cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal EV charge-discharge schedule in smart residential buildings

The work in this paper provides an approach to generate the optimal charge/discharge schedule for an EV plugged into a smart building. The building is assumed to be equipped with local solar generation and to be subjected to time-varying electricity pricing schemes such as time-of-use pricing (TOUP) or real-time pricing (RTP). Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to forecast the building's hourly energy consumption and solar generation from the point in time when the EV gets plugged-in until it is expected to depart. The optimization is defined as a linear programming problem that is solved using MATLAB's optimization toolbox. Degradation costs are accounted for to ensure that the additional cycling of the EV battery, which accelerates battery degradation, does not offset the benefits of short-term optimization. The optimal schedule is constrained to ensure that battery charge/discharge operational limits are respected, and that the EV is fully charged by the time the user is ready to leave the residence. Simulation models developed in MATLAB coupled with real weather, load, and pricing data are used to evaluate the adequacy of the proposed algorithm.
Cloud type and cloud cover effects on the surface radiative balance at several Polar sites

¶The present work concerns measurements performed at five Polar sites in order to study the influence of cloud type and cloud cover on the surface radiative balance. Cloud cover index was retrieved with the Kasten and Czeplak formula (1980), and comparison with observed values showed the possibility of applying this formula in Polar regions. The Duchon and O’Malley (1999) methodology was adopted to estimate the cloud types present during the measurement period for each site. The results show that during the Antarctic summer clouds have a warming effect on the surface, while during a melting event recorded in the Arctic site clouds have a net cooling effect on the surface. This result allows us to conclude that, during a melting period a different cloud type formation, and a lower surface albedo, modify the effects of clouds on the surface radiation balance.
Implicit leadership theory: A potential threat to the internal validity of leader behavior questionnaires

Abstract The effect of implicit leadership theories on consideration and initiating structure ratings from the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (XII) was investigated. Factor loadings obtained from students under a limited information condition were compared with those from reported field data. The consideration factors were found to be highly congruent, while initiating structure factors were moderately congruent. These results were consistent with comparisons from three additional samples varying in respondent's familiarity with the leader. Cues regarding performance, sex, and level of accomplishment of the supervisor were also examined in the context of implicit theories. Performance cues were found to have a highly significant effect on subscale ratings. The effect for supervisor's sex was marginally significant. Emphasizing behavior—attention—encoding—memory units inherent in such ratings, rater's limited information processing capacity was suggested as a possible explanation of results. It was concluded, after considering the generalizability of results, that the findings posed a threat to the internal validity of behavioral questionnaires.
Application of the utilization technique to the behavior of a brain-injured patient.

Abstract The speech pathologist often encounters behaviors that interfere with the rehabilitation of a patient with speech and language disorders. This paper describes the utilization technique and presents an account of how the technique was used to control a behavior that was interfering with the speech and language evaluation of a brain-injured adult.
Telomere length is associated with sleep duration but not sleep quality in adults with human immunodeficiency virus.

Background and study objective Telomere length provides an estimate of cellular aging and is influenced by oxidative stress and health behaviors such as diet and exercise. This article describes relationships between telomere length and sleep parameters that included total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and self-reported sleep quality in a sample of adults with chronic illness. Design and participants Cross-sectional study of 283 adults (74% male, 42% Caucasian) infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while living in the San Francisco Bay area, CA, USA. Ages ranged from 22-77 y. Measurements and results TST and WASO were estimated with wrist actigraphy across 72 h; self-reported sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Relative telomere length (RTL) in leukocytes was estimated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. Shorter RTL was associated with older age, and RTL was shorter in males than females. RTL was unrelated to HIV disease characteristics. RTL was not associated with WASO or self-reported sleep quality. Participants with at least 7 h sleep had longer RTL than those with less than 7 h, even after controlling for the effects of age, sex, race, education, body mass index, metabolic hormones (i.e., leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin, and resistin), depression and anxiety, and sleep quality. Conclusion Results suggest that sleep duration is associated with preserving telomere length in a population of human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep at night may either protect telomeres from damage or restore them on a nightly basis.
Studies On the Western Atlantic Arrow Crab Genus Stenorhynchus (Decapoda Brachyura, Majidae) I. Larval Characters of Two Species and Comparison With Other Larvae of Inachinae 1)

The larvae of two populations, presumably both belonging to the western Atlantic majid crab, Stenorhynchus seticornis (Herbst) were reared in the laboratory, and described and illustrated. Larvae obtained from the shallow water population differ from the larvae obtained from the deep water population. The marked larval character differences suggest that there are two species involved in the present nominal species of "Stenorhynchus seticornis". The larval characters of Stenorhynchus are discussed and compared with those of other members of the subfamily Inachinae.
Oncogenic Ha-Ras-induced Signaling Activates NF-κB Transcriptional Activity, Which Is Required for Cellular Transformation

