cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NUMA-aware reader-writer locks

Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) architectures are gaining importance in mainstream computing systems due to the rapid growth of multi-core multi-chip machines. Extracting the best possible performance from these new machines will require us to revisit the design of the concurrent algorithms and synchronization primitives which form the building blocks of many of today's applications. This paper revisits one such critical synchronization primitive -- the reader-writer lock.We present what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first family of reader-writer lock algorithms tailored to NUMA architectures. We present several variations which trade fairness between readers and writers for higher concurrency among readers and better back-to-back batching of writers from the same NUMA node. Our algorithms leverage the lock cohorting technique to manage synchronization between writers in a NUMA-friendly fashion, binary flags to coordinate readers and writers, and simple distributed reader counter implementations to enable NUMA-friendly concurrency among readers. The end result is a collection of surprisingly simple NUMA-aware algorithms that outperform the state-of-the-art reader-writer locks by up to a factor of 10 in our microbenchmark experiments. To evaluate our algorithms in a realistic setting we also present performance results of the kccachetest benchmark of the Kyoto-Cabinet distribution, an open-source database which makes heavy use of pthread reader-writer locks. Our locks boost the performance of kccachetest by up to 40% over the best prior alternatives.
Assessing nickel bioavailability in smelter-contaminated soils

Metal contaminants in soil environments derived from industrial pollution have clearly established the need for research on bioavailability and potential health risks. Much research has been conducted on metal sorption in soils. However, there is still a need to better understand the availability of metal contaminants to plants and microbes. Such information will enhance both human health and decisions about remediation efforts. In this study, Welland Loam (Typic epiaquoll) and Quarry Muck (Terric haplohemist) Ni contaminated soils from Port Colborne (Canada) which had been treated and untreated with limestone, were employed in greenhouse and bioavailability studies. These soils varied in pH from 5.1 to 7.5, in organic matter content from 6% to 72%, and in total Ni from 63 to 22,000 mg/kg. Oat (Avena sativa), a nonhyperaccumulator, and Alyssum murale, a hyperaccumulating plant species, were grown on these soils in greenhouse studies for 45 and 120 days, respectively, to estimate Ni accumulation. A Ni specific bacterial biosensor was also used to determine Ni bioavailability, and the results were compared to those from the greenhouse studies and more conventional, indirect chemical extraction techniques (employing MgCl2 and a Sr(NO3)2). Results from the greenhouse, chemical extraction, and biosensor studies suggested that as the pH of the soil was increased with liming, Ni bioavailability decreased. However, the phytoextraction capability of A. murale increased as soil pH increased, which was not the case for A. sativa. Furthermore, the Ni specific bacterial biosensor was successful in predicting Ni bioavailability in the soils and suggested that higher Ni bioavailabilities occur in the soils at pH values of 5.1 and 6. The combination of plant growth, chemical extraction, and bacterial biosensor approaches are recommended for assessing bioavailability of toxic metals.
Aliskiren Effect on Plaque Progression in Established Atherosclerosis Using High Resolution 3D MRI (ALPINE): A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background The renin–angiotensin system is well recognized as a mediator of pathophysiological events in atherosclerosis. The benefits of renin inhibition in atherosclerosis, especially when used in combination with angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs) are currently not known. We hypothesized that treatment with the renin inhibitor aliskiren in patients with established cardiovascular disease will prevent the progression of atherosclerosis as determined by high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of arterial wall volume in the thoracic and abdominal aortas of high‐risk patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results This was a single‐center, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in patients with established cardiovascular disease. After a 2‐week single‐blind placebo phase, patients were randomized to receive either placebo (n=37, mean±SD age 64.5±8.9 years, 3 women) or 150 mg of aliskiren (n=34, mean±SD age 63.9±11.5 years, 9 women). Treatment dose was escalated to 300 mg at 2 weeks and maintained during the remainder of the study. Patients underwent dark‐blood, 3‐dimensional MRI assessment of atherosclerotic plaque in the thoracic and abdominal segments at baseline and on study completion or termination (up to 36 weeks of drug or matching placebo). Aliskiren use resulted in significant progression of aortic wall volume (normalized total wall volume 5.31±6.57 vs 0.15±4.39 mm3, P =0.03, and percentage wall volume 3.37±2.96% vs 0.97±2.02%, P =0.04) compared with placebo. In a subgroup analysis of subjects receiving ACEI/ARB therapy, atherosclerosis progression was observed only in the aliskiren group, not in the placebo group. Conclusions MRI quantification of atheroma plaque burden demonstrated that aliskiren use in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease resulted in an unexpected increase in aortic atherosclerosis compared with placebo. Although preliminary, these results may have implications for the use of renin inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in patients with cardiovascular disease, especially in those receiving ACEI/ARB therapy. Clinical Trial Registration URL: Unique identifier : [NCT01417104][1]. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01417104&atom=%2Fahaoa%2F2%2F3%2Fe004879.atom
Emerging home digital networking needs

