cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thin-film anodized aluminum on an acoustic sensor

An empirical model has been developed to predict the effect of a thin, porous anodized aluminum film on a solid-state flexural plate wave (FPW) chemical vapor sensor. A method of defining a precise anodization region using photolithography was developed. Initial experiments have shown through static measurements that a downward shift on the order of 100 kHz in the 4 MHz resonant frequency of the FPW device can be detected after aluminum anodization. Linear regression techniques were used to develop a model to predict frequency shift for given anodization parameters. Anodization variables investigated were anodization voltage and electrolyte concentration. The measured device frequency can be used to determine material properties of the anodized film.
Adaptive threshold control scheme in a centralized packet radio network with common direct-sequence spread-spectrum modulation

The authors describe an automatic threshold control scheme for the detection of a header which is a frame synchronization word in an unslotted centralized packet radio network in which all communicators employ a common direct-sequence spread-spectrum modulation format. Adaptive threshold control is done by setting the header-detection threshold proportional to the maximum-likelihood estimate of the multiple-access noise level. The design value of false alarm probability determines the constant of proportionality under the assumption that the multiple-access noise is a complex Gaussian random process. Computer simulation is carried out to show that this Gaussian assumption is reasonably valid. This scheme yields a false alarm probability which is nearly invariant to the changes in the number of actual transmissions in the channel, and a detection efficiency essentially free of loss with respect to the ideal detection where the multiple access noise level is known to the receiver. Throughput bounds for an unslotted ALOHA system with this scheme are analyzed. >
Performance Optimization of a Cusp-Field Ion Source and High-Perveance Extractor

The injector for the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) Facility must deliver a 110-mA dc beam of deuterons or H2+ ions to the radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator at 75-keV energy. Operational parameters of a hydrogen-fed cusp-field ion source and a high-perveance extractor have been evaluated on a test stand and on the recently completed first stage of the prototype injector (Fig. 1).
Potassium-Argon Ages and Paleomagnetism of the Waianae and Koolau Volcanic Series, Oahu, Hawaii

Paleomagnetic and potassium-argon measurements on 786 oriented cores from 99 volcanic units at 18 sites in the Waianae and Koolau Ranges, Oahu, when combined with data from previous studies, show that the sub-aerial Waianae Volcano was active only from about 3.6 to 2.4 m.y. ago and the subaerial Koolau Volcano from about 2.6 to 1.8 m.y. ago. There is some evidence that Waianae Volcano was still active when Koolau Volcano emerged from the sea. The predominantly tholeiitic lower and middle members of the Waianae Volcanic Series are approximately contemporaneous and were extruded during the late Gilbert and early Gauss geomagnetic polarity epochs. They were followed within less than 0.2 m.y. by the alkalic lavas of the upper member, which were probably extruded largely during the later part of the Gauss normal polarity epoch. The Koolau Volcanic Series was extruded entirely during the early Matuyama reversed polarity epoch. Data from three thick stratigraphic sections in the Waianae and Koolau Volcanic Series indicate that stacks of lava flows as much as 470 m thick can be formed in less than 0.25 m.y. and that the maximum average period between superimposed lava flows is on the order of 103 yrs. Additional data on the hawaiite flow that led to the discovery of the Kaena reversed event indicate that this reversed flow is 2.85 ± 0.05 m.y. old. Angular dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles (VGP) in the Hawaiian Islands appears to have decreased during the past 5 m.y. This may be caused by a decrease in dipole wobble, a decrease in the nondipole component of the Earth9 magnetic field, or the accumulated effects of weathering, tectonism, and geomorphic processes in older rocks. The mean Waianae and Koolau VGPs are slightly on the side of the Earth9s rotation axis away from Oahu. This supports, but does not prove, the hypothesis that the axial dipole is displaced slightly northward from the Earth9s center. Three VGP “excursions” were recorded in sections of lava in the Waianae and Koolau ranges. During these excursions, the VGPs appear to have traveled away from or toward the geographic axis along great circle paths, suggesting they may be related to the dipole rather than the nondipole field and may record aborted reversals in polarity or rapid and infrequent dipole tilts.
A Bipartite Membrane-Binding Signal in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Matrix Protein Is Required for the Proteolytic Processing of Gag Precursors in a Cell Type-Dependent Manner