Ras proteins function in stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation through the activation of Raf-dependent and Raf-independent signal transduction pathways and the subsequent activation of specific transcription factors. The transcription factor NF-kappaB has been widely studied as a regulator of genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses. A variety of stimuli activate NF-kappaB through the induced phosphorylation and degradation of the inhibitor IkappaB followed by nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. We show here that oncogenic forms of Ha-Ras activate NF-kappaB, not through induced nuclear translocation, but rather through the activation of the transcriptional function of the NF-kappaB RelA/p65 subunit. Importantly, RelA/p65 -/- cells are inefficient in the activation of kappaB-dependent gene expression in response to oncogenic Ras expression. Furthermore, IkappaBalpha expression blocks focus formation in NIH3T3 cells induced by oncogenic Ras. These results demonstrate that NF-kappaB is a critical downstream mediator of Ha-Ras signaling and oncogenic potential.
5,5'-Diphenylhydantoin (phenytoin) attenuates the action of 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine in cultured GC cells.

We have previously reported that 5,5′-diphenylhydantoin (DPH) inhibits total cellular and specific nuclear T3 binding by cultured GC cells, a rat pituitary tumor cell line that produces GH. DPH decreased competitively the rate of T3 accumulation by GC cells and noncompetitively inhibited specific nuclear T3 binding as well. To determine the biological consequences of these DPH effects on cellular and nuclear T3 binding, we studied the effect of DPH on the growth rate and GH production of GC cells cultured in Dulbecco′s Modified Eagle′s Medium with 10% serum. Incubation with T3 stimulated the GC cell growth rate in a dose-dependent manner. The halfmaximal growth rate was achieved at a T3 concentration of 0.18 nM, and the maximal effect was observed at 0.4 nM T3. Addition of DPH to GC cells cultured with 0.15 nM T3 resulted in a dosedependent decrease in the GC cell growth rate. The half-maximal depression of the rate of GC cell growth occurred at 185 μM DPH, a concentration that results in an approximately...
Noncontact friction and relaxational dynamics of surface defects.

The motion of a cantilever near sample surfaces exhibits additional friction even before two bodies come into mechanical contact. Called noncontact friction (NCF), this friction is of great practical importance to the ultrasensitive force detection measurements. The observed large NCF of a micron-scale cantilever found an anomalously large damping that exceeds theoretical predictions by 8--11 orders of magnitude. This finding points to a contribution beyond fluctuating electromagnetic fields within the van der Waals approach. Recent experiments reported by Saitoh et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 236103 (2010)] also found a nontrivial distance dependence of NCF. Motivated by these observations, we propose a mechanism based on the coupling of a cantilever to the relaxation dynamics of surface defects. We assume that the surface defects couple to the cantilever tip via spin-spin coupling and their spin relaxation dynamics gives rise to the backaction terms and modifies both the friction coefficient and the spring constant. We explain the magnitude, as well as the distance dependence of the friction due to these backaction terms. Reasonable agreement is found with the experiments.
Endangered Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Carry High Levels of Genetic Variation

: The population of Rhinoceros unicornis in the Chitwan Valley, Nepal, was reduced to an estimated effective population size (Ne of 21–28 individuals (60–80 total animals) in 1962. Protein electrophoresis shows that heterozygosity remains very high in this population (Ho= 9.9%) despite its near extinction. We attribute this high heterozygosity to large Ne's prior to the population bottleneck, the recent occurrence of the bottleneck, and long generation time. These results illustrate the importance of considering historical demography and life history parameters when evaluating the possible genetic effects of bottlenecks in wild populations. They also offer support to recent arguments that the erosion of genetic diversity attributed to bottlenecks may be overemphasized. Resumen: La poblacion de Rhinoceros unicornis en el Valle Chitwan en Nepal; fue reducida a un tamanno de poblacion efectiva estimada (Ne) en 21–28 individuos (60–80 total de animales) en 1962. La electroforesis de proteinas muestra que la heterosidad permanence muy alta en esta poblacion (Ho= 9.9%) a pesar de estar a punto de extinguirse. Atribuimos esta heterosidad al gran Ne's anterior al cuello de botella en la poblacion, a la reciente ocurrencia del cuello de botella y a1 largo tiempo generacional. Estos resultados ilustran la importancia de considerar el historial demografico y los parametros boilogicos cuando se esten evaluando los posibles efectos de cuello de botella en las poblaciones silvestres. Los resultados tambien apoyan las recientes discusiones de que la erosion de la diversidad genetica, debido a los cuellos de botella, puede estar siendo sobre-enfatizada.
Radiofrequency catheter ablation for management of symptomatic ventricular ectopic activity

