cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Elementary Approach to the Monster

is one of the most spectacular and mysterious mathematical achievements of the past fifty years. Unfortunately the various standard approaches to the Monster are notoriously difficult to learn. This paper presents a relatively elementary approach to the Monster. We describe a construction of the smallest non-Abelian finite simple group (of order 60), and show that it very closely parallels a construction of M x M. In section 2, before we begin our main discussion, we give a quick overview of the Monster both as a finite simple group and with respect to its most startling properties. This is done to allow those readers who have only a passing acquaintance with the Monster to get a better sense of its role in mathematics. Despite its brevity, this section has a vast scope, so we refer the reader to other sources for more comprehensive treatments (see [1], [2], or [6]). In section 3 we start with the tetrahedral graph and use Coxeter groups, along with certain additional relations, to obtain a group presentation for the finite simple group As. Then in section 4 we see that this method, when applied to different initial graphs, leads not only to the square M x M of the elusive Monster group, but to other finite simple groups as well.
Statistical Machine Translation by Parsing

In an ordinary syntactic parser, the input is a string, and the grammar ranges over strings. This paper explores generalizations of ordinary parsing algorithms that allow the input to consist of string tuples and/or the grammar to range over string tuples. Such algorithms can infer the synchronous structures hidden in parallel texts. It turns out that these generalized parsers can do most of the work required to train and apply a syntax-aware statistical machine translation system.
Predicting the Texture of Liquid and Melting Semi‐Solid Foods

Magnitude estimations of a variety of dairy foods show that sensory assessments scores of “creaminess” can be predicted from scores of “smoothness” and “thickness”. The empirical equation found for these predictions is very close to that found earlier for model solutions. Assessments of “smoothness” can be related to instrumental measurements of contact friction. Assessments of “thickness” for melting foods are related to estimates of shear stresses in the mouth generated during the melting of foods.
Going the Extra 3,300 Miles

The University of Michigan Supermileage (UMSM) team is an engineering design team with the goal of building a vehicle that achieves 3,300 mi/gal using a gas-powered lawn mower engine.
Enchanted Algorithms: How Organizations Use Algorithms to Automate Decision-Making Routines

With technological advances that have contributed to the emergence of “Big Data,” organizations increasingly try to replace routines guided by human decision-makers with decision-making routines au...
Quantifying selection and diversity in viruses by entropy methods, with application to the haemagglutinin of H3N2 influenza.

Many viruses evolve rapidly. For example, haemagglutinin (HA) of the H3N2 influenza A virus evolves to escape antibody binding. This evolution of the H3N2 virus means that people who have previously been exposed to an influenza strain may be infected by a newly emerged virus. In this paper, we use Shannon entropy and relative entropy to measure the diversity and selection pressure by an antibody in each amino acid site of H3 HA between the 1992–1993 season and the 2009–2010 season. Shannon entropy and relative entropy are two independent state variables that we use to characterize H3N2 evolution. The entropy method estimates future H3N2 evolution and migration using currently available H3 HA sequences. First, we show that the rate of evolution increases with the virus diversity in the current season. The Shannon entropy of the sequence in the current season predicts relative entropy between sequences in the current season and those in the next season. Second, a global migration pattern of H3N2 is assembled by comparing the relative entropy flows of sequences sampled in China, Japan, the USA and Europe. We verify this entropy method by describing two aspects of historical H3N2 evolution. First, we identify 54 amino acid sites in HA that have evolved in the past to evade the immune system. Second, the entropy method shows that epitopes A and B on the top of HA evolve most vigorously to escape antibody binding. Our work provides a novel entropy-based method to predict and quantify future H3N2 evolution and to describe the evolutionary history of H3N2.
First passage times in fluid models with an application to two priority fluid systems

In this paper we analyze the first passage time in a fluid flow model where the input and output rates are controlled by a finite state Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC). We derive explicit expressions for the Laplace Transform of the joint distribution of the first time the buffer becomes empty and the state of the CTMC at that time. We discuss both infinite and finite buffer cases. We illustrate the results with the case of a fluid model with an on-off source. We apply these results to a fluid model where the input consists of two types of fluid and a single server removes the fluid. The server gives complete priority to the fluid of type 1 over that of type 2. In this case the down time of the server for priority 2 fluid is the same as the busy period of the fluid of priority 1. We derive the steady state marginal distributions of the buffer-content process for fluids of type 1 and 2. We present numerical results and their interpretations.
Age-related changes in oxidative capacity differ between locomotory muscles and are associated with physical activity behavior.