It is unclear whether proteolytic processing of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag protein is dependent on virus assembly at the plasma membrane. Mutations that prevent myristylation of HIV-1 Gag proteins have been shown to block virus assembly and release from the plasma membrane of COS cells but do not prevent processing of Gag proteins. In contrast, in HeLa cells similar mutations abolished processing of Gag proteins as well as virus production. We have now addressed this issue with CD4 + T cells, which are natural target cells of HIV-1. In these cells, myristylation of Gag proteins was required for proteolytic processing of Gag proteins and production of extracellular viral particles. This result was not due to a lack of expression of the viral protease in the form of a Gag-Pol precursor or a lack of interaction between unmyristylated Gag and Gag-Pol precursors. The processing defect of unmyristylated Gag was partially rescued ex vivo by coexpression with wild-type myristylated Gag proteins in HeLa cells. The cell type-dependent processing of HIV-1 Gag precursors was also observed when another part of the plasma membrane binding signal, a polybasic region in the matrix protein, was mutated. The processing of unmyristylated Gag precursors was inhibited in COS cells by HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that the processing of HIV-1 Gag precursors in CD4 + T cells occurs normally at the plasma membrane during viral morphogenesis. The intracellular environment of COS cells presumably allows activation of the viral protease and proteolytic processing of HIV-1 Gag proteins in the absence of plasma membrane binding.
On Accuracy of Gaussian Assumption in Iterative Analysis for LDPC Codes

Iterative analysis for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes uses the prevailing assumption that messages exchanged between the variable nodes and the check nodes follow a Gaussian distribution. However, the justification is largely pragmatic rather than being based on any rigorous theory. This paper provides a theoretic support by investigating when and how well the Gaussian distribution approximates the real message density and the far subtler why. The analytical results are verified by extensive simulations.
Dopamine D3 Receptor Alterations in Cocaine-Dependent Humans Imaged with [11C](+)PHNO

Background Evidence from animal models and postmortem human studies points to the importance of the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) in cocaine dependence (CD). The objective of this pilot study was to use the D3R-preferring radioligand [11C](+)PHNO to compare receptor availability in groups with and without CD.
Genetic analysis of commercial honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from the southeastern United States

Approximately 3.2 million honey bee colonies are maintained by beekeepers in the United States and many are headed by commercially bred queens. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and allozyme variation to characterize 142 breeder queen colonies from 22 apiaries in the southeastern United States that produced ≈483,900 commercial honey bee queens in 1993. Analysis of mtDNA haplotypes showed that 4% of the 142 commercial breeder queen colonies were maternal descendants of Apis mellifera mellifera , a subspecies that was imported into the United States by the 17th century but is no longer used commercially. The other 96% were probably descendants of A. m. ligustica . or A. m. carnica , subspecies imported in the 19th century which are still sold as commercial strains. Malate dehydrogenase allele frequencies for the 142 breeder queen colonies were determined to be Mdh 65 = 0.50, Mdh 80 = 0.23, and Mdh 100 = 0.27. Five other enzymes known to be polymorphic in adult honey bees were invariant. Significant genetic differences between commercial and feral populations suggest that the feral population may represent a novel source of genetic variation for breeding programs.
Incompatibility Between X Chromosome Factor and Pericentric Heterochromatic Region Causes Lethality in Hybrids Between Drosophila melanogaster and Its Sibling Species