In this paper, the situation of an emerging home network environment is examined. There are four driving needs for a home network. They are home automation, home computer, digital audio and video distribution, and digital access network. In the past, the home network is driven by home automation and analog audio and video distribution systems. Most recently, the effort on the development of a digital home network has been driven by emerging digital access and digital consumer electronics technologies. The system requirements are analyzed for different home network applications. The possibility of using IEEE 1394 protocol for a digital home network is explored.
Inhibition of corrosion during autoclave sterilization of carbon steel dental instruments

Comparisons were made of several corrosion inhibitors for protection of carbon steel instruments during autoclaving. Using visual observations, scanning electron microscopy, and an image-analyzing computer, qualitative and quantitative comparisons were made of several dip-applied corrosion inhibitors for protection of carbon steel dental instruments during autoclave sterilization. Although none of the inhibitors were totally effective, several provided significant inhibition of corrosion. Sodium nitrite, 2% and one commercial proprietary inhibitor were approximately equally effective and superior to the other inhibitors that were investigated.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Celebrity Media Diet and the Cultivation of Emerging Adults’ Materialism

The present study used cultivation theory to explore the relationships between celebrity media diet and materialism for a sample of 224 emerging adults. Results indicated main effects between both celebrity magazine consumption and celebrity TV news consumption on materialism. Total celebrity media diet was also significantly related to materialism. Findings suggest that a media diet high in celebrity culture and lifestyle has significant impact on emerging adults’ preoccupation with consumerism, particularly for women. This research contributes to a growing body of literature on the effects of a celebrity-saturated media environment and the cultivation of materialistic attitudes.
Vertebral Artery Transposition Via an Extreme-Lateral Approach for Anterior Foramen Magnum Meningioma or Craniocervical Junction Tumors.

Objective Vertebral artery (VA) transposition in the extreme-lateral transcondylar approach can minimize the manipulation of the low cranial nerves and the brain stem. The authors describe the surgical technique of VA transposition. Methods From March 2000 to December 2014, 28 of 48 patients underwent VA transposition for anterior foramen magnum meningioma (16 patients) and craniocervical junction (CCJ) tumors (12 patients). Tumor was resected via an extreme-lateral approach with partial condylectomy to expose the anterior portion of the brain stem. For intradural tumors, the VA was mobilized caudomedially after circumferential dural incision around the VA at the level of the foramen magnum. For extradural tumors involving the CCJ, VA was transposed medially from the transverse foramen of C1 without any dural incision. Results Gross total resection was achieved in 26 of 28 patients (92.9%) with VA transposition. Histologically, meningioma and schwannoma were most common. The origin of the tumors was foramen magnum (57.1%), C1 nerve root (17.9%), clivus (10.7%), jugular foramen (7.1%), posterior skull base (3.6%), and hypoglossal canal (3.6%). VA transposition was performed intradurally in 19 patients (67.9%) and extradurally in 9 patients (32.1%). Surgical morbidity was 17.9% including 4 patients with hypoglossal nerve palsy and 1 patient with quadriparesis. The mean follow-up duration after surgery was 4.2 years (range, 0.1–14.8 years). Conclusions VA transposition can provide a wide surgical window for anterior foramen magnum meningioma or tumors involving the CCJ with the least manipulation of the neuraxis.
Atmospheric tracer monitoring and surface plume development at the ZERT pilot test in Bozeman, Montana, USA

A controlled release of CO2 was conducted at a field site in Bozeman, Montana, USA in July of 2008 in a multi-laboratory study of near surface transport and detection technologies. The development of a subsurface CO2 plume near the middle packer section of the horizontal release was studied using soil-gas and surface flux measurements of CO2. A perfluorocarbon tracer was added to the CO2 released from this section of the horizontal well, and the development of atmospheric plumes of the tracer was studied under various meteorological conditions using horizontal and vertical grids of monitors containing sorbent material to collect the tracer. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using remote sensing for the ultra low level detection of atmospheric plumes of tracers as means to monitor the near surface leakage of sequestered CO2.
The Role of Group Membership Perception and Team Identity in a Virtual Team's Use of Influence Tactics