There is discrepancy in the literature regarding the degree to which old age affects muscle bioenergetics. These discrepancies are likely influenced by several factors, including variations in physical activity (PA) and differences in the muscle group investigated. To test the hypothesis that age may affect muscles differently, we quantified oxidative capacity of tibialis anterior (TA) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles in healthy, relatively sedentary younger (8 YW, 8 YM; 21–35 years) and older (8 OW, 8 OM; 65–80 years) adults. To investigate the effect of physical activity on muscle oxidative capacity in older adults, we compared older sedentary women to older women with mild-to-moderate mobility impairment and lower physical activity (OIW, n = 7), and older sedentary men with older active male runners (OAM, n = 6). Oxidative capacity was measured in vivo as the rate constant, kPCr, of postcontraction phosphocreatine recovery, obtained by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy following maximal isometric co...
Model Analysis of Crabgrass Response to Applied Nitrogen

The extended logistic model of crop response to applied nutrients provides quantitative coupling of seasonal dry matter (Y), plant N uptake (N u ), and plant N concentration (N c ) with applied nutrient (N). It predicts a hyperbolic relationship between Y and N c with N u . Analysis of data from numerous studies has confirmed the model. In this article the model was applied to data for crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) grown at Ardmore, OK. Results showed that single applications of nitrogen provided greater yields and plant N uptake over split applications. The difference was accounted for in the linear parameters for yield (A) and for plant N uptake (A n ). Applied N required to achieve 50% of maximum yield was 57 kg ha− 1 and for 50% of maximum plant N uptake was 110 kg ha− 1.
Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States

A number of studies have shown that approximately one-quarter of children in potentially bilingual environments do not become bilingual. This article explores several key factors that influence the likelihood that a child who has access to interactions in two languages will learn them both. The five factors discussed are input, language status, access to literacy, family language use, and community support, including schooling. It is argued that the quantity of input has the greatest effect on whether a minority language will be learned, but language status and attitudes about language also play a role. When families are proactive and provide daily activities for children in the minority language, the children respond by learning it. In addition, dual-immersion, “two-way” schooling is shown to benefit children's level of language proficiency in the minority language without diminishing their progress in the community language.
Sequential crosslinking to control cellular spreading in 3-dimensional hydrogels

With advanced understanding of how manipulations in material chemistry and structure influence cellular interactions, material control over cellular behavior (e.g., spreading) is becoming increasingly possible. In this example, we developed a novel process that utilizes different crosslinking mechanisms to provide gel environments that are either permissive or inhibitory to cellular spreading. To accomplish this, a multi-acrylated macromer (i.e., acrylated hyaluronic acid) was first crosslinked with an addition reaction using a matrix metalloprotease (MMP) cleavable peptide containing thiol groups. When an adhesive peptide was also coupled to the network, this environment permitted the spreading of encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), whereas control systems did not. If all acrylates were not consumed during the initial crosslinking step, a photoinitiated radical polymerization could be used to crosslink the remaining acrylates and inhibit cellular spreading with the production of covalent barriers. Variations in the ratio of the two crosslink types in individual constructs controlled the degradation and mechanical properties of the hydrogels, as well as the degree of spreading of encapsulated cells. Cell spreading was further controlled spatially with the use of photomasks. Overall, this new technology is an exciting and potentially valuable tool, both to provide new insights into the relationships between gel structure and cell behavior, and for eventual tissue-engineering applications where spatial control over cells is desired.
Salmonella infection inhibits intestinal biotin transport: cellular and molecular mechanisms

Infection with the nontyphoidal Salmonella is a common cause of food-borne disease that leads to acute gastroenteritis/diarrhea. Severe/prolonged cases of Salmonella infection could also impact hos...
The role of rabbit antithymocyte globulin in renal transplantation

Introduction: Rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) has become the most widely used lymphocyte-depleting agent in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Its use in kidney transplantation for inducing immunosuppression and treating rejection has led to prolonged allograft and patient survival.Areas covered: A MEDLINE search of the MeSH terms ‘thymoglobulin,’ ‘rabbit antithymocyte globulin,’ ‘renal transplantation,’ ‘kidney transplantation,’ ‘induction’ and ‘rejection’ was last conducted on 18 April 2014. Appropriate articles were selected, with priority given to randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, in order to summarize the current knowledge of the drug and discuss the clinical efficacy of thymoglobulin in the renal allograft.Expert opinion: Rabbit ATG has been used successfully and relatively safely in renal transplantation for over 30 years. It has a durable and profound lymphocyte-depleting effect, offering superior outcomes for immunosuppression induction and for the treatmen...
Increased production of hydroxyl radical by pericentral microsomes compared to periportal microsomes after pyrazole induction of cytochrome P4502E1.