The Dobzhansky-Muller model posits that postzygotic reproductive isolation results from the evolution of incompatible epistatic interactions between species: alleles that function in the genetic background of one species can cause sterility or lethality in the genetic background of another species. Progress in identifying and characterizing factors involved in postzygotic isolation in Drosophila has remained slow, mainly because Drosophila melanogaster, with all of its genetic tools, forms dead or sterile hybrids when crossed to its sister species, D. simulans, D. sechellia, and D. mauritiana. To circumvent this problem, we used chromosome deletions and duplications from D. melanogaster to map two hybrid incompatibility loci in F(1) hybrids with its sister species. We mapped a recessive factor to the pericentromeric heterochromatin of the X chromosome in D. simulans and D. mauritiana, which we call heterochromatin hybrid lethal (hhl), which causes lethality in F(1) hybrid females with D. melanogaster. As F(1) hybrid males hemizygous for a D. mauritiana (or D. simulans) X chromosome are viable, the lethality of deficiency hybrid females implies that a dominant incompatible partner locus exists on the D. melanogaster X. Using small segments of the D. melanogaster X chromosome duplicated onto the Y chromosome, we mapped a dominant factor that causes hybrid lethality to a small 24-gene region of the D. melanogaster X. We provide evidence suggesting that it interacts with hhl(mau). The location of hhl is consistent with the emerging theme that hybrid incompatibilities in Drosophila involve heterochromatic regions and factors that interact with the heterochromatin.
Universal fault simulation using fault tuples

We introduce a new fault representation mechanism for digital circuits based on fault tuples. A fault tuple is a simple 3-element condition for a signal line, its value, and clock cycle constrain t. AND-OR expressions of fault tuples are used to represent arbitrary misbehaviors. A fault simulator based on fault tuples was used to conduct experiments on benc hmark circuits. Simulation results show that a 17% reduction of average CPU time is achiev ed when performing sim ulation on all fault types simultaneously, as opposed to individually. We expect further improvements in speedup when the shared characteristics of the various fault types are better exploited.
Cinchonanium, 1‐(9‐Anthracenylmethyl)‐9‐(propen‐1‐yloxy)‐, Bromide (1:1), (8α,9R)

Cinchonanium, 1-(9-anthracenylmethyl)-9-(2-propen-1-yloxy)-, bromide (1:1), (8α,9R) 1 [200132-54-3] C37H37BrN2O (MW 605.61) InChI = 1S/C37H37N2O.BrH/c1-3-21-40-37(33-17-19-38-35-16-10-9-15-32(33)35)36-23-27-18-20-39(36,24-26(27)4-2)25-34-30-13-7-5-11-28(30)22-29-12-6-8-14-31(29)34;/h3-17,19,22,26-27,36-37H,1-2,18,20-21,23-25H2;1H/q+1;/p-1/t26-,27-,36-,37+,39+;/m0./s1 InChIKey = QOWNPAUSLGATNL-MNSTUQKISA-M Cinchonanium, 1-(9-anthracenylmethyl)-9-(2-propen-1-yloxy)-, bromide (1:1), (9S) 2 [219601-70-4] C37H37BrN2O (MW 605.61) InChI = 1S/C37H37N2O.BrH/c1-3-21-40-37(33-17-19-38-35-16-10-9-15-32(33)35)36-23-27-18-20-39(36,24-26(27)4-2)25-34-30-13-7-5-11-28(30)22-29-12-6-8-14-31(29)34;/h3-17,19,22,26-27,36-37H,1-2,18,20-21,23-25H2;1H/q+1;/p-1/t26-,27-,36+,37-,39+;/m0./s1 InChIKey = QOWNPAUSLGATNL-APXOJCFISA-M (reagents used as phase-transfer catalysts for a wide range of asymmetric transformations) Physical Data: 1 mp 194–197 °C, −320 (c 0.45, CHCl3); (2) mp 140–142 °C, +286 (c 1.6, CHCl3). Solubility: sparingly soluble in H2O and most organic solvents. Form Supplied in: yellow crystalline solid. Purification: suspended in methylene chloride, washed with water, dried with sodium sulfate, filtered, rinsed with methylene chloride, and dried under vacuum. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: store the light-sensitive yellow crystalline material under nitrogen in a darkened glass bottle. Avoid skin, eye, and respiratory contact. Not compatible with strong acid, base, oxidizing, or reducing agents. Toxicity, LD50 values have not been determined. Quaternary ammonium salts have a range of biological activities including antibiotic, cytotoxic, anaphylactic shock induction, and neurotransmitter disruption.
Farewell to the Category-Producing Class?