Objectives. This study assessed the useful role of intracardiac mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation in eliminating drug-refractory monomorphic ventricular ectopic beats in severely symptomatic patients. Background. Ventricular ectopic activity is commonly encountered in clinical practice. Usually, it is not associated with life-threatening consequences in the absence of significant structural heart disease. However, frequent ventricular ectopic beats can be extremely symptomatic and even incapacitating in some patients. Currently, reassurance and pharmacologic therapy are the mainstays of treatment. There has been little information on the use of catheter ablation in such patients. Methods. Ten patients with frequent and severely symptomatic monomorphic ventricular ectopic beats were selected from three tertiary care centers. The mean frequency ± SD of ventricular ectopic activity was 1,065 ± 631 beats/h (range 280 to 2,094) as documented by baseline 24-h ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring. No other spontaneous arrhythmias were documented. These patients had previously been unable to tolerate or had been unsuccessfully treated with a mean of 5 ± 3 antiarrhythmic drugs. The site of origin of ventricular ectopic activity was accurately mapped by using earliest endocardial activation time during ectopic activity or pace mapping, or both. Results. During electrophysiologic study, no patient had inducible ventricular tachycardia. The ectopic focus was located in the right ventricular outflow tract in nine patients and in the left ventricular posteroseptal region in one patient. Frequent ventricular ectopic beats were successfully eliminated by catheter-delivered radiofrequency energy in all 10 patients. The mean number of radiofrequency applications was 2.6 ± 1.3 (range 1 to 5). No complications were encountered. During a mean follow-up period of 10 ± 4 months, no patient had a recurrence of symptomatic ectopic activity, and 24-h ambulatory ECG monitoring showed that the frequency of ventricular ectopic activity was 0 beat/h in seven patients, 1 beat/h in two patients and 2 beats/h in one patient. Conclusions. Radiofrequency catheter ablation can be successfully used to eliminate monomorphic ventricular ectopic activity. It may therefore be a reasonable alternative for the treatment of severely symptomatic, drug-resistant monomorphic ventricular ectopic activity in patients without significant structural heart disease.
An elementary proof of a criterion for linear disjointness

An elementary proof using matrix theory is given for the following criterion: if F/K and L/K are field extensions, with F and L both contained in a common extension field, then F and L are linearly disjoint over K if (and only if) some K-vector space basis of F is linearly independent over L. The material in this note could serve as enrichment material for the unit on fields in a first course on abstract algebra.
A faculty-led mock residency interview exercise for fourth-year doctor of pharmacy students.

Purpose: To determine whether a faculty-led mock-interview activity enhanced pharmacy student preparation for the residency interview process and increased match rates. Methods: Twenty-eight doctor of pharmacy students volunteered for a 40-minute mock-interview session with 2-person faculty teams. A standard roster of 12 interview questions was derived from published literature and the faculty members’ experience. Feedback on the student’s interview performance was provided verbally during the session. Following the interview, students were given a 2-part survey instrument. The first part of the survey was administered immediately following the mock-interview session and the second part was administered after the standard date for residency program results (known as “Match Day”). Participant match rates were compared to American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) national rates. Results: 82.5% (23 of 27) of students in the mock-interview group matched a postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) program. Compare...
A trial of a relapse prevention strategy in women with bulimia nervosa who respond to cognitive-behavior therapy.

Objective This study examines a relapse prevention strategy for bulimia nervosa (BN). Subjects in a multicenter BN treatment trial who initially achieved abstinence after a course of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) were told to recontact the clinic if they had a recurrence of symptoms or feared such a reoccurrence so that they could receive additional therapy visits. Method At the end of CBT, subjects whose scores on the Eating Disorders Examination indicated that they were abstinent from binge eating and purging, and therefore considered to be treated successfully, were assigned randomly to follow-up only or to a crisis intervention model. With the crisis intervention model, subjects would receive additional visits if needed. Results None of the 30 subjects who relapsed during the follow-up sought additional treatment visits. Discussion Simply telling patients with BN who appear to have been successfully treated to come back if they have additional problems, or fear that they are developing such problems, may be an ineffective relapse prevention technique. Alternative strategies, such as planned return visits or phone calls, should be considered as alternative relapse prevention strategies. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 549–555, 2004.
Space-time-multipath coding using digital phase sweeping or circular delay diversity

We design novel space-time multipath (STM) coded multi-antenna transmissions over frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels. We develop STM coded systems that guarantee the maximum possible space-multipath diversity, along with large coding gains, and high bandwidth efficiency for any number of transmit-receive antennas. By incorporating subchannel grouping, we also enable desirable tradeoffs between performance and complexity. Our designs rely on digital phase sweeping or block circular delay operations and apply to both single- and multi-carrier systems. Their merits are confirmed by corroborating simulations and comparisons with existing approaches.
Effects of Threading Dislocations on AlGaN/GaN High-Electron Mobility Transistors

This brief aims to show the effects of threading edge dislocations on the DC and RF performance of GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. A state-of-the-art high-frequency and high-power HEMT was investigated with our full-band cellular Monte Carlo (CMC) simulator, which includes the full details of the band structure and the phonon spectra. A complete characterization of the device has been performed using experimental data to calibrate the few adjustable parameters of the simulator. Thermal simulations were also carried out with commercial software in order to operate the corrections needed to model thermal effects. The approach of Weimann based on the results of Read, Bonch-Bruevich and Glasko, and Po?do?r was then used to model with our CMC code the dislocation effects on the transport properties of HEMT devices. Our simulations indicate that GaN HEMT performance exhibits a fairly large dependence on the density of thread dislocation defects. Furthermore, we show that a threshold concentration exists, above which a complete degradation of the device operation occurs.
Evidence for Spontaneous Postlactational Estrus in Gray Short-Tailed Opossums (Monodelphis domestica)