Abstract Cytochrome P4502E1 is localized in the pericentral (PC) zone of the liver acinus to a greater extent than in the periportal (PP) zone. After pyrazole treatment, PC microsomes were more active in oxidizing typical substrates of CYP2E1 than PP microsomes and had an increased content of CYP2E1. The ability of PC and PP microsomes from pyrazole-treated rats to interact with iron and generate reactive oxygen species such as the hydroxyl radical . (OH) was evaluated. A sensitive DNA strand cleavage assay was used to detect . OH; supercoiled plasmid DNA is compact but is converted by . OH-induced single strand breaks to the relaxed open circular state. Microsomes from PC hepatocytes of pyrazole-treated rats were several fold more reactive than PP microsomes in promoting NADPH-dependent DNA strand cleavage with a variety of iron catalysts, including ferric-ATP, ferric-histidine, ferric-citrate, ferric ammonium sulfate, and ferric-EDTA. DNA strand cleavage was inhibited by superoxide dismutase, catalase, and . OH scavengers such as DMSO and ethanol. Rates of H 2 O 2 production were higher with the PC microsomes. These results indicate that rates of . OH production are higher with PC microsomes than PP microsomes after pyrazole treatment to induce cytochrome P4502E1 and suggest the possibility that elevated production of reactive oxygen species may play a role in ethanol toxicity to the PC zone of the liver acinus.
A space–time analysis of the WikiLeaks Afghan War Diary: a resource for analyzing the conflict-health nexus

Although it is widely acknowledged that areas of conflict are associated with a high health burden, from a geospatial perspective it is difficult to establish these patterns at fine scales because of a lack of data. The release of the “WikiLeaks” Afghan War Diary (AWD) provides an interesting opportunity to advance analysis and theory into this interrelationship. This paper will apply two different space time analyses to identify patterns of improvised explosive devices (IED) detonations for the period of 2004 to 2009 in Afghanistan. There is considerable spatial and temporal heterogeneity in IED explosions, with concentrations often following transportation links. The results are framed in terms of a resource for subsequent analyses to other existing health research in Afghanistan. To facilitate this, in our discussion we present a Google Earth file of overlapping rates that can be distributed to any researcher interested in combining his/her fine scale health data with a similarly granular layer of violence. The release of the AWD presents a previously unavailable opportunity to consider how spatially detailed data about violence can be incorporated into understanding, and predicting, health related spillover effects. The AWD can enrich previous research conducted on Afghanistan, and provide a justification for future “official” data sharing at appropriately fine scales.
Mitigating consumer ethnocentrism via advertising and media consumption in a transitional market

Consumer ethnocentrism is considered an important barrier to consumption in the global marketplace. Although the concept of consumer ethnocentrism has been investigated over many years in developed markets, there is little research addressing the mitigation of consumer ethnocentrism in transitional economies, which are becoming increasingly important in the global marketplace. One such market, Russia, represents a major potential investment opportunity for global marketers. In this study, we undertake an exploratory study investigating consumer ethnocentrism’s negative influence on Russians’ attitudes towards foreign products and their frequency of purchase of foreign products. We also demonstrate that the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on the frequency of purchase of foreign products is moderated by consumers’ exposure to mass communication (i.e. exposure to television, exposure to foreign movies) and by marketing communication efforts (i.e. exposure to foreign product advertising, involvement with ...
River Systems Transition Function and Operation Study

A general and compact representation of the interaction of storage, release, and diversion operations for a reservoir-river system is described. For any system configuration, the systems transition function has the same form; the difference between reservoir systems is reflected solely in the elements of the A matrix, the system configuration matrix, in the function. The systems conservation operation functions are derived from it and with relatively simple programming, the method can be applied to large-scale systems conservation analysis. The storage reallocation method is formulated to handle linear and nonlinear operating rules. The flexibility of the algorithm permits analysis of the reservoir system for a variety of management policies. A multipurpose operation of the Oswego River System, a canal-river system with eight lakes, provides a case study for testing the computation procedures
Temperature-dependent study of 3 s multiplet splitting in ferromagnetic Ni

A high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) study of the Ni $3s$ core level is presented. Ni $3s$ HRXPS spectra were compared at $T=298\mathrm{K}$ ${(T=0.47T}_{c})$ and 863 K ${(T=1.37T}_{c}).$ No significant variation with temperature is observed. These HRXPS results, combined with prior spin-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of Ni core levels, indicate the persistence of atomic magnetism in the paramagnetic phase of Ni on the length scale of \ensuremath{\sim}0.75 \AA{}. The data suggest that temperature-induced changes in the Ni $3d$ spin polarization occur at the periphery of the metallic atom, i.e., outside a radius of 0.75 \AA{}, leaving the spin density within 0.75 \AA{} unaffected.
The Preventative State: Uncharted Waters after 9/11

The attack on the United States perpetrated by a small group of Islamic extremists on September 11, 2001, has brought about fundamental changes in our legal and political cultures. Among the most controversial of these changes is the dramatic shift from what I call the “reactive state” to what I call the “preventive state.”
Killing efficacy of twelve kinds of insecticidal agent based on insecticides and disinfectants against mosquitoes,flies and cockroaches