The essay focuses on two points: First, Eley and Nield's emphasis on micropolitics, discourse, and diverse forms of affinity is stimulating and essential but inadequate to the task of understanding when and how the category of working class is useful. Such a task also requires nuanced analysis of interactions on a large scale and at long distance, of control of material resources, and of centralizing institutions. Second, their identity-centered vision of politics is too constraining to make clear the multiple forms of political imagination, connection, and mobilization or to figure out the extent as well as the limits of power.
New Dimensions of Human Caring Theory

This paper highlights the changing nature of nursing. Shifting direc tions toward a new consciousness of human caring and healing guide and direct nursing's future and offer a hopeful paradigm for the future of health care. What is emerging is a moral ideal of human caring that raises new questions and reverses the traditional medical treatment model. A caring ethic is introduced in relation to transpersonal caring theory that allows for new epistemologies and ontologies of being, such as evolution of consciousness and transcendence.
Peer Assessment of Early Adolescents Solicited to Participate in Drug Trafficking: A Longitudinal Analysis1

This study examined differences in peer-ascribed sociometric ratings of preadolescent and adolescent students who were, versus who were not, solicited to help someone sell crack cocaine 1 year later. The sample consisted of 3, 838 predominantly Black, urban public-school students in 6th/7th grade. In the first year, students rated their classmates on 16 psychosocial descriptors; in the next year, students self-reported their involvement in cocaine trafficking. Discriminant analyses performed separately for males and females indicated that solicited and unsolicited students differed significantly on the 16 sociometric items. Solicited students were more likely to be rated as not friendly, not shy, restless, untrustworthy, disliked by teachers, and not liking school. In addition, solicited male students were judged to be good at sports, liked by classmates, and were not picked on by others. The salience of particular items differed between genders. A longitudinal prediction model correctly predicted 61.88% and 64.30% of male and female students, respectively. However, sensitivity for solicited students was less for females (55.28%) than males (61.20%).
The Role of Measurement Error in Familiar Statistics

Measurement error, or reliability, affects many common applications in statistics, such as correlation, partial correlation, analysis of variance, regression, factor analysis, and others. Despite i...
MODELING UNINTERRUPTED HIGHWAY TRAFFIC FLOW USING AN ANISOTROPIC MESOSCOPIC SIMULATION APPROACH

This paper proposes an Anisotropic Mesoscopic Traffic Simulation (AMTS) model that is shown to exhibit distinct advantages in modelling traffic flow dynamics. The AMTS model explicitly represents individual vehicles, but assign s only macroscopic movement characteristics to them. Th is paradigm is of particular advantages when used in the simulation-based Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) systems that have been under active developments in the last decade. This paper discusses basic traffic properties and the AMTS model, and demonstrates its capability through numerical analysis.
Regulation of adrenocortical steroid hormone production by RhoA–diaphanous 1 signaling and the cytoskeleton

The production of glucocorticoids and aldosterone in the adrenal cortex is regulated at multiple levels. Biosynthesis of these hormones is initiated when cholesterol, the substrate, enters the inner mitochondrial membrane for conversion to pregnenolone. Unlike most metabolic pathways, the biosynthesis of adrenocortical steroid hormones is unique because some of the enzymes are localized in mitochondria and others in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although much is known about the factors that control the transcription and activities of the proteins that are required for steroid hormone production, the parameters that govern the exchange of substrates between the ER and mitochondria are less well understood. This short review summarizes studies that have begun to provide insight into the role of the cytoskeleton, mitochondrial transport, and the physical interaction of the ER and mitochondria in the production of adrenocortical steroid hormones.
Process control and scheduling issues for multiprogrammed shared-memory multiprocessors

Shared-memory multiprocessors are frequently used in a time-sharing style with multiple parallel applications executing at the same time. In such an environment, where the machine load is continuously varying, the question arises of how an application should maximize its performance while being fair to other users of the system. In this paper, we address this issue. We first show that if the number of runnable processes belonging to a parallel application significantly exceeds the effective number of physical processors executing it, its performance can be significantly degraded. We then propose a way of controlling the number of runnable processes associated with an application dynamically, to ensure good performance. The optimal number of runnable processes for each application is determined by a centralized server, and applications dynamically suspend or resume processes in order to match that number. A preliminary implementation of the proposed scheme is now running on the Encore Multimax and we show how it helps improve the performance of several applications. In some cases the improvement is more than a factor of two. We also discuss implications of the proposed scheme for multiprocessor schedulers, and how the scheme should interface with parallel programming languages.
Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions.