Abstract Previous studies of the gray short-tailed opossum have shown that ovarian activity and estrus are induced by male pheromones, but we recently documented urogenital sinus (UGS) estrus in postlactational females despite their isolation from the male stimuli known to be associated with induced estrus. Body weights and UGS smears were collected after removal of pups in midlactation (19–37 days postpartum), after weaning (55–61 days postpartum), or after pheromone exposure. Estradiol was measured by RIA in plasma samples collected from dams during lactation, after separation from pups, and at estrus. Average days to UGS estrus from pup removal or initial pheromone exposure differed (P < 0.05) only between the midlactation and pheromone exposure groups. Postlactational females showed a decrease in body weight from the time of pup removal or weaning to estrus, which contrasts with the increase seen in pheromonally stimulated females. Plasma estradiol was elevated at estrus in all groups, and females tha...
Low-cost Test of Timing Mismatch Among Time-Interleaved A/D Converters in High-speed Communication Systems

Time interleaved A/D converters (TIADCs) provide an attractive solution to the realization of analog front ends in high speed communication systems. However, gain mismatch, offset mismatch, and sampling time mismatch between time-interleaved channels limit the performance of TIADCs. This paper presents a low-cost test scheme to measure timing mismatch using an undersampling clock. Our method is applicable to an arbitrary number of channels, achieving picosecond resolution with low power consumption. Both simulation and hardware measurements are presented to validate the proposed technique.
A high capacity ozone generator for use in aquaculture and water processing

The literature dealing with the use of ozone in wastewater treatment is extensive, but its reported applications to aquaculture are limited. The major limiting factors appear to be ozone toxicity and the cost of high-output ozone generators. Ozone toxicity may be circumvented by system design, thereby leaving generating equipment as the major obstacle. A small, high-output ozone generator, therefore, was designed utilizing the efficient Lowther plate-type principle. The unit, employing stainless-steel wire-mesh electrodes and mica dielectrics, may be used with air, oxygen, or oxygen-enriched air. Ozone production from air was evaluated at 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 cfm (3.54, 7.08 and 14.2 l/min) and oxygen at 0.25 cfm (7.08 l/min). Maximum output from air (0.25 cfm; 2.95 kV) was 84.1 g/h. Oxygen under identical conditions resulted in a production rate of 142.7 g/h. The application of this new ozone-generator design is recommended for water treatment in both open-and closed-water systems.
Determination of design regions for fuzzy gain-scheduled robust controllers

Addresses the problem of choosing suitable representative regions in the operational envelope of a nonlinear plant for designing gain scheduled control laws. A radial basis function network (RBFN) is used to specify the size and shape of the design regions based on the behavior of parameters in linearized approximation models. Based on the training results of the RBFN, robust LTI control laws are synthesized to meet design goals throughout each region. Without modifying the basis functions, a least-squares fit is used to encode the controller gains into the scheduling function. The resulting scheduled control law is evaluated using nonlinear simulation and problem areas are used to refine the RBFN topology and the process is repeated until all design goals are satisfied over the full envelope. To illustrate the methodology it is employed to design a balancing controller for a rotary arm inverted pendulum system.
PARITY FACTORS AND PREVALENCE OF FIBROCYSTIC BREAST CHANGE IN A FORENSIC AUTOPSY SERIES

The relationship of reproductive factors, such as nulliparous vs ever-parous status, age at first birth, and total parity, with morphologic prevalence of fibrocystic changes were examined using autopsy material from three ethnic/racial groups at varying risks for breast cancer. Although there was a trend toward a protective effect of ever-parous status, there was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of fibrocystic disease in any group defined by parity status. The ethnic differences in the prevalence of fibrocystic changes were not explained by the differences in parity status distribution for the three ethnic/racial groups.
Phase II study of alemtuzumab-rituximab therapy in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: short- and long-term outcomes.