Numerous articles can be found in the management journals on the area of power and influence, both from the theoretical and empirical approaches. There is also a growing body of literature in the management publications on the subject of virtual teams and organizations. However, there is limited empirical research on virtual teams, and particularly lacking are studies concerning team identity and perceptions of group membership. Shapiro et al. (2002) proposed that factors characteristic of transnational teams put those teams at risk for low team identity which in turn leads to effort-withholding behaviors. Given the commonalities between virtual and transnational teams, this study seeks to validate some of the propositions of Shapiro and colleagues as they apply to virtual teams and their members. In addition, there are also few empirical studies with regard to the communication processes within virtual organization settings (DeSanctis & Monge, 1999). Therefore, the study also investigates the effects of team identification on a virtual team member's use of influence tactics in their team. The model proposes that a team member's level of team identification mediates the effects of team and team member characteristics on a team member's use of influence tactics.
PpsA-mediated alternative pathway to complement RNase E essentiality in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli cells require RNase E, encoded by the essential gene rne, to propagate. The growth properties on different carbon sources of E. coli cells undergoing suppression of RNase E production suggested that reduction in RNase E is associated with decreased expression of phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase (PpsA), which converts pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate during gluconeogenesis. Western blotting and genetic complementation confirmed the role of RNase E in PpsA expression. Adventitious ppsA overexpression from a multicopy plasmid was sufficient to restore colony formation of ∆rne E. coli on minimal media containing glycerol or succinate as the sole carbon source. Complementation of ∆rne by ppsA overproduction was observed during growth on solid media but was only partial, and bacteria showed slowed cell division and grew as filamentous chains. We found that restoration of colony-forming ability by ppsA complementation occurred independent of the presence of endogenous RNase G or second-site suppressors of RNase E essentiality. Our investigations demonstrate the role of phosphoryl transfer catalyzable by PpsA as a determinant of RNase E essentiality in E. coli.
A computational model for doctoring fluid films in gravure printing

The wiping, or doctoring, process in gravure printing presents a fundamental barrier to resolving the micron-sized features desired in printed electronics applications. This barrier starts with the residual fluid film left behind after wiping, and its importance grows as feature sizes are reduced, especially as the feature size approaches the thickness of the residual fluid film. In this work, various mechanical complexities are considered in a computational model developed to predict the residual fluid film thickness. Lubrication models alone are inadequate, and deformation of the doctor blade body together with elastohydrodynamic lubrication must be considered to make the model predictive of experimental trends. Moreover, model results demonstrate that the particular form of the wetted region of the blade has a significant impact on the model's ability to reproduce experimental measurements.
The Changing Background of Southern Politics

T HE South is manifesting economic and social changes that must vitally affect the spirit and content of politics. These changes are, in part, an expansion of the southern portraiture in the national picture and, in part, a distinct shifting of the southern scene. The changing South-more changing than advancing-may be briefly viewed by noting the coming of industry, the shifts in agriculture, and the movements of the population. The substantial progress in southern agriculture in the twentieth century has been matched by much greater gains in manufacturing. In fact, manufactures exceed twice the value of farm crops in the South, with the eleven ex-Confederate states showing seven billion dollars in manufactured products in i919. The industrial development has been most important in the Appalachian regions of coal, iron, and water power, though mention should be made of other sections, particularly those of lumber and petroleum. Industrialization since the Civil War has tended to shift economic predominance from the lands of the old plantations to sections that were only slightly touched by the plantation economy of the Old South. These newer and rawer sections, with a shortage of traditions, have tended to stimulate the spirit of the "economic man" and to foster an industrial consciousness that threatens the agrarian philosophy in every sense except in the teachings of laissez faire. The captain of industry or finance rather than the country gentleman has become the prevailing pattern in the minds of the aspiring youth of the South. Southern manufacturing is chiefly in the coarse-goods stage, with low values added to the product by the manufacturing process. The last census figures furnish strong testimony on this point. Texas, for instance, with a total of $I,449,80I,9I6 in manufactures for i919, contributed only $45I,869,640 as "value added by manufacture." Only three southern states showed "values added by manufacture" that equal or surpass fifty per cent of final values of their manufactures. At the same time, the "value added by manufacture" in proportion to the units (not the cost) of labor used was much lower for the South than for the rest of the country, very much lower than the figures for the Northeast. One laborer in manufacturing in South Carolina measures a "value added by manufacture" of $I457 for the year i919, in comparison with $3050 per laborer in Massachusetts. The comparatively low wages in southern industries are as closely connected with the nature or class of the industries as with any other factor. It is in no small degree true that those industries which thrive on cheap labor have
An Electronic Traffic Counter for Recording Burrow Activity of the Mountain Beaver

Circuit diagram and construction details are given for a small self-contained recording instrument used to study burrow-use patterns of mountain beavers. This recorder, which could be used to study the activities of a variety of burrow-dwelling animals, contains a resistor—capacitor unit operated by a 30-v battery that minimizes the recording of spurious counts. The technique of using the counter in a mountain beaver burrow is described.
A Remarkable New Genus of Brachypterous Moth from Coastal Sand Dunes in California (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea, Scythrididae)