Objective In order to observe the the efficacy of insecticides and disinfectant compounds for killing Culex pipiens pallens,Musca domestica and Blattella germanica.Methods KT50 of the twelve kinds of aerosol insecticides and disinfectant were tested according to GB/T 13917.2-2009 in hermetic round canister;Killing efficacy in analogous sites were tested according to GB/T13917.10-2009.Results The average KT50 of the twelve compounds,which were stored in 20℃ for 1h,15 d,30 d,60 d were 7.4,4.92,4.47,5.10 min,2.5,2.49,2.67,2.95 min,5.88,4.24,4.12,4.28 min to Cx.pipiens pallens and M.domestica respectively;The 24 h-mortality of insects used in the hermetic round canister were 100%;The one hour killing efficacy of the six aerosol insecticides in analogous sites to Cx.pipiens pallens,M.domestica and B.germanica were 100%.Conclusion The twelve aerosols insecticides compounds all showed fast killing effects in killing Cx.pipiens pallens,M.domestica and B.germanica.
Laparoscopic splenectomy in patients with normal-sized spleens versus splenomegaly: Does size matter?

Laparoscopic resection has become the standard means for removal of normal-sized spleens in many medical centers. The application of minimally invasive techniques in the setting of splenomegaly is less well defined and was previously considered a contraindication to the laparoscopic approach. The purpose of this prospective study of consecutive patients was to compare the outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic splenectomy for normal-sized spleens (150 g or less) versus those with clear evidence of splenomegaly (500 g or greater). One hundred forty-two patients met the inclusion criteria. The most common diagnosis in the normal-sized spleen group was idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (67 of 82, 82%). Malignant hematologic diseases (lymphoma and leukemia) were the most common diagnoses in the splenomegaly group (35 of 60, 58%). Mean operative times (127 vs 172 minutes) and estimated blood loss (123 vs 173 cm3) were lower for those patients with normal-sized spleens (P < 0.05). There were no statistical differences in conversion rates, lengths of stay, or complications between the two groups. We conclude that laparoscopic splenectomy is safe and effective in the setting of splenomegaly despite modest but statistically longer operative times and increased operative blood loss when compared with laparoscopic splenectomy for normal-sized spleens.
Vigorous convection as the explanation for Pluto’s polygonal terrain

A parameterized convection model and observations of the puzzling polygons of the Sputnik Planum region of Pluto are used to compute the Rayleigh number of its nitrogen ice and show that it is vigorously convecting, kilometres thick and about a million years old. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed fascinating details of the surface of Pluto, including a vast ice-filled basin known as Sputnik Planum, which is central to Pluto's geological activity. Much of the surface of Sputnik Planum, consisting mostly of nitrogen ice, is divided into irregular polygons that are tens of kilometres in diameter and whose centres rise tens of metres above their sides. Two papers in this issue of Nature analyse New Horizons images of this polygonal terrain. Both conclude that it is continually being resurfaced by convection, but arrive at contrasting models for the process. Alexander Trowbridge et al. report a parameterized convection model in which the nitrogen ice is vigorously convecting, ten or more kilometres thick and about a million years old. William McKinnon et al. — from the New Horizons team — show that 'sluggish lid' convective overturn in a several-kilometre-thick layer of solid nitrogen can explain both the presence of the cells and their great width. Pluto’s surface is surprisingly young and geologically active1. One of its youngest terrains is the near-equatorial region informally named Sputnik Planum, which is a topographic basin filled by nitrogen (N2) ice mixed with minor amounts of CH4 and CO ices1. Nearly the entire surface of the region is divided into irregular polygons about 20–30 kilometres in diameter, whose centres rise tens of metres above their sides. The edges of this region exhibit bulk flow features without polygons1. Both thermal contraction and convection have been proposed to explain this terrain1, but polygons formed from thermal contraction (analogous to ice-wedges or mud-crack networks)2,3 of N2 are inconsistent with the observations on Pluto of non-brittle deformation within the N2-ice sheet. Here we report a parameterized convection model to compute the Rayleigh number of the N2 ice and show that it is vigorously convecting, making Rayleigh–Benard convection the most likely explanation for these polygons. The diameter of Sputnik Planum’s polygons and the dimensions of the ‘floating mountains’ (the hills of of water ice along the edges of the polygons) suggest that its N2 ice is about ten kilometres thick. The estimated convection velocity of 1.5 centimetres a year indicates a surface age of only around a million years.
Who Is " Dada "?: Some Aspects of the Semantic and Phonological Development of a Child's First Words:

Head and eye orientation was used as an index of verbal comprehension in a study of earliest language acquisition. The development of the first association between sound and meaning and the later growth of semantic markers were observed in the author's own child between the ages of eight and a half and eleven and three-quarter months. There was evidence of a systematic internalization of meaning and a gradual co-ordination of comprehension and speaking. " Dada, " the first word, and two later lexical items were found to be organized in terms of three gradually acquired semantic dimensions.
Describing and Measuring the Pathway to Suicide Attempts: A Preliminary Study