AbstractWe investigated the safety, efficacy, and long-term outcomes of alemtuzumab and rituximab (AR) combination therapy in previously untreated patients with CLL. Thirty patients, ages 28–80 years, 47% older than 60 years, 90% Rai clinical stages II–IV, and 67% without favorable cytogenetics received AR. Based on the NCI-WG 1996 criteria, OR was 100%, with 60% CR. With CT scans OR was 70%, with 23% CR, 47% PR, and 30% SD. Sixty-seven percent of patients showed no evidence of MRD in the bone marrow by 6-color flow cytometry. Median PFS, TFS, and 5-year OS were 24.4, 50.7 months, and 80%, respectively. Grade 3/4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were reported in 30% and 7% of patients, respectively. CMV reactivation, asymptomatic in all but one patient, occurred in 8 patients. Immunotherapy with alemtuzumab and rituximab results in robust responses and long asymptomatic therapy-free intervals. It is well tolerated with infrequent, predictable, and easily managed complications.
Mass Regression in the Pyrolysis of Pine Wood Macrocylinders in a Nitrogen Atmosphere—An Experimental Study

Abstract This paper describes a simple oven experiment to study the pyrolysis of thick wood specimens in an inert atmosphere. The results to date, presented here, deal with some interesting characteristics of the rate and extent of pyrolysis of pine-wood cylinders as influenced by the oven temperature and the specimen thickness. A complete energy and mass conservation analysis requires extensive measurements of additional factors such as (a) the oven wall temperature, (b) the specimen surface emissivity, arid (d) the thermophysical and chemical properties of the solid. The need for these measurements is demonstrated' in the discussion of the rate data presented here.
Predictors of Mortality for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Health-Care–Associated Pneumonia: Specific Evaluation of Vancomycin Pharmacokinetic Indices

Objective The goal of this investigation was to determine whether vancomycin pharmacokinetic indexes (eg, serum trough concentrations or area under the concentration curve [AUC] values) were associated with mortality for patients with health-care–associated pneumonia (HCAP) attributed to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Design A retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study. Setting Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,200-bed urban teaching facility. Patients Adult patients requiring hospitalization who were identified as having HCAP attributed to MRSA by BAL semi-quantitative cultures. Interventions Retrospective data collection from automated hospital, microbiology, and pharmacy databases. Measurements and main results One hundred two patients with MRSA HCAP were identified over a 6.5-year period. Thirty-two patients (31.4%) died during their hospitalization. The mean (± SD) vancomycin trough concentrations (13.6 ± 5.9 vs 13.9 ± 6.7 μg/mL, respectively; p = 0.866) and AUC values (351 ± 143 vs 354 ± 109 μg/h/mL, respectively; p = 0.941) did not differ between survivors and nonsurvivors. The stratification of the vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC values yielded no relationship with hospital mortality. Conclusions We found no evidence that greater vancomycin trough concentrations or AUC values correlated with hospital outcome. Based on these results, aggressive dosing strategies for vancomycin (eg, trough concentrations of > 15 μg/mL) may not offer any advantage over traditional dose targets (range, 5 to 15 μg/mL).
The Worm Returns

C. elegans II. DONALD L. RIDDLE, THOMAS BLUMENTHAL, BARBARA J. MEYER, and JAMES R. PRIESS, Eds. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 1997. xx, 1222 pp., illus. $175. ISBN 0-87969-488-2. Cold Spring Harbor Monograph 33.
The Politics of Impartial Activism: Humanitarianism and Human Rights

Humanitarian and human rights movements have gained influence as impartial ethical responses to injustice and suffering, yet their claims to impartiality are commonly dismissed as misleading, naive, or counterproductive. To date, little attention has been paid to the very different ways human rights and humanitarian movements have conceptualized impartiality in relation to distinct and conflicting activist goals.Bronwyn Leebaw is Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC Riverside (Bronwyn.leebaw@ucr.edu). The author is grateful to Hanna Pitkin, Lisa Disch, John Cioffi, Mark Reinhardt, Jennifer Hochschild, and three insightful anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article. In developing ideas for this article, she also benefited from conversations with Helen Kinsella, Mark Drumbl, Chandra Sriram, Eric Stover, Harvey Weinstein, Lon Troyer, Kateri Carmola, David Pion-Berlin, Chris Laursen, John Medearis, Juliann Allison, Victor Peskin, Ruti Teitel, Targol Mesbah, Helen Lennon, Tom Reifer, Dean Mathiowetz, and the graduate students at UC Riverside.
Histopathology of Disseminated Mycobacterium bovis Infection Complicating Intravesical BCG Immunotherapy for Urothelial Carcinoma.

Intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a mainstay of adjunctive therapy for superficial bladder cancer. Disseminated BCG infection ("BCG-osis") after this therapy is rare and potentially life-threatening; only isolated case reports detail the histopathologic findings thereof, few of which had a diagnosis confirmed by molecular testing. We report 3 additional cases of BCG-osis complicating BCG therapy, all confirmed by cultures and molecular assays, including the first cases of wedge biopsy-confirmed BCG pneumonia and BCG olecranon bursitis. When suggested by a relevant clinical history, recognition of randomly distributed granulomas in any organ should prompt consideration of BCG-osis and liberal performance of AFB stains, aided by targeted molecular assays. Physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion when miliary infiltrates arise after intravesical BCG instillation, and close multidisciplinary communication is essential. Pathologist awareness of this rare cause of granulomatous inflammation aids recognition of BCG-osis and facilitates prompt initiation of antimycobacterial therapy.
An empirical approach to software architectures