Rationale Transgender people in the United States experience widespread prejudice, discrimination, violence, and other forms of stigma.
Digital Holography with Multiple-Plane Phase-Error Correction

We correct phase screens that introduce anisoplanatic blurring in digital holography. Numerical propagations of fields, avoiding non-physical aliasing, and a sharpness metric in a nonlinear optimization designed to overcome false oversharpening effects are described.
A Study of Boron Clustering Transients and Mechanisms in Doped Silicon

The ion implantation of boron remains the most practical means of forming shallow and ultra-shallow p+/n junctions in silicon. A high conductive junction requires both a large density of dopant atoms and electrical activation amongst these. While it is possible to simply higher doses of boron at lower energies, the potential benefits of the changes are often muted by the electrical deactivation of the boron was occurs through a clustering process. Therefore, it is important to do understand ing of the kinetics and transients involved in these proces. It has been shown that ion implanted boron clusters with interst residual from the implantation process. These clusters are immobile, fractionally or totally electrically inactive, and very thermally state study a series of experiments were conducted in order to investigate processes. In addition to this, a means of utilizing X-ray Diffractio to correlate electrical activity to the rocking curve has been development
The Specific Precipitates Obtained from Antipneumococcus Serum and Antibody Solution by the Soluble Specific Substances of Pneumococci

In the preceding report,1 it was shown that the soluble specific substances isolated from pneumococci cause a precipitation and neutralization of the protective substance of antipneumococcus serums and antibody solutions. In the case of type 2 serum, a concentration of 1: 2,000 to 1:15,000 of the specific substance was observed to cause complete precipitation. This is also the concentration of soluble specific substance reported by Morgan2 to produce maximum precipitation. With higher concentrations there is a prozone of partial precipitation ; also with lower concentrations the precipitation is incomplete, due to an insufficient amount of the specific precipitating material. These observation are in accord with those of Gay and Chickering,8 who have reported precipitation of practically all the protective substance in antipneumococcus serum by an antigen consisting of dissolved pneumococci. Similarly, Huntoon4 has precipitated in part the protective substance from antipneumococcus serum by use of the living organisms. The historical development of the dissociation of antibody-antigen complexes has been given by Chickering,5 Huntoon,4 Berger,6 Zinsser,7 and others, and it will be profitable here to review only some of the most important investigations in which the principles involved or methods used have a direct bearing on the dissociation of the specific precipitates of antipneumococcus serum. The methods follow the principles elucidated by the fundamental researches of Hahn and Trommsdorf,8 Landsteiner and Jagic,9 Morgenroth,10 Pfeiffer and Friedberger,11 Von Liebermann and Fenyvessy,12 Bail and Tsuda," Spaet,14 Kosaki15 and others. It was early recognized that antibody would combine with its homologous
Theoretical Analysis of the Minority Carrier Lifetime in a Multicrystalline Wafer with Spatially Varying Defect Distribution

Multicrystalline Si (mc-Si) wafers, used for the commercial solar cell fabrication, have spatial nonuniformities in the material properties that cause strong variations in the minority carrier lifetime, τ. We present the results of two-dimensional modeling to show carrier generation, recombination and transport in such a material. These results are used to infer measurement conditions that can yield meaningful spatially weighted average value of τ.
Partial Duplication and Poly(A) Insertion in KCNQ1 Not Detected by Next-Generation Sequencing in Jervell and Lange–Nielsen Syndrome