To die by suicide, one must think about suicide, make a plan, and then carry it out. Prior research has examined the presence and predictors of these outcomes; however, virtually no studies have characterized how these steps unfold along the pathway to suicide. A novel instrument was administered to 30 recent suicide attempters. Results revealed that although the median onset for suicidal ideation occurs 1 to 5 years prior to attempting, the median for 6 of the 10 steps measured was within 6 hours of attempting. Overall, 86.5% of proximal planning steps took place within 1 week of attempting and 66.6% occurred within 12 hours.
Specialty at Risk

Just as disruptive behavior is more prevalent in certain physical locations, studies also have revealed an association between this type of conduct and specialty or service line. Indeed, Rosenstein and O’Daniel [1] found that certain specialties seem to be more prone to this behavior (Table 7.1), with surgical disciplines and some medical procedural specialties more highly represented than primary care disciplines. The practitioners most commonly associated with disruptive behavior were general surgeons, who were responsible for 31 % of the cases. Next were cardiovascular surgeons (21 %), neurosurgeons (15 %), orthopedic surgeons (7 %), cardiologists (7 %), obstetrician/gynecologists (6 %), gastroenterologists (4 %), and neurologists (4 %). The remaining medical specialists represented fewer than 3 % of the cases of disruptive behavior.
Nonoperative Treatment Options for Symptomatic Cartilage Lesions

Chondral injuries represent a spectrum of disorders that include both partial and full-thickness defects. The natural history of full-thickness cartilage lesions remains unclear. Repair or regeneration of normal functioning hyaline cartilage, in the mature adult, has yet to be confirmed following known cartilage restoration procedures and treatments. As such, the initial management of these lesions is largely nonoperative.
Multimode rectangular cavity terahertz resonators

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of two multimode waveguide-integrated terahertz (0.75–1.1 THz) resonators. Our first resonator has a size of 250μm × 125μm × 250μm, and our second resonator is a 250μm3 cube. We designed each resonator to be excited through a coupling neck of size 250μm × 10μm × 180μm in a 250μm × 125μm rectangular waveguide. We used a terahertz vector network analyzer to characterize these resonators. We deduced the resonant modes in our resonators with an electromagnetic solver. Our resonators can be used as terahertz notch filters and in klystron-like terahertz amplifiers.
Minimal Constraints in Two-Dimensional Networks

The use of coordinates in the adjustment of two-dimensional networks leads to inherently singular solutions. Various minimal constraints are applied to eliminate the singularity. The variant and invariant quantities, with respect to a choice of minimal constraints, are identified. Inner constraints, which constitute a subset of all sets of minimal constraints, are useful in displaying the internal network geometry through error ellipses whose size, shape and orientation are independent of the definition of the coordinate system. Inner constraint solutions are helpful in simulation studies where the optimum station locations and observing program are investigated. Any minimal constraint solution can be used for checking the quality of observations and the detection of blunders.
Chapter 14 – Nonparametric Hypotheses Tests

We consider hypotheses tests in situations where the underlying population distribution is unknown and cannot be reasonably assumed to have any specified parametric form, such as normality. We show how to use the sign test to test hypotheses concerning the median of the distribution. The signed-rank test for testing that a population distribution is symmetric about 0 is introduced. We present the rank-sum test for testing the equality of two population distributions. Finally, we study the runs test that can be used to test the hypothesis that a sequence of 0s and 1s is a random sequence that does not follow any specified pattern.
Obtaining Differentiation Premiums in the Presence of Fee Regulation in the Residential Real Estate Appraisal Industry

AbstractIn the context of the customary and reasonable pricing standard imposed by the Dodd–Frank Act, this article considers whether residential real estate appraisers are able to obtain differentiation premiums for their services. Regression models estimated using data from the Commonwealth of Virginia offer some evidence that professional certifications and the complexity of an appraisal task are positively associated with fee levels in this type of regulatory environment. However, differentiation premiums appear more difficult to obtain across geographies and when an appraisal is procured by an appraisal management company. The findings suggest appraisers can differentiate themselves from competitors, but also that policymakers should be mindful of the potential for commodification on the residential appraisal industry in select market settings. Since appraisals are a critical component of the mortgage underwriting process, and the majority of housing transactions utilize mortgage debt, developing new...
Perturbance analysis of nuclear determination in Tetrahymena: effects of nutrition, cell extracts, and CaCl2 on A/B hybrids.