The research community in the emerging area of software architecture has developed little consensus over the definition of architecture except that architecture is related to the structure of a system and the interaction among its components. Current efforts of building models of architecture have focused on taxonomy, description languages, and verification of architectural properties. What is missing is the focus on the pragmatic role of architecture in software development activities. We describe the state of the practice and the problems faced by architects and engineers. The challenge for the software engineering research community is to address these problems and produce scalable, practical results that will have a real impact on the developers, improving their productivity and the quality of systems they build. >
Common Factors Drive Disease and Coarse Woody Debris Dynamics in Forests Impacted by Sudden Oak Death

Disease ecology has made important steps in describing how epidemiological processes control the impact of pathogens on populations and communities but fewer field or theoretical studies address disease effects at the ecosystem level. We demonstrate that the same epidemiological mechanisms drive disease intensity and coarse woody debris (CWD) dynamics in natural forest ecosystems impacted by an emerging disease. Sudden oak death (causal agent, Phytophthora ramorum) has caused mortality of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) on a spatial scale and rate comparable to other major North American forest diseases caused by invasive pathogens. In pathogen invaded stands, mean CWD masses were 22.4 Mg ha−1 of standing dead tanoak (snags) and 11.5 Mg ha−1 in logs compared to 0.27 and 1.16 Mg ha−1 of snags and logs in an uninvaded stand. Within invaded stands variation in CWD mass and accumulation rates were largely driven by the distribution of pre-disease tanoak biomass and the densities of infected tanoak and California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) which jointly determine P. ramorum sporulation and disease emergence rates. In a narrow range of community and host characteristics sudden oak death can result in woody debris dynamics similar to discrete disturbances such as fire and forest harvest but it is more common to have lower maximum amounts with slower rates of accumulation than these better studied disturbances. Our results indicate that models of CWD dynamics need to integrate epidemiological processes to predict realistic ecosystem impacts and lead to management applications for forest pathogens.
Acute and Subchronic Toxicity to Japanese Quail of the Carbamate Insecticides, Carbofuran and SD 8530

Abstract THIS laboratory has been investigating the toxicity of insecticides to the fowl (Herrick and Sherman, 1966; Ross and Sherman, 1960; Sherman and Herrick, 1966, 1969; Sherman and Ross, 1961; Sherman et al., 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969). The present report describes the acute and subchronic toxicity of two carbamate insecticides, carbofuran and SD 8530 to the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica. MATERIALS AND METHODS Straight-run Japanese quail chicks of the Auburn 571 strain were used throughout this study. The birds were housed in electrically heated battery brooders with raised wire floors and received, from the first day, the UH standard quail ration having the following composition in percentage: corn, 44; soybean meal (44% protein), 35.65; dehydrated alfalfa (20% protein), 3; meat and bone meal (45% protein), 5; tuna meal (55% protein), 5; defluorinated phosphate, 3.5; oyster shell flour, 3; NaCl, 0.25; microingredient mix 0.5; and DL methionine, 0.1. Feed,…
Fluid flow and stability of the US continental slope offshore New Jersey from the Pleistocene to the present

We predict that portions of the New Jersey continental slope were unstable approximately 0.5 million years ago. This instability was caused by rapid sediment loading during a Pleistocene sea-level lowstand and by flow focusing in underlying, permeable Miocene strata. The simulated instability is consistent with soft-sediment deformation and small slumps in Pleistocene strata of the Hudson Apron. Stability of the New Jersey margin has increased since 0.3 Ma because sedimentation rate has decreased. Today, the modelled factor of safety (FS) for the upper slope is approximately 1.5 whereas in the lower slope it exceeds 3. We predict that sedimentation rate is a dominant factor on slope stability. When rapid and asymmetric loading of a highly permeable sedimentary layer occurs, the location of instability can shift seaward to regions where sedimentation rates are low. Stability calculations use pressures and effective stresses predicted by a coupled sedimentation-fluid flow model. This hydrodynamic analysis demonstrates how the interplay of sedimentation and fluid migration affects the distribution, timing, and size of sedimentary failures.
When can we trust progress estimators for SQL queries

The problem of estimating progress for long-running queries has recently been introduced. We analyze the characteristics of the progress estimation problem, from the perspective of providing robust, worst-case guarantees. Our first result is that in the worst case, no progress estimation algorithm can yield anything even moderately better than the trivial guarantee that identifies the progress as lying between 0% and 100%. In such cases, we introduce an estimator that can optimally bound the error. However, we show that in many "good" scenarios, it is possible to design effective progress estimators with small error bounds. We then demonstrate empirically that these "good" scenarios are common in practice and discuss possible ways of combining the estimators.
Contemplative self healing in women breast cancer survivors: a pilot study in underserved minority women shows improvement in quality of life and reduced stress