Jervell and Lange–Nielsen syndrome is caused by absence of the voltage-gated potassium current I Ks through either homozygous recessive or compound heterozygous mutations in KCNQ1 or KCNE1 . We report here a case of Jervell and Lange–Nielsen syndrome with typical clinical features in which clinical genetic testing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed only a known single heterozygous KCNQ1 mutation (R518X), but failed to recognize an unusual and complex 52-bp duplication-insertion. This type of variant has not been previously reported in Long QT syndrome (LQTS) and may therefore account for a portion of genetic variant negative cases. A 47-year-old woman with congenital deafness, severe QT prolongation (≥800 ms on Holter monitoring; Figure 1A and 1B), and striking exercise-induced QT lability and torsades de pointes was seen in referral. She had her first episode of syncope at 6 years of age, was reported to have marked QT prolongation, started β-blocker therapy, and was then lost to follow-up. At age 40, she had an episode of syncope while working outdoors in the heat, and β-blocker (propranolol at that time) was continued although she admitted to incomplete compliance because of fatigue. At age 46, she had another syncopal episode and was switched to metoprolol 100 mg daily. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was recommended but she declined. During an exercise test to assess the adequacy of β-blockade, she developed marked T wave lability followed by a 40-second, self-terminating episode of torsades de pointes, during which she lost consciousness (Figure 1C). Notably, this T wave instability occurred in an unusual (nonalternans) pattern,1 compatible with temporal variability in repolarization with …
Preliminary studies of the application of near infrared spectroscopy in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis

A feasibility study for diagnosing deep vein thrombosis utilizing near-infrared continuous wave spectroscopy was performed, as a real-time, non-invasive, and inexpensive method. The probe contains two light sources and two detectors with optical filters that monitor reflected light at wavelengths 760 and 850 nm to measure the changes in the amount of deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin, respectively. These changes and the blood volume changes are recorded while the subject performs a series of light leg exercises. The test protocol is designed to determine the muscle tissue blood volume capacity, rate of blood filling (venous valve functionality test), and efficiency to promote one-directional venous flow from the leg to heart. The subject pool consists of the patients with leg deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnosed by the Johns Hopkins Hospital Vascular Surgery Department and of normal subjects as the control. Abnormal venous systems showed distinct characteristics: high blood volume in the leg; high rate of blood filling while the subject stands upright; and the inability to decrease the blood volume during the muscle contraction. The NIR device proved to be an inexpensive, effective, and portable device that can detect DVT in the leg in real-time.
Evaluation of the exponential rise of serum estradiol concentrations in human menopausal gonadotropin-induced cycles.

To determine whether the rate of the exponential rise of estradiol (RER-E 2 ) may be useful in monitoring gonadotropin-induced cycles and have prognostic value with respect to pregnancy, the RER-E 2 was evaluated in 70 ovulatory cycles of 25 women. Semilogarithmic plots of E 2 concentrations (picograms per milliliter) versus time (days) were linear, with slopes (RER-E 2 ) ranging from 0.18 to 0.74. The mean RER-E 2 in the 14cycles of conception (0.49±0.03; ± standard error) was not significantly different from the mean (0.47±0.02) in 56cycles in which pregnancy did not occur. The mean of the RER-E 2 of three twin pregnancies ( P P 2 and a higher frequency of twin pregnancies and pregnancy losses at the upper range, but these trends were not statistically significant. By a graphic method, subsequent E 2 values were predicted in 25 of 28cycles within the 95% confidence limits and a clinically acceptable range of actual E 2 values. The semilogarithmic plots appear to be useful adjuncts in the monitoring of gonadotropin-induced cycles. Although the data suggest that the RER-E 2 may have prognostic value, further study is needed to confirm these observations.
Prioritizing qualitative research in surgery: A synthesis and analysis of publication trends.