Areniscythris brachypteris , new genus and species, is described from San Luis Obispo County. This is a diurnal, flightless moth with reduced wings, enlarged hind tibiae and elongated tarsi in both sexes. It moves by running on open sand and by leaping, enabling passive dispersal by wind. Adults dig shallow pits in which they crouch during daytime windy periods and in which they bury themselves each night. On unusually hot days moths avoid the sand surface by climbing onto debris or plant parts. Larvae are extraordinarily elongate and thin, living in sand-covered silken tubes attached to buried, green parts of various plant species at the margin of the active, moving sand dunes. Secondary setae are numerous on the larval body and all setae are extremely reduced in size. Relationships to other scythrids are discussed; the only near relatives are three undescribed, winged species from sand dunes in Oregon and Baja California. Geologic and recent history of dune formation are reviewed in development of speculation on evolutionary history. It is surmised that the strong adaptive shifts in morphological and behavioral features have occurred relatively recently, probably during the Pleistocene.
Arthroskopie beim Hund

Der Begriff Arthroskopie leitet sich vom griechischen Wort „arthros“ = Gelenk und „skopein“ = schauen ab. Als Synonym wird auch das Wort Gelenkspiegelung verwendet. Der Begriff Endoskopie ist allgemeiner, stammt aus dem griechischen Wort „endo“ = hinein und bedeutet also generell hineinschauen. Das Ziel der Arthroskopie ist es, moglichst schonend (minimal-invasiv) in ein Gelenk zu sehen, krankhafte Veranderungen festzustellen und wenn moglich auch arthroskopisch zu therapieren.
Blood pressure response to exercise. A marker for future hypertension

Whether or not an exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise in childhood predicts adult-onset essential hypertension is not known. While peak systolic blood pressure during exercise can indicate future hypertension, left ventricular mass (measured echocardiographically) and resting systolic blood pressure seem to be much better predictors. However, the blood pressure response to exercise in groups of normotensive individuals, such as those with a family history of hypertension, may identify physiologic changes associated with the early hypertensive state.
What is the Right Supply Chain for Your Shopper? Exploring the Shopper Service Ecosystem

The emergence of shopper marketing represents a major strategic force in consumer goods branding and retailing, and poses significant challenges to pre existing supply chain thought that most scholars have yet to address. In order to address the marketing and supply chain challenges presented by shopper marketing initiatives, scholars from both disciplines can find common ground by focusing on the shopper instead of consumers or products. The issue is no longer one of matching a supply chain to a product. Instead, marketers and supply chain managers need to ask, “What's the right supply chain for our shopper?” The shopper service ecosystem framework developed in this paper brings together the service dominant logic of marketing with the service ecosystem perspective in supply chain management. Future research frontiers suggest research directions that bridge the marketing and supply chain disciplines to create a multidisciplinary foundation for future research in the shopper marketing realm.
A Roundtable on Thomas Nail’s The Figure of the Migrant

This international ensemble of scholars discuss Thomas Nail’s The Figure of the Migrant (Stanford UP, 2015). These scholars represent various disciplines within the academy and divergent methodologies. One thing we share in common, though, is the opinion that the migrant needs to occupy a more significant place within our political theory and policy. Nail’s book is one of kinopolitics, that is, a politics of movement. It provides a kind of theory of social motion. According to Nail, the book offers a remedy to problems in how the migrant is typically theorized, namely that (a) the migrant is understood as a derivative figure in contrast to the stable denizen and (b) the migrant is discussed through the lens of the state. His remedial maneuver mobilizes the potential to understand the figure of the migrant by placing the migrant in the primary position, by offering a political philosophy of the migrant.
Axisymmetric Resonant Vibrations and Vibration Heating of a Thermoviscoelastic Cylindrical Shell with Piezoelectric Sensors and Actuators

We consider a problem of axisymmetric forced resonant vibrations and dissipative heating of a viscoelastic cylindrical shell with piezoelectric sensors and actuators under monoharmonic loading. The viscoelastic behavior of the passive and piezoactive materials is described in terms of complex moduli depending on the temperature of vibration heating. On the basis of numerical calculations, we study the influence of the temperature dependence of the properties of materials on the dynamic characteristics, temperature of vibration heating, electric indications of a sensor, and active modal damping of the shell by the piezoactuator (with regard for the indications of the sensor).
Integrated Psychopharmacological Management

The assessment and treatment of behavioral and psychiatric disorders in children and adults with Intellectual and developmental disorders is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary process. A major part of the process involves collecting past medical, family and developmental history; integrating behavioral data with psychiatric ratings scales, direct observation and mental status examination, and formulating differential diagnosis. The next steps involve making a diagnosis that matches available treatments. The treatment process requires careful monitoring and tracking of many parameters. Treatment nonresponse can relate to both pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic factors that are in part related to genetic factors. There are many biological and psychosocial factors that will help predict treatment response. It is important to recognize that in many clinical situations, that both children and adults with IDD are quite vulnerable to psychosocial discord and ecological disruptions. The chapter is an effort to synthesize a model that addresses the many issues needed for effective treatment.
Deformation but not migration and rotation – a model study on vesicle biomechanics in a uniform DC electric field