Among underserved, largely minority women who were breast cancer survivors, this pilot project was designed to evaluate the quality of life outcomes of a 20 week Contemplative Self-Healing Program. Women previously treated for stage I-III breast cancer were assessed before and after the 20 week program with the FACT-G, FACT-B, FACIT-Spirituality, ECOG, and the Impact of Events Scale. They participated in a 20-week intervention involving guided meditation and cognitive-affective-behavioral learning. With an average age of 63, 62% of the participants were African-American or Latino. With an average of 5.4 years since the diagnosis of breast cancer, 72% had an ECOG performance status of 1. 57% were currently working. Their baseline FACT-G was 80.5 ± 15.1, and their baseline Impact of Events Scale was 26.3 ± 18.9. The within-patient improvement on the FACT-G was 4.6 ± 10.9 (p = .01); in parallel the FACT-B improved by 2.8 ± 12.8 points (p = .03). The Impact of Events Scale improved by 6.6 ± 15.5 points (p = .01). There was significant within-patient improvement on both the avoidance scale (3.8 ± 9.2) and on the intrusion scale (2.9 ± 7.9). Patients who attended more sessions and conducted more home practice had greater improvements in quality of life. Persons receiving a 20-session contemplative self healing intervention showed improved quality of life, with a clinically and statistically significant increase in the FACT-G. In addition, this population showed a significant reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms assessed by the Impact of Events Scale. Clinical Trials Gov NCT00278837 .
Polymeric amides from omega‐amino acids

Methods for the preparation of fiber-forming polymeric amides from ω-amino acids and The variation in melting points of the polymeric their amide-forming derivatives are described. The variation in melting points of the polymeric amides with increasing chain length of the recurring unit is discussed.
“Blurred Boundaries”? Rethinking the Concept of Craft and its Relation to Art and Design

Art world talk of “blurred boundaries” and “hybrids” between art and craft, suggests that the philosophy of art needs to rethink the concept of craft. This can best be done by adopting four strategies: first, distinguish between craft as a set of disciplines, and craft as a process and practice; second, keep in mind the differences among craft practices such as studio, trade, ethnic, amateur, and DIY; third, recognize that craft’s relationship with design is as important as its relationship to art; fourth, attend to the role digital design and fabrication are playing in craft and art today. At the core of the craft process are three contested characteristics found in most craft practices: hand, material, and skill, although these are better understood as body, medium, and mastery. After discussing a fourth contested characteristic of many craft and design practices, function, I show that none of the four characteristics is a requisite condition for artistic practice today, yet none are excluded from contemporary (fine) art, despite its current “post-studio” or “post-disciplinary” tendencies. I conclude that the boundary between art and craft conceived as a set of disciplines defined by materials and techniques has not become blurred, it has all but disappeared. On the other hand, I show through an analysis of some references to “mere craft” by Stephen Davies and Arthur Danto, that craft conceived as a process and practice can be understood as distinct from art, but in a non-invidious sense.
Maximum likelihood two-sensor detection and TDOA estimation for cyclostationary signals

Summary form only given. It has been shown that the maximum-likelihood two-sensor detector for a random signal in white Gaussian noise contains terms corresponding to both generalized cross correlation and cyclic methods of detection and time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) estimation. The relative importance of each of these terms has been studied, and their robustness against nonwhite and nonGaussian noise and interference backgrounds has been investigated. Computer simulations have been carried out for several types of corruptive environments. Empirical receiver operating characteristics have been used to measure detection performance of the various methods, and the quality of the TDOA estimates has been measured in terms of bias and variance. The Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the cyclostationary model has been evaluated and compared with that for the stationary model. >
After Lot's Daughters: Kathryn Harrison and the Making of Memory

(1999). After Lot's Daughters: Kathryn Harrison and the Making of Memory. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 14, EXTREMITIES: MEMOIRS AT THE FIN DE SIECLE, pp. 51-70.
Parameterization of the InVEST Crop Pollination Model to spatially predict abundance of wild blueberry ( Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) native bee pollinators in Maine, USA

Abstract Non-native honeybees historically have been managed for crop pollination, however, recent population declines draw attention to pollination services provided by native bees. We applied the InVEST Crop Pollination model, developed to predict native bee abundance from habitat resources, in Maine's wild blueberry crop landscape. We evaluated model performance with parameters informed by four approaches: 1) expert opinion; 2) sensitivity analysis; 3) sensitivity analysis informed model optimization; and, 4) simulated annealing (uninformed) model optimization. Uninformed optimization improved model performance by 29% compared to expert opinion-informed model, while sensitivity-analysis informed optimization improved model performance by 54%. This suggests that expert opinion may not result in the best parameter values for the InVEST model. The proportion of deciduous/mixed forest within 2000 m of a blueberry field also reliably predicted native bee abundance in blueberry fields, however, the InVEST model provides an efficient tool to estimate bee abundance beyond the field perimeter.
Exercise in the Cold: Preventing and Managing Hypothermia and Frostbite Injury