Mating type frequencies were ascertained among the progeny of crosses of strains A × B, Tetrahymena thermophila under a number of different circumstances. The frequencies are different if the parents are severely starved than if they are well-fed at the time of conjugation; severe starvation of the progeny before the first post-zygotic division has an effect similar to that of starving the parents. Mating type frequencies may also be modified by isolating conjugating pairs into cell extracts before the new macronuclei begin to develop; the changes do not appear to be related in a meaningful way to the mating type of the cells used as a source of the cell extracts. A third means of changing the mating type frequencies involves the exposure of conjugating pairs to CaCl 2 solutions. Finally, changed frequency patterns may appear “spontaneously”, and reflect either some as yet unsuspected environmental variable, or else an intrinsic metastable state that conditions the probabilities of mating type fixation. With the exception of the starvation effects, the pattern variations seem to fall into two groups. No satisfactory mechanism to account for these results is yet available.
Response of Plants towards Heavy Metal Toxicity: An overview of Avoidance, Tolerance and Uptake Mechanism

Heavy metal contamination of soils is one of the serious environmental concerns due to metal’s persistent nature and their biomagnification potential. The high concentrations of both essential and non-essential heavy metals affect the plant growth adversely and even lead to death in extreme conditions. Plants adopt various cellular mechanisms to minimize the metal toxicity. On exposure to heavy metals plant initially try to prevent entry of metal in to root cells by implementing avoidance strategy. When heavy metals manage to enter the root cells, they are detoxified intra-cellularly through processes like cell wall binding, organic acids, chelation, sequestration etc. Excess of heavy metal also activate oxidative stress defense mechanisms and the synthesis of stress-related proteins in plants. This inherent ability of plants to tolerate and accumulate toxic contaminants can be explored to treat the metal contaminated areas efficiently. The present review paper covers an overview of plant responses towards heavy metal toxicity and mechanisms of metal uptake, translocation and accumulation.
Improved confinement in highly powered high performance scenarios on DIII-D

DIII-D has recently demonstrated improved energy confinement by injecting neutral deuterium gas into high performance near-double null divertor (DND) plasmas during high power operation. Representative parameters for these plasmas are: q 95 = 6, P IN up to 15 MW, H 98 = 1.4–1.8, and β N = 2.5–4.0. The ion B × B direction is away from the primary X-point. While plasma conditions at lower to moderate power input (e.g. ≤11 MW) are shown to be favorable to successful puff-and-pump radiating divertor applications, particularly when using argon seeds, plasma behavior at higher powers (e.g. ≥14 MW) may make successful puff-and-pump operation more problematic. In contrast to lower powered high performance plasmas, both τ E and β N in the high power cases (≥14 MW) increased and ELM frequency decreased, as density was raised by deuterium gas injection. Improved performance in the higher power plasmas was tied to higher pedestal pressure, which according to peeling-ballooning mode stability analysis using the ELITE code could increase with density along the kink/peeling stability threshold, while the pedestal pressure gradient in the lower power discharges were limited by the ballooning threshold. This resulted in improved fueling efficiency and ≈10% higher τ E and β N than is normally observed in comparable high performance plasmas on DIII-D. Applying the puff-and-pump radiating divertor approach at moderate versus high power input is shown to result in a much different evolution in core and pedestal plasma behavior. We find that injecting deuterium gas into these highly powered DND plasmas may open up a new avenue for achieving elevated plasma performance, including better fueling, but the resulting higher density may also complicate application of a radiating divertor approach to heat flux reduction in present-day tokamaks, if scenarios involving second-harmonic electron cyclotron heating are used.
Value of Physician Performance in Diabetes System of Care Among the Elderly Medicare Patients: Implications for Pay-for-Performance

While pay-for-performance (P4P) is an appealing method of influencing physician behavior, the direct impact of P4P on quality performance and return on investment remains unknown. This study seeks to quantify in dollar terms the value of incremental improvements in Geisinger’s Diabetes System of Care (DSC) – i.e., an all-or-none “bundle” of nine diabetes-related performance measures – among Medicare Advantage members attributable to individual primary care physicians (PCPs). The results indicate that a one-percentage point improvement in the percent of a PCP’s patients with diabetes that met all the DSC elements in a given year – i.e., DSC bundle score – was associated with approximately $4 per-member-per-month (in 2006 dollars) reduction in total medical cost incurred in the same year. This was driven mainly by reductions in inpatient cost. Moreover, there is variation in how much each DSC element contributes to the cost reduction. Among the nine elements, urine protein testing and blood pressure measurements were most consistently associated with lower total medical costs. These findings suggest the DSC may be useful in establishing a feasible P4P scheme that incentivizes PCPs to improve diabetes care quality.
Locality-Aware Load Sharing in Mobile Cloud Computing