Background : Biological cells migrate, deform and rotate in various types of electric fields, which have significant impact on the normal cellular physiology. To investigate electrically-induced deformation, researchers have used artificial giant vesicles that mimic the phospholipid bilayer cell membrane. Containing primarily the neutral molecule phosphatidylcholine, these vesicles deformed under evenly distributed, strong direct current (DC) electric fields. Interestingly, they did not migrate or rotate. A biophysical mechanism underlying the kinematic differences between the biological cells and the vesicles under electric stimulation has not been worked out. Methods : We modeled the vesicle as a leaky, dielectric sphere and computed the surface pressure, rotation torques and translation forces applied on the vesicle by a DC electric field. We compared these measurements with those in a biological cell that contains non-zero, intrinsic charges (carried by the functional groups on the membrane). Results : For both the vesicle and the cell, the electrically-induced charges interacted with the local electric field to generate radial pressure for deformation. However, due to the symmetrical distribution of both the charges and the electric field on the vesicle/cell surface, the electric field could not generate net translation force or rotational torques. For a biological cell, the intrinsic charges carried by the cell membrane could account for its migration and rotation in a DC electric field. Conclusions : Results from this work suggests an interesting control diagram of cellular kinematics and movements by the electric field: cell deformation and migration can be manipulated by directly targeting different charged groups on the membrane. Fate of the cell in an electric field depends not only on the delicately controlled field parameters, but also on the biological properties of the cell.
MORPHOLOGICAL AND FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPICAL INVESTIGATION ON SPOROPOLLENIN FORMATION AT PINUS SYLVESTRIS AND GASTERIA VERRUCOSA

Abstract Pollen wall-formation in Pinus sylvestris begins during the formation of the callose wall in the tetrad. A great number of Golgi vesicles, with a heterogeneous content, transport the primesexine outside the cell. At the same time the callose wall-formation is locally blocked at the places where the Golgi vesicles come out of the cytoplasm. Where the contact between plasmamembrane and callose wall persists, callose wall-formation continues. In this way, a template for the coming pollen wall pattern is determined inside the callose wall. Material for the tectum and bacules, the sexine, is derived from the Golgi vesicles. Material for the footlayer, the nexine 1, is produced in the microspore and deposited mainly on the plasmamembrane. The fluorescence features of the exine during microsporogenesis have been investigated on fresh pollen of Pinus sylvestris and Gasteria verrucosa . These pollen show an increase of intensity and a shift in the maximum of the single peak spectrum, probably caused by intine formation. The intensity and the spectral maxima of both pollen types do not have any agreement.
Party Affiliation and Ad Attitude Toward Political Ads

This study examined the political party affiliation of respondents and their ad attitudes toward political ads that were positive in content, negative in content, and ads using both content elements. Simulated ads with attached questionnaires were given to a sample of 390 students at a state university. Statistically significant results at the p<0.05 level indicated that both parties’ members rate their own candidate’s ads more highly, but differences in cognitive and affective evaluations may offer guidelines for ads reaching out to either the sponsor’s own party or to members of the opposing party. Recommendations are made as to how political parties can make use of these different types of ads-even the negative, “attack ads.”
How important is high-school computing experience for first-year engineering student success?

First-year engineering students enter our university with differing experiences using computers and technology. This affects the classroom dynamic especially with large differences between students. With this in mind, faculty must address the following questions when planning their course: Where should the faculty focus their time? Do they focus on bringing everyone to a specific level? Do they teach to the average student and hope the less experienced keep up and the more experienced are not bored? The first step to answering these questions is to determine the distribution of experience. To assess this, first-year engineering students at Michigan Technological University were given the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Computer Access and Familiarity Survey (Grade 12) during their first week of classes. The NAEP survey measures access to and familiarity with technology. The survey was modified to measure the familiarity with computing tasks students use in their first engineering courses. This paper will focus on determining: how much exposure to computers and technology have our students had, what exactly is the depth and breadth of the skills they enter the university with, and are there any factors within access or familiarity that impact success in the first-year engineering courses?
Comparative Evaluation of Three Software Packages for Liver and Spleen Segmentation and Volumetry.

Rationale and Objectives This study aims to compare the speed and accuracy of three different software packages in segmenting the liver and the spleen. Materials and Methods The three software packages are Advantage Workstation Solutions (AWS), Claron Technology (Claron) Liver Segmentor, and Vitrea Core Fx (Vitrea). The dataset consisted of abdominal computed tomography scans of 30 patients obtained from the portal venous phase. All but two of the patients had a cancer diagnosis. The livers of 14 patients and the spleens of 24 patients were reported as normal; the remaining livers and spleens contained one or more abnormalities. The initial segmentation times and volumes were recorded in Claron and Vitrea as these created automatic segmentations. The total segmentation times and volumes following corrections were recorded. The livers and spleens were segmented separately by two radiologists who used all three packages. Accuracy was assessed by comparing volumes measured using fully manual segmentation on the AWS. Results Claron could not segment the spleen in four subjects for the first reader and in two subjects for the second reader. The final mean segmentation times for the liver for both readers were 6.5 and 5.5 minutes for AWS, 4.4 and 3.6 minutes for Claron, and 5.1 and 4.2 minutes for Vitrea. The final mean segmentation times for the spleen were 2.7 and 2.1 minutes for AWS, 2.1 and 1.4 minutes for Claron, and 1.8 and 1.2 minutes for Vitrea. No statistically significant difference was found between the organ volumes measured by the two readers when using Vitrea. The mean differences between the initial and final segmentation volumes ranged from −1.2% to 0.4% for the liver and from −4.0% to 9.8% for the spleen. The mean differences between the automated liver segmentation volumes and the AWS volumes were 2.5%–2.9% for Claron and 4.9%–6.6% for Vitrea. The mean differences between the automated splenic segmentation volumes and the AWS volumes were 5.0%–6.2% for Claron and 10.6%–12.0% for Vitrea. Conclusions Both automated packages (Claron and Vitrea) measured liver and spleen volumes that were accurate and quick before manual correction. Volumes for the liver were more accurate than those for the spleen, perhaps due to the much smaller splenic volumes compared to those of the liver. For both liver and spleen, manual corrections were time consuming and for most subjects did not significantly change the volume measurement.
Becoming prosocial: The consistency of individual differences in early prosocial behavior

Abstract Recent research on early prosocial behavior has questioned whether young children show consistency in their prosocial responding across different tasks and over time. Two studies are reported that address this issue, one with 18-month-olds (n = 86) and one with older children studied longitudinally at 4.5 and 6 years (n = 51). In each, children’s responses to multiple age-appropriate prosocial tasks were assessed using both variable-centered and person-centered analyses. Variable-centered analyses revealed generally significant associations between children’s responses across tasks and, in older children, over time. Person-centered analyses revealed that children were distinguished into low prosocial, moderate prosocial, and “frequent helpers” groups with the addition of a high prosocial group in older children. These findings indicate that although situational characteristics are important, their importance varies across children and development. Results suggest that young children tend to show consistency in individual differences in their prosocial responding across situations and distinct dispositional profiles of children can be observed, including those who demonstrate high prosocial responding across situations requiring different cognitive, social and motivational skills.
Mass-Losing AGB Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

Asymptotic giant branch stars are the immediate precursors to the planetary nebula stage of stellar evolution. It is clear that the latter stages of a stars life on the AGB are accompanied by either continuous or episodic mass-loss, with the final convulsion being the ejection of the envelope (the future planetary shell), the gradual exposure of the bare CO core and the rapid horizontal evolution to the blue in the H-R diagram. Thus, the structure of the planetary nebula luminosity function, particularly at the higher luminosities (although this phase is extremely rapid), is intimately tied to the luminosity function of the AGB.
Creative (Compensatory) Advantage

Surprising to some, this exploration is about health—an everyday creative (compensatory) advantage found with a family/personal history of certain major psychological disorders. The advantage goes to “better functioning” persons. This can be about a “state” or an ongoing “trait.” Here is a delicate nonlinear balance once again, here resulting in an “inverted-U” effect; this isn’t always well understood. Nor do certain research designs bring out the subtleties. Nor do findings on a few creatively eminent individuals necessarily or at all generalize (however important they may be in themselves) to everyone, nor to everyday creativity. Considered are phenomena linked to bipolar and schizophrenia spectra of disorders, for individuals and families. Implications could improve the lives, literally, of millions of people.
Roles of Cytochrome P450 in Metabolism of Ethanol and Carcinogens

Cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes are involved in the metabolism of carcinogens, as well as drugs, steroids, vitamins, and other classes of chemicals. P450s also oxidize ethanol, in particular P450 2E1. P450 2E1 oxidizes ethanol to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid, roles also played by alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases. The role of P450 2E1 in cancer is complex in that P450 2E1 is also induced by ethanol, P450 2E1 is involved in the bioactivation and detoxication of a number of chemical carcinogens, and ethanol is an inhibitor of P450 2E1. Contrary to some literature, P450 2E1 expression and induction itself does not cause global oxidative stress in vivo, as demonstrated in studies using isoniazid treatment and gene deletion studies with rats and mice. However, a major fraction of P450 2E1 is localized in liver mitochondria instead of the endoplasmic reticulum, and studies with site-directed rat P450 2E1 mutants and natural human P450 2E1 N-terminal variants have shown that P450 2E1 localized in mitochondria is catalytically active and more proficient in producing reactive oxygen species and damage. The role of the mitochondrial oxidative stress in ethanol toxicity is still under investigation, as is the mechanism of altered electron transport to P450s that localize inside mitochondria instead of their typical endoplasmic reticulum environment.
COLOSSAL MAGNETORESISTANCE MANGANITES : A LABORATORY FOR ELECTRON-PHONON PHYSICS. DISCUSSION