Context:Hypothermia and frostbite injuries occur in cold weather activities and sporting events.Evidence Acquisition:A PubMed search was used to identify original research and review articles related to cold, frostbite, and hypothermia. Inclusion was based on their relevance to prevention and treatment of cold-related injuries in sports and outdoor activities. Dates of review articles were limited to those published after 2010. No date limit was set for the most recent consensus statements or original research.Study Design:Clinical review.Level of Evidence:Level 5.Results:Frostbite and hypothermia are well-documented entities with good prevention strategies and prehospital treatment recommendations that have changed very little with time. A layered approach to clothing is the best way to prevent injury and respond to weather changes. Each athlete, defined as a participant in a cold weather sport or activity, will respond to cold differently depending on anthropometric measurements and underlying medical r...
The effect of antiretroviral therapy on all-cause mortality, generalized to persons diagnosed with HIV in the USA, 2009–11

Background Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is known to be protective against HIV-related mortality, the expected magnitude of effect is unclear because existing estimates of the effect of ART may not directly generalize to recently HIV-diagnosed persons. Methods In this study, we estimated 5-year mortality risks for immediate versus no ART initiation among patients (n = 12,547) in the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) using the complement of adjusted Kaplan-Meier survival functions. We subsequently standardized estimates to persons diagnosed with HIV in the USA between 2009 and 2011, who were enumerated using national surveillance data. Results The 5-year mortality, had all patients in the CNICS immediately initiated ART, was 10.6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.3%, 11.9%] compared with 28.3% (95% CI: 19.1%, 37.5%) had ART initiation been delayed at least 5 years. The 5-year mortality risk difference due to ART among patients in the CNICS was -17.7% (95% CI: -27.0%, -8.4%). Based on methods for generalizing an estimate from a study sample to a different target population, the expected risk difference due to ART initiation among recently HIV-diagnosed persons in the USA was -19.1% (95% CI: -30.5%, -7.8%). Conclusions Immediate ART initiation substantially lowers mortality among persons in the CNICS and this benefit is expected to be similar among persons recently diagnosed with HIV in the USA. We demonstrate a method by which concerns about generalizability can be addressed and evaluated quantitatively.
Cervical Collagen Network Remodeling in Normal and Disrupted Parturition Mouse Models

The cervix plays an important role in pregnancy as a mechanical barrier to prevent preterm birth (PTB). The material strength of the cervix can be attributed to its extracellular matrix (ECM), a network of cross-linked collagens (types I and III) embedded within a viscous matrix of glycosaminoglycans (GAG). GAGs are negatively charged polysaccharides that provide a fixed charge density (FCD) within the tissue to maintain hydration. Throughout gestation, the ECM of the cervix undergoes a remodeling process characterized by three stages: gradual softening in early pregnancy, a rapid increase in tissue distensibility termed ripening in late pregnancy, and repair at post partum1. As the cervix softens and ripens, mature collagen cross-links break down while GAG content increases2,3. Previous research has shown that these changes in collagen and GAGs correlate to a mechanically softer cervix at term4.© 2013 ASME
Effect of the Nano-SiO_2 and Glass Fibers Content on Micro-Hardness of Nylon6 Composites

The nylon 6/SiO2 nanocomposites,the nylon 6/GF composites and the nylon6/SiO2/GF nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization and screw extruder method. The micro-hardness of these composites with differ nano-SiO2 and glass fibers content was measured by micro-scerometer. The results indicate that the micro-hardness of the nylon 6/SiO2 nanocomposites and the nylon 6/GF composites increases with increasing in the nano-SiO2 and glass fibers content; the micro-hardness of the nylon 6/SiO2/GF nanocomposites first rises and then falls again rises with increasing in glass fibers content. Their acting mechanism of the nano-SiO2 and glass fibers content on micro-hardness of nylon 6 composites was discussed initially.
Doing More with Less: The Impact of Lexicon on Dual-Language Learners' Writing.

Dual-language learner (DLL) children typically learn to write while still learning English, with vocabulary appearing to be a particularly vulnerable domain. This study investigates how a reduced English lexicon impacts English writing in DLL children. Participants were 100 Spanish-speaking DLLs and 100 of their monolingual classmates in first through fourth grades. Children were administered standardized tests of decoding and vocabulary and a written narrative task. Narratives were analyzed for productivity, complexity, and accuracy. DLL children performed comparably to monolingual children on productivity and complexity measures. However, they differed in measures of orthographic, lexical, and morphological accuracy. They also differed in vocabulary scores. When controlling for differences in vocabulary, no differences between the DLL and monolingual groups in accuracy were found. In addition, the DLL children used a greater proportion of literate language features in their texts than the monolinguals did. The results suggest that improving DLL children’s vocabulary would improve their writing in multiple areas. The possibility of a DLL advantage in literate language is addressed in the context of the children’s need to regularly switch between their home and school languages.
Management of patients with sickle cell disease.

To the Editor The Special Communication reporting a summary of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute expert panel report on the management of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD)1 distilled best practice recommendations from the extensive sickle cell anemia literature. However, the recommendation that chelation therapy should be standard for patients with SCD and iron overload failed to consider an important aspect of the problem.