Background Over the past 2 decades, researchers have recognized the value of qualitative research. Little has been done to characterize its application to surgery. We describe characteristics and overall prevalence of qualitative surgical research. Methods We searched PubMed and CINAHL using “surgery” and 7 qualitative methodology terms. Four researchers extracted information; a fifth researcher reviewed 10% of abstracts for inter-rater reliability. Results A total of 3,112 articles were reviewed. Removing duplicates, 28% were relevant ( N = 878; κ = 0.70). Common qualitative methodologies included phenomenology (34.3%) and grounded theory (30.2%). Interviews were the most common data collection method (81.9%) of patients (64%) within surgical oncology (15.4%). Postdischarge was the most commonly studied topic (30.8%). Overall, 41% of studies were published in nursing journals, while 8% were published in surgical journals. More than half of studies were published since 2011. Conclusion Results suggest qualitative surgical research is gaining popularity. Most is published in nonsurgical journals, however, utilizing only 2 methodologies (phenomenology, grounded theory). The surgical journals that have published qualitative research had study topics restricted to a handful of surgical specialties. Additional surgical qualitative research should take advantage of a greater variety of approaches to provide insight into rare phenomena and social context.
Over 400 Attend Critical Technologies Workshop

(1992). Over 400 Attend Critical Technologies Workshop. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 9-11.
Bandwidth-efficient BVH layout for incremental hardware traversal

The memory footprint of bounding volume hierarchies (BVHs) can be significantly reduced using incremental encoding, which enables the coarse quantization of bounding volumes. However, this compression alone does not necessarily yield a comparable improvement in memory bandwidth. While the bounding volumes of the BVH nodes can be aggressively quantized, the size of the child node pointers remains a significant overhead. Moreover, as BVH nodes become comparably small to practical cache line sizes, the BVH is cached less efficiently. In this paper we introduce a novel memory layout and node addressing scheme and map it to a system architecture for fixed-function ray traversal. We evaluate this scheme using an architecture simulator and demonstrate a significant reduction in memory bandwidth, compared to previous approaches.
Lactate/pyruvate transporter MCT-1 is a direct Wnt target that confers sensitivity to 3-bromopyruvate in colon cancer

There is increasing evidence that oncogenic Wnt signaling directs metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells to favor aerobic glycolysis or Warburg metabolism. In colon cancer, this reprogramming is due to direct regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) gene transcription. Additional metabolism genes are sensitive to Wnt signaling and exhibit correlative expression with PDK1. Whether these genes are also regulated at the transcriptional level, and therefore a part of a core metabolic gene program targeted by oncogenic WNT signaling, is not known. Here, we identify monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT-1; encoded by SLC16A1) as a direct target gene supporting Wnt-driven Warburg metabolism. We identify and validate Wnt response elements (WREs) in the proximal SLC16A1 promoter and show that they mediate sensitivity to Wnt inhibition via dominant-negative LEF-1 (dnLEF-1) expression and the small molecule Wnt inhibitor XAV939. We also show that WREs function in an independent and additive manner with c-Myc, the only other known oncogenic regulator of SLC16A1 transcription. MCT-1 can export lactate, the byproduct of Warburg metabolism, and it is the essential transporter of pyruvate as well as a glycolysis-targeting cancer drug, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP). Using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays to follow cell proliferation, we tested a panel of colon cancer cell lines for sensitivity to 3-BP. We observe that all cell lines are highly sensitive and that reduction of Wnt signaling by XAV939 treatment does not synergize with 3-BP, but instead is protective and promotes rapid recovery. We conclude that MCT-1 is part of a core Wnt signaling gene program for glycolysis in colon cancer and that modulation of this program could play an important role in shaping sensitivity to drugs that target cancer metabolism.
Prognostic Value of E-Cadherin and β-Catenin in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Objectives: To analyze the expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) to assess their prognostic significance. Methods: The expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin was examined semiquantitatively and correlated with other pathologic factors and survival outcomes. Results: Of 72 consecutive TNBCs, 56% showed reduced membranous expression of E-cadherin or β-catenin, with a strong correlation to each other. Of the clinicopathologic factors analyzed, tumor size and nodal status were significantly associated with overall survival and disease-specific survival, while the latter remained an independent factor by multivariate analysis. Reduced E-cadherin and β-catenin were both significantly associated with a poor overall survival and disease-specific survival by univariate and multivariate analyses. Conclusions: E-cadherin and β-catenin expression provides discriminative prognostic power independent of conventional pathologic factors, thus further reinforcing the important role of cell adhesion molecules in the process of tumor metastasis, especially in TNBC.
Region-of-Interest Imaging in Cone Beam 3-D CT