It is argued that the colossal magnetoresistance rare earth manganites present an unusual opportunity for condensed matter physics because they are metals in which the electronlattice interaction i...
Molecular analysis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor deficient aerolysin resistant isolates in gulf war i veterans exposed to depleted uranium

During the First Gulf War (1991) over 100 servicemen sustained depleted uranium (DU) exposure through wound contamination, inhalation, and shrapnel. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a surveillance program for these Veterans which has included genotoxicity assays. The frequencies of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor (GPIa) negative (aerolysin resistant) cells determined by cloning assays for these Veterans are reported in Albertini RJ et al. (2019: Environ Mol Mutagen). Molecular analyses of the GPIa biosynthesis class A (PIGA) gene was performed on 862 aerolysin-resistant T-lymphocyte recovered isolates. The frequencies of different types of PIGA mutations were compared between high and low DU exposure groups. Additional molecular studies were performed on mutants that produced no PIGA mRNA or with deletions of all or part of the PIGA gene to determine deletion size and breakpoint sequence. One mutant appeared to be the result of a chromothriptic event. A significant percentage (>30%) of the aerolysin resistant isolates, which varied by sample year and Veteran, had wild-type PIGA cDNA (no mutation). As described in Albertini RJ et al. (2019: Environ Mol Mutagen), TCR gene rearrangement analysis of these isolates indicated most arose from multiple T-cell progenitors (hence the inability to find a mutation). It is likely that these isolates were the result of failure of complete selection against nonmutant cells in the cloning assays. Real-time studies of GPIa resistant isolates with no PIGA mutation but with a single TCR gene rearrangement found one clone with a PIGV deletion and several others with decreased levels of GPIa pathway gene mRNAs implying mutation in other GPIa pathway genes. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60:470-493, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rover: Machinic Exploration of Domestic Space

Rover is a mechatronic imaging device inserted into quotidian space, transforming the sights and sounds of the everyday through its peculiar modes of machine perception. Using computational light field photography and machine listening it creates a kind of cinema following the logic of dreams: suspended but mobile, familiar yet infinitely variable in detail. Rover draws on diverse traditions of robotic exploration, landscape and still life depiction, and audio field recording to create a hybrid between photography and cinema. Rover won the Best Art Paper award at SIGGRAPH 2017. For ACM Designing Interactive Systems / Creativity and Cognition 2019, Rover is installed on the 70 megapixel VRoom display in the black box theater in CalIT2 at UC San Diego. We have developed new functionality where image synthesis is distributed across the panels of the tiled display, visual and sonic trajectories are shaped using the unique hardware and software capabilities at UCSD. The result is an ultra-high resolution audio-visual experience with 4 channel surround sound.
Cost minimization of deoxygenation for control of Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus in Chlorella sorokiniana cultures

Abstract Deoxygenation is a strategy for preventing Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus infection of Chlorella sorokiniana cultures. Deoxygenation cost was minimized by sparging with nitrogen gas for only 1 h at the onset of night and relying on naturally-occurring dark-respiration to maintain low oxygen concentrations throughout the night. This technique substantially reduced V. chlorellavorus infection in laboratory co-cultures. The cost of the approach was evaluated in outdoor experiments with one pure water and one pathogen-free C. sorokiniana culture, grown in a 150-L sealed, vented, translucent-polyethylene reactor. Unlike the small laboratory reactors, which were also sealed and vented, the much larger outdoor reactor maintained the dissolved oxygen concentration in the C. sorokiniana culture at near zero concentration throughout the night cycle. This demonstrates that large covered tanks in commercial applications would keep oxygen concentration near zero for the entire night. The total nitrogen sparged, per night, per liter of algal culture, was determined for the 150-L reactor, and used to estimate the cost per m2 for large scale raceways. Onsite nitrogen generators are the most cost-effective method to supply a high flow of nitrogen gas to commercial scale raceways. The cost of deoxygenation treatment ranged from $16/ton AFDW algae for a shallow (2 cm) gravity flow system with 75% harvest prior to deoxygenation to over $1300/ton for a 20 cm depth raceway with plastic tanks.
Characterizing Attacker Behavior in a Cybersecurity Penetration Testing Competition

Background: Inculcating an attacker mindset (i.e. learning to think like an attacker) is an essential skill for engineers and administrators to improve the overall security of software. Describing the approach that adversaries use to discover and exploit vulnerabilities to infiltrate software systems can help inform such an attacker mindset. Aims: Our goal is to assist developers and administrators in inculcating an attacker mindset by proposing an approach to codify attacker behavior in cybersecurity penetration testing competition. Method: We use an existing multimodal dataset of events captured during the 2018 National Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC’18) to characterize the approach a team of attackers used to discover and exploit vulnerabilities. Results: We collected 44 events to characterize the approach that one of the participating teams took to discover and exploit seven vulnerabilities. We used the MITRE ATT&CK™ framework to codify the approach in terms of tactics and techniques. Conclusions: We show that characterizing attackers’ campaign as a chronological sequence of MITRE ATT&CK™ tactics and techniques is feasible. We hope that such a characterization can inform the attacker mindset of engineers and administrators in their pursuit of engineering secure software systems.
Enamel isotopes reveal late Pleistocene ecosystem dynamics in southeastern North America

Abstract The end of the late Pleistocene (∼10,000 years ago) witnessed the extinction of over seventy percent of North America’s megafaunal genera. Although this pattern has been extensively investigated, its causal mechanisms remain elusive. Much of this difficulty is related to the spatial and temporal discontinuity of sites dating to the period leading up to the extinctions. In this study, we present new stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from Mammuthus columbi and Bison latifrons teeth collected from a well-dated Last Glacial Maximum (∼20,000 rcybp) locality called Clark Quarry in coastal Georgia, USA. This site lies in direct proximity to where Sir Charles Lyell collected the type specimen of M. columbi in 1846 and therefore is of added historical significance. We compare these data to those from similarly aged (Sangamonian interglacial and Wisconsin glacial intervals) localities from Florida and demonstrate the presence of a vegetation gradient with elevated levels of C3 vegetation at higher latitudes. Serially-sampled δ13C and δ18O values suggest that Clark Quarry Mammuthus and Bison changed their diet seasonally with the incorporation of elevated quantities of C4 vegetation during warmer periods. Our data indicate more exaggerated seasonal dietary variability in these taxa at Clark Quarry relative to those collected from the Sangamonian interglacial locality of Waccasassa River in Florida, providing additional evidence for the significant influence of glacial dynamics in structuring North American ecosystems. These high-resolution ecological patterns should be incorporated into hypotheses focused on extinction dynamics in southeastern North America and more broadly.
Crafting Masculine Selves: Culture, War, and Psychodynamics in Afghanistan: Andrea Chiovenda, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, ISBN 978-0-19-007355-8 (hbk), 274 pp.

Andreas Chiovenda’s Crafting Masculine Selves: Culture, War, and Psychodynamics in Afghanistan is an original approach to ethnographic fieldwork in Afghanistan. The book is centered around the them...
Co-occurring opioid and sedative use disorder: Gender differences in use patterns and psychiatric co-morbidities in the United States.

Abstract Non-medical use of both opioids and sedatives increases risk of overdose or accident. The purpose of the present study was to describe rates of co-use, to examine baseline characteristics and psychiatric conditions potentially associated with meeting criteria for co-occurring opioid use disorder and sedative use disorder, and to examine whether these relationships varied by gender. Participants were 330 individuals from the NESARC-III who met criteria for current opioid use disorder. Gender-stratified logistic regression analyses, accounting for the survey design, were used to identify psychiatric conditions associated with meeting criteria for co-occurring sedative use disorder. Results indicated that 16.4% of the sample also met criteria for sedative use disorder. Notably, 55.6% of the sample attained opioids through their own prescription. Of those with co-occurring sedative use disorder, 47.2% attained sedatives through their own prescription. Posttraumatic stress disorder (OR = 3.02, 95% CI = 1.40–6.51) and antisocial personality disorder (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.37–5.41) were associated with co-occurring sedative use disorder among both men and women with opioid use disorder. Depressive disorders (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.01–4.42) and schizotypal personality disorder (OR = 5.78, 95% CI = 2.48–13.49) were associated with co-occurring sedative use disorder in women only. Results of the present study highlight the importance of prescription monitoring, further research into gender-informed treatments, and implementation of treatments for substance use and co-occurring symptoms.
Late Eighteenth-Century English Actresses and Material Culture

This essay examines the relationship between actresses and material culture in England in the late eighteenth century, with particular reference to Eliza Farren. Actresses’ images were everywhere in the Georgian and Regency period; they appeared across visual media in portraits, miniatures, prints, caricatures, periodical illustrations, sculpture, and porcelain. The proliferation of materials representing actresses in various formats signalled the public’s interest in women on stage and celebrity culture in general. For female celebrities in particular, the blurred distinction between actresses and things and actresses as things foregrounds a central paradox for women on stage that still persists: i.e. the ways in which the visibility of the female figure and the cultural politics of female embodiment often mask the professionalism, labour, and skill of female performers. The relationship of representations of actresses to material objects, then, is not only about tracing the development of celebrity and fandom in the late eighteenth century, but also about interrogating the relationship between femininity, visibility, embodiment, and agency surrounding women in the theatre and, by extension, women in the public sphere.
Standing on the Shoulders of a Giant: The Life and Work of Samad Hedayat

In most professions, at the start of a career it can be beneficial to stand on the shoulders of a giant. I have benefited a great deal in my career by standing on the shoulders of Samad Hedayat, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This article provides a concise summary of the profound impact that he has had on the profession in general and in particular on my career.