The past few years have seen a growing number of mobile and sensor applications that rely on Cloud support. The role of the Cloud is to allow these resource-limited devices to offload and execute some of their compute-intensive tasks in the Cloud for energy saving and/or faster processing. However, such offloading to the Cloud may result in high network overhead which is not suitable for many mobile/sensor applications that require low latency. So, people have looked at an alternative Cloud design whose resources are located at the edge of the Internet, called Edge Cloud. Although the use of Edge Cloud can mitigate the offloading overhead, the computational power and network bandwidth of Edge Cloud's resources are typically much more limited compared to the centralized Cloud and hence are more sensitive to workload variation (e.g., due to CPU or I/O contention). In this paper, we propose a locality-aware load sharing technique that allows edge resources to share their workload in order to maintain the low latency requirement of Mobile-Cloud applications. Specifically, we study how to determine which edge nodes should be used to share the workload with and how much of the workload should be shared to each node. Our experiments show that our locality-aware load sharing technique is able to maintain low average end-to-end latency of mobile applications with low latency variation, while achieving good utilization of resources in the presence of a dynamic workload.
Combined Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitors Improve Cardiac and Vascular Function Via Increased NO Bioavailability in Heart Failure.

Background There is a paucity of data about the mechanisms by which sacubitril/valsartan (also known as LCZ696) improves outcomes in patients with heart failure. Specifically, the effects of sacubitril/valsartan on vascular function and NO bioavailability have not been investigated. We hypothesized that sacubitril/valsartan therapy increases circulating NO levels and improves vascular function in the setting of heart failure. Methods and Results Male spontaneously hypertensive rats underwent myocardial ischemia/reperfusion surgery to induce heart failure and were followed for up to 12 weeks with serial echocardiography. Rats received sacubitril/valsartan (68 mg/kg), valsartan (31 mg/kg), or vehicle starting at 4 weeks after reperfusion. At 8 or 12 weeks of reperfusion, animals were euthanized and tissues were collected for ex vivo analyses of NO bioavailability, aortic vascular reactivity, myocardial and vascular histology, and cardiac molecular assays. Left ventricular structure and function were improved by both valsartan and sacubitril/valsartan compared with vehicle. Sacubitril/valsartan resulted in superior cardiovascular benefits, as evidenced by sustained improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction and end‐diastolic pressure. Ex vivo vascular function, as measured by aortic vasorelaxation responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, was significantly improved by valsartan and sacubitril/valsartan, with more sustained improvements afforded by sacubitril/valsartan. Furthermore, myocardial NO bioavailability was significantly enhanced in animals receiving sacubitril/valsartan therapy. Conclusions Sacubitril/valsartan offers superior cardiovascular protection in heart failure and improves vascular function to a greater extent than valsartan alone. Sacubitril/valsartan‐mediated improvements in cardiac and vascular function are likely related to increases in NO bioavailability and explain, in part, the benefits beyond angiotensin receptor blockade.
Making Publics: Mobilizing Audiences in High School Makerspaces

Background/ContextResearchers, policy makers, and practitioners are paying increasing attention to the educational opportunities afforded by the maker movement—a growing public interested in do-it-...
The effect of time between x-irradiation and chemotherapy on the growth of three solid mouse tumors. v. bleomycin

Abstract Experiments have been carried out to determine the effect of different time intervals between the administration of X-radiation (1200 rod) and bleomycin (20 mg/kg) on the growth delay produced in three mouse tumors. The tumors used were the EMT6 tumor in BALB/c mice and the KHT and RIF-1 sarcomas in C3H mice. All tumors were grown intramuscularly in the gastrocnemius muscle and treatment was carried out at a mean tumor weight of 450 mg. Time to reach 2X (for KHT) or 4X (for EMT6 and RIF-1) treatment volume was used as the endpoint of response. The drug was administered by the intraperitoneal route either 24, 6, or 2 hr before radiation, immediately before the start of radiation, or 3, 6, or 24 hr after radiation. All irradiations were carried out in unanesthetized mice. For a single administration at this dose level, bleomycin alone did not produce a significant growth delay in any of the tumors. In the RIF-1 tumor, growth delays following combination treatments were equal to the addition of the single agent growth delays. In two experiments with EMT6, contrary results were obtained, one producing longer delays following combination treatments than predicted and the other producing shorter delays. This is apparently due to the variability in the growth delay after treatment with radiation alone for this tumor. For the KHT tumor, only small differences from the addition of single agent delays were seen.
Aging of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract Multipotent progenitor cells present in adult tissues are generally referred to as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are believed to function in the replacement of damaged or dead somatic cells and thus play a critical role in maintaining body structure and homeostasis. Because of their multilineage differentiation capacity, immunomodulation potential, and trophic factor-producing ability, there have been active attempts toward clinical application of MSCs to treat a variety of tissue-based and systemic diseases. However, the availability and function of MSCs are compromised with host aging. In addition, therapeutic success generally requires a sufficient number of cells, and in vitro expansion is generally necessary, often resulting in artifactual replicative senescence and functional alterations. In this chapter, we first review current progress in the characterization of human MSC aging, both in vivo and in vitro, its mechanistic basis, and the effect of aging on MSC-based therapy. We also discuss the potential strategy in slowing, stopping, or even reversing MSC aging, for the purpose of augmentation of their clinical utility.
Mixed methods in psychotherapy research: A review of method(ology) integration in psychotherapy science.

OBJECTIVE Mixed methods can foster depth and breadth in psychological research. However, its use remains in development in psychotherapy research. Our purpose was to review the use of mixed methods in psychotherapy research. METHOD Thirty-one studies were identified via the PRISMA systematic review method. Using Creswell & Plano Clark's typologies to identify design characteristics, we assessed each study for rigor and how each used mixed methods. RESULTS Key features of mixed methods designs and these common patterns were identified: (a) integration of clients' perceptions via mixing; (b) understanding group psychotherapy; (c) integrating methods with cases and small samples; (d) analyzing clinical data as qualitative data; and (e) exploring cultural identities in psychotherapy through mixed methods. CONCLUSION The review is discussed with respect to the value of integrating multiple data in single studies to enhance psychotherapy research.
Disruption of the Mouse Cyclooxygenase 1 Gene

We recently reported the characteristics of mice deficient in cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 (Langenbach et al., 1995) and COX-2 (Morham et al., 1995). This chapter will summarize the known characteristics of COX-1 deficient mice and describe some future studies utilizing these mice which will lead to a better understanding of the physiological functions of the COX’s and their roles in the therapeutic and toxic effects of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
Visualink: A Minimal & Nonintrusive System for Distributed Awareness

The concepts of "work" and "workplace" have shifted. Although the distributed office provides major benefits in terms of flexibility and mobility, the connection and sense of community that would develop through copresence and visual awareness are often lost. To address these gaps, many interventions have been designed but most solutions are still plagued with issues of reciprocity, aesthetic, interaction, privacy and scalability. We have developed a system, Visualink, that aims to connect distributed teams thanks to interactive video projections, visually breaking down the physical wall between spaces. Our system affords reciprocity to provide a symmetrical interaction and lessen the perception of surveillance, and employs image processing techniques to improve the privacy of its users.
Single Leg Dynamic Motion Planning with Mixed-Integer Convex Optimization

This paper proposes a mixed-integer convex programming formulation for dynamic motion planning. Many dynamic constraints such as the actuator torque constraint are nonlinear and non-convex due to the trigonometrical terms from the Jacobian matrix. This often causes the optimization problem to converge to local optima or even infeasible set. In this paper, we convexify the torque constraint by formulating a mixed-integer quadratically-constrained program (MIQCP). More specifically, the workspace is discretized into a union of disjoint polytopes and torque constraint is enforced upon a convex outer approximation of the torque ellipsoid, obtained by solving a semidefinite program (SDP). Bilinear terms are approximated by McCormick envelope convex relaxation. The proposed MIQCP framework could be solved efficiently to global optimum and the generated trajectories could exploit the rich features of the rough terrain without any initial guess from the designer. The demonstrated experiment results prove that this approach is currently capable of planning consecutive jumps that navigates a single-legged robot through challenging terrains.
Stream Transport and Retention of Environmental DNA Pulse Releases in Relation to Hydrogeomorphic Scaling Factors.

The DNA of aquatic organisms can be identified in water sampled from freshwater ecosystems to detect species presence. Because these DNA-based methods (termed environmental DNA, eDNA) confirm speci...
Diagnostic Microbiology from the Beginning to the Future: Regional Antibiograms as Public Health Tools to Slow Down Antibiotic Resistance

Infectious diseases is the only area of medicine where we can isolate the cause and study it in the laboratory under conditions similar to human body. Once isolated, we are able to determine the most optimal drug to treat it. Unfortunately, it is also the only specialty where after making truly wondrous strides we find ourselves at the crossroads of a public health crisis in the form of ongoing antibiotic resistance. Among the factors responsible for the current status, is the suboptimal utilization of the diagnostic microbiology laboratory. In this review authors provide a short historical perspective of diagnostic microbiology. The focus of discussion is the generation and utilization of cumulative antibiograms at the institutional and regional levels and discuss the pitfalls in large national databases with respect to the day-to-day patient care. This public health tool to slow down antibiotic resistance happens to be low-tech and inexpensive.
Electroanalytical Investigation of the Electrode–Electrolyte Interface of Quaternary Ammonium Ionic Liquids: Impact of Alkyl Chain Length and Ether Functionality

The influence of ionic associations and potential-dependent interactions on the electrode–electrolyte interfacial structure of ionic liquids (ILs) is studied by electrochemical impedance spectrosco...
Delirium in hospitalized older adults.

Delirium is a common and underdiagnosed problem in hospitalized older adults. It is associated with an increased risk of poor cognitive and functional outcomes, institutionalization, and death. Tim...