Imaging a sectional region within an object with a detector just big enough to cover the sectional region-of-interest is analyzed. With otherwise complete (for small objects) cone beam scanning configurations, some of the Radon data are corrupted by unwanted measurements from outside the region-of-interest, and furthermore the region of corrupted data is in such a shape that the use of a priori information on the finite support of the object alone is not sufficient to recover the missing data. We show that with some suitable choice of scanning configuration and with an innovative method of data combination, all the Radon data can be obtained accurately. The algorithm is mathematically exact, and requires no iterations and no additional measurements. The method can be applied to inspect portions of large industrial objects in industrial imaging, as well as to image portions of human bodies in medical diagnosis.
Just around midnight: rock and roll and the racial imagination: A whiter shade of pale

Jack Hamilton’s Just Around Midnight‬ poses a tantalizing question about American popular culture in the decades after World War II: why did rock and roll, a musical genre that roared into the worl...
Managerial Incentives and Competition

This paper experimentally tests the impact of managerial incentives on competitive (market) outcomes. We use a Cournot duopoly game to show that when managers’ incentives are based on the firm’s absolute performance (profits), collusion can be sustained. However, when managers’ incentives are based on the firm’s relative performance (their profits relative to the other firm’s profits), this drives the market to the competitive and efficient outcome. These results suggest that regulators need to consider not only the number and concentration of firms in an industry, but also the managerial compensation schemes when deciding how much intervention is appropriate in a given industry.
Want to Be a Doctor? A Scientist? An Engineer? An Affirmative Action Leg Up May Hurt Your Chances

The assumption behind the fierce competition for admission to elite colleges and universities is clear: The more elite the school one attends, the brighter one’s future. That assumption, however, may well be flawed. The research examined recently by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights provides strong reason to believe that attending the most competitive school is not always best — at least for students who aspire to a degree in science or engineering.
Coffee in the crosshairs of climate change: agroforestry as abatis

Coffee producers face a host of challenges linked to climate change, a situation especially evident in much of Latin America. Recent publications and the results of an informal survey presented her...
Investigating the Effectiveness of a Traffic Enforcement Camera-System on the Road Safety in Saudi Arabia

Car accidents are one of the significant causes of death and injuries across the world. In Saudi Arabia, the traffic accidents have increased in the past few years resulting in massive fatalities and economic losses. As a possible solution to reduce the increased number of accidents, the Saudi traffic agency came up with a new traffic system consists of cameras installed on certain roads and highways. The goal of this study is to investigate the human behaviors in interaction with the speed camera enforcement’s system in Saudi Arabia. In this study, we surveyed a sample size of 251 Saudi citizen to investigate the effectiveness of SAHER system. The results showed that the significant factors couldn’t be affected by the new system and SAHER would not change people’s driving behavior and increase the road safety.
Generalized Linear Mixed Measurement Error Models

We consider generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) in a sampling design consisting of clusters and then units within clusters, when one of the predictors is measured with additive, normal error. We first review some basic ideas and recent results on the structure of such Generalized Linear Mixed Measurement Error Models (GLMMeM), Then we consider a specific example, fit fully parametrically via a Bayesian analysis using the Gibbs sampler with essentially noninformative priors.
“2+1” Pulse Sequence as Apllied for Distance and Spatial Distribution Measurements of Paramagnetic Centers

Applications of one of the varieties of electron spin-echo method, the “2+1” pulse sequence used for the measurement of distances in radical pairs with fixed and distributed distances, and for the determination of the parameters of spatial distribution in more complicated cases (fractals, clusters, non-random distributions) are discussed. Special attention is given to features of the “2+1” technique such as suppression of dipolar interactions of randomly distributed spins, which allows the selection of a dipolar interaction between radical labels in proteins, even if protein molecules aggregate. Experimental conditions that allow the separation of nuclear modulation from electron dipolar related modulation, or minimize the appearance of ