evaluate the transport of respiratory droplets that carry SARS-CoV-2 through central air handling systems in multiroom buildings. Respiratory droplet size modes arise from the bronchioles representing the lungs and lower respiratory tract, the larynx representing the upper respiratory tract including vocal cords, or the oral cavity. The size distribution of each mode remains largely conserved, although the magnitude of each droplet mode changes as infected individuals breathe, speak, sing, laugh, cough, and sneeze. Here we evaluate how each type of respiratory droplet transits central ventilation systems and the implications thereof for infectivity of COVID-19. We find that while larger oral droplets can transmit through the air handling systems, their size and concentration are greatly reduced with but few oral droplets leaving the source room. In contrast, the smaller droplets that originate from the bronchioles and larynx are much more effective in transiting through the air handling system into connected rooms. This suggests that ratio of lower respiratory or deep lung infections increases relative to upper respiratory infections in rooms connected by central air handling systems. Also, increasing the temperature and humidity in the range considered after the droplets have achieved an “equilibrium” size reduces the probability of infection.
A small plasmid, pCA2.4, from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 encodes a rep protein and replicates by a rolling circle mechanism.

Different cryptic plasmids are widely distributed in many strains of cyanobacteria. A small cryptic plasmid, pCA2.4, from Synechocystis strain PCC 6803 was completely sequenced, and its replication mode was determined. pCA2.4 contained 2,378 bp and encoded a replication (Rep) protein, designated RepA. An analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed that RepA of pCA2.4 has significant homology with Rep proteins of pKYM from Shigella sonnei, a pUB110 plasmid family from gram-positive bacteria, and with a protein corresponding to an open reading frame in a Nostoc plasmid and open reading frame C of Plectonema plasmid pRF1. pKYM and pUB110 family plasmids replicate by a rolling circle mechanism in which a Rep protein nicks the origin of replication to allow the generation of a single-stranded plasmid as a replication intermediate. RepA encoded by pC2.4 was expressed in Escherichia coli cells harboring a vector, pCRP336, containing the entire repA gene. The observed molecular weight of RepA was consistent with the value of 39,200 calculated from its deduced amino acid sequence, as was the N-terminal sequence analysis done through the 12th residue. Single-stranded plasmid DNA of pCA2.4 that was specifically degraded by S1 nuclease was detected in Synechocystis cells by Southern hybridization. These observations suggest that pCA2.4 replicates by a rolling circle mechanism in Synechocystis cells. Images
Classifying quantum phases with the Kirby torus trick

Classifying phases of local quantum systems is a general problem that includes special cases such as free fermions, commuting projectors, and others. An important distinction in this classification should be made between classifying periodic and aperiodic systems. A related distinction is that between homotopy invariants (invariants which remain constant so long as certain general properties such as locality, gap, and others hold) and locally computable invariants (properties of the system that can not change from one region to another without producing a gapless edge between them). We attack this problem using a technique inspired by Kirby's ``torus trick'' in topology. We use this trick to reproduce results for free fermions (in particular, using the trick to reduce the aperiodic classification to the simpler problem of periodic classification). We also show that a similar trick works for interacting phases which are nontrivial but lack anyons; these results include symmetry-protected phases. A key part of this work is an attempt to classify quantum cellular automata.
62 GHz monolithic multistage indium phosphide-based HEMT amplifier

The superior performance qualities of indium phosphide-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures have already been established with discrete devices. In this paper, the first V-band monolithic millimeter-wave ICs made with this material system are reported. Results are presented for a monolithic amplifier with a 9 dB gain at 62.5 GHz. These circuits have all the necessary components for a high-performance amplifier technology including quarter-micron EBL (electron beam lithography) defined gates, MIM (metal insulator metal) capacitors, air-bridge metal crossovers and plated-thru-substrate vias to the ground plane. >
PLASMA INFUSIONS |[lpar]|PI|[rpar]| IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEMOLYTIC UREMIC SYNDROME |[lpar]|HUS|[rpar]|

In spite of early dialysis and supportive therapy, children with severe HUS have a high incidence of sequelae with chronic renal failure (CRF) and/or hypertension. Previous experience at this center has shown 66% of children with HUS developing CRF. Since a plasma factor deficiency has been postulated in the pathogenesis of this syndrome, we studied the acute and long term effects of PI in HUS. Six children (3 boys) 2-5 years of age with HUS were treated with peritoneal dialysis and PI. Mean dose of PI was 25 ml/Kg/day given for 2-7 days. All children had oligoanuria >24 hours ( duration 15 days; range 2-30 days) and thrombocytopenia (lowest platelet count 17,500; range 8,000-40,000). Mean serum creatinine before dialysis was 6.2 mg/dl. Transient hyptertension was present in all the patients and two had evidence of multi-organ involvement. After the initial dose of PI, platelet count rose to >100,000 in 4 days and oligoanuria resolved in 10 days. Total duration of dialysis period was 12 days (range 3-30 days). At last follow up ( 13 months) all six children have serum creatinine ≤0.8 mg/dl (estimated GFR >75 ml/min/1.73 m2) and only two have mild hypertension and proteinuria. These results suggest that judicious administration of plasma has a beneficial effect in HUS by accelerating recovery from the acute phase and improving its final outcome.
WordSieve: A Method for Real-Time Context Extraction

In order to be useful, intelligent information retrieval agents must provide their users with context-relevant information. This paper presents WordSieve, an algorithm for automatically extracting information about the context in which documents are consulted during web browsing. Using information extracted from the stream of documents consulted by the user, WordSieve automatically builds context profiles which differentiate sets of documents that users tend to access in groups. These profiles are used in a research-aiding system to index documents consulted in the current context and pro-actively suggest them to users in similar future contexts. In initial experiments on the capability to match documents to the task contexts in which they were consulted, WordSieve indexing outperformed indexing based on Term Frequency/Inverse Document Frequency, a common document indexing approach for intelligent agents in information retrieval.
The confluence of manufacturing test and design validation

The noise-, process-, thermaland power-induced delay variations make circuit delays much less predictable. At the same time, due to small and subtle defects, devices are more likely to marginally violate performance specifications under scaled technologies. Like the signal lines, clock lines are also becoming more susceptible to variations and defects. For timing verification, such trends invalidate traditional, static (i.e. vector-less) timing verification paradigms and create a demand for dynamic solutions that would require carefully crafted test vectors for accurate timing simulation. For delay testing, we need test vectors that can exercise various worst-case timing scenarios to screen out devices with parametric variations and small timing defects. To reduce the overall costs and effort involved in design and test, we need to develop models, tools, and methodologies that can generate high quality, cost-effective test vectors that serve both applications [1].
First-Order Theorem Proving Using Conditional Rewrite Rules

A method based on superposition on maximal literals in clauses and conditional rewriting is discussed for automatically proving theorems in first-order predicate calculus with equality. First-order formulae (clauses) are represented as conditional rewrite rules which turn out to be an efficient representation. The use of conditional rewriting for reducing search space is discussed. The method has been implemented in RRL, a Rewrite Rule Laboratory, a theorem proving environment based on rewriting techniques. It has been tried on a number of examples with considerable success. Its performance on bench-mark examples, including Schubert's Steamroller problem, SAM's lemma, and examples from set theory, compared favorably with the performance of other methods reported in the literature.
The Freiburg privacy diamond

Anonymity is a protection goal that helps to protect the privacy of users by ensuring that their identity remains unknown. Many mechanisms that enable anonymous actions exist. The Freiburg privacy diamond proposed in this contribution is a conceptual model which can be used to classify, analyze, and construct anonymizing mechanisms in respect of the type of mobility that is required for this anonymity mechanism.
New investigations into golden shiner culture

Survival of golden shiner Notemigonous crysoleucas larvae fed nine different formulated diets was evaluated in 2007 and 2008. Fry (1-d post hatch) were stocked equally into indoor tanks and then pair-wise comparisons were ran to evaluate differences in survival among different prepared foods in 14-d culture trials. In 2007 six diets were evaluated and in 2008 three more diets were evaluated against the best performing diet from the 2007 trials. Stocking rates ranged from 8-40 fry/L. In 2007, only the Zeigler AP100 trial resulted in any survival of fry. That diet was then used in 2008 as the control for additional pair-wise comparisons. Results from the 2008 culture season showed Zeigler AP100 again yielded the best survival; mean survival ranged from 1-28%, while the other three diets had mean survival that ranged from 4-6%. Results from this study show that more effort needs to be directed toward developing a more nutritionally complete diet for golden shiners. In addition, there is need to refine better culture techniques for growth and survival in indoor tank systems. Better feeds and improved culture methods are also needed to support the growth of the golden shiner industry in indoor systems. Introduction The golden shiner, Notemigonous crysoleucas, is the most common of the four major cultured baitfish species in the U.S. Although, currently about two-thirds of the baitfish sold in the North Central Region (NCR) come from the wild (Stone et al. 2005), wild baitfish producers face increasingly difficult problems accessing traditional harvest areas because of
Wound biofilms: lessons learned from oral biofilms

Biofilms play an important role in the development and pathogenesis of many chronic infections. Oral biofilms, more commonly known as dental plaque, are a primary cause of oral diseases including caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Oral biofilms are commonly studied as model biofilm systems as they are easily accessible; thus, biofilm research in oral diseases is advanced with details of biofilm formation and bacterial interactions being well elucidated. In contrast, wound research has relatively recently directed attention to the role biofilms have in chronic wounds. This review discusses the biofilms in periodontal disease and chronic wounds with comparisons focusing on biofilm detection, biofilm formation, the immune response to biofilms, bacterial interaction, and quorum sensing. Current treatment modalities used by both fields and future therapies are also discussed.
Field-scale model for the natural attenuation of uranium at the Hanford 300 Area using high-performance computing

[1] High-resolution, three-dimensional, reactive flow and transport simulations are carried out to describe the migration of hexavalent uranium [U(VI)] at the Hanford 300 Area bordering the Columbia River and to better understand the persistence of the uranium plume at the site. The computer code PFLOTRAN developed under a DOE SciDAC-2 project is employed in the simulations that are executed on ORNL's Cray XT4/XT5 supercomputer Jaguar. The conceptual model used in the simulations is based on the recognition of three distinct phases or time periods in the evolution of the U(VI) plume. These correspond to (1) initial waste emplacement; (2) initial presence of both labile and nonlabile U(VI) with an evolved U(VI) plume extending from the source region to the river boundary, representing present-day conditions; and (3) the complete removal of all nonlabile U(VI) and labile U(VI) in the vadose zone. This work focuses primarily on modeling Phase II using equilibrium and multirate sorption models for labile U(VI) and a continuous source release of nonlabile U(VI) in the South Process Pond through dissolution of metatorbernite as a surrogate mineral. For this case, rapid fluctuations in the Columbia River stage combined with the slow release of nonlabile U(VI) from contaminated sediment are found to play a predominant role in determining the migration behavior of U(VI) with sorption only a second-order effect. Nevertheless, a multirate model was essential in explaining breakthrough curves obtained from laboratory column experiments using the same sediment and is demonstrated to be important in Phase III. The calculations demonstrate that U(VI) is discharged to the river at a highly fluctuating rate in a ratchet-like behavior as the river stage rises and falls. The high-frequency fluctuations must be resolved in the model to calculate the flux of U(VI) at the river boundary. By time averaging the instantaneous flux to average out noise superimposed on the river stage fluctuations, the cumulative U(VI) flux to the river is found to increase approximately linearly with time. The flow rate and U(VI) flux are highly sensitive to the conductance boundary condition that describes the river-sediment interface. By adjusting the conductance coefficient to give a better match to the measured piezometric head, good agreement was obtained with field studies for both the mean flux of water of 109 kg/yr and U(VI) of 25 kg/yr at the river-aquifer boundary for a computational domain encompassing the South Process Pond. Finally, it is demonstrated that, through global mass conservation, the U(VI) leach rate from the source region is related to the U(VI) flux at the river boundary.
Imaging with spherically bent crystals or reflectors

This paper consists of two parts: part I describes the working principle of a recently developed x-ray imaging crystal spectrometer, where the astigmatism of spherically bent crystals is being used with advantage to record spatially resolved spectra of highly charged ions for Doppler measurements of the ion-temperature and toroidal plasma-rotation-velocity profiles in tokamak plasmas. This type of spectrometer was thoroughly tested on NSTX and Alcator C-Mod, and its concept was recently adopted for the design of the ITER crystal spectrometers. Part II describes imaging schemes, where the astigmatism has been eliminated by the use of matched pairs of spherically bent crystals or reflectors. These imaging schemes are applicable over a wide range of the electromagnetic radiation, which includes microwaves, visible light, EUV radiation and x-rays. Potential applications with EUV radiation and x-rays are the diagnosis of laser-produced plasmas, imaging of biological samples with synchrotron radiation and lithography.
Chiral hybrid metal-organic dendrimers.

New chiral terpyridines containing Frechet-type dendrons have been readily synthesized by coupling dendritic benzyl bromide and 4‘-[6-(2,2‘-dihydroxy-1,1‘-binaphthyl)]-2,2‘:6‘2‘ ‘-terpyridine. Thes...
Spindle Orientation: Timing Is Everything

In this issue of Neuron, Xie et al. (2013) identified protein phosphatase 4c (PP4c) as a new component in the regulation of spindle orientation during mammalian neurogenesis. Importantly, their findings uncovered a novel and critical temporal aspect of the regulation of spindle orientation during neurogenesis.
Forward rates as predictors of future spot rates in small open economies: The case of Kuwait

The relationship between forward and future spot rates appears to be the same for Kuwait as for larger developed countries. Bid-ask spreads do not appear to affect the relationship. But cointegration, unit root and frequency domain tests suggest that there may be a stronger long-run than short-run relationship.
Electrospray Mass Spectrometric Detection of Chitobiose in Enzyme Hydrolysates of Marine Phytoplankton

The presence of chitin in algae was determined by mass spectrometric detection of its enzymatic hydrolysis end product, chitobiose. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) was used for detection of chitobiose in the enzyme hydrolysate because of its capability to detect underivatized amino sugar oligomers. This strategy affords simplified sample preparation and reduced processing time. Despite the remarkable success in the analysis of purified sugars, ES mass spectrometric detection of sugars in complex matrices remains a challenging task and generally requires sample cleanup. This work demonstrates the use of ES-MS with both off-line and on-line sample cleanup for the detection of chitobiose generated by the enzymatic hydrolysis of chitin. The porous graphitic carbon (PGC) packing material used in the on-line method has been used for chromatographic separation of sugars and is particularly suitable for this assay because ES-compatible solvents such as water and acetonitrile can be used for analyte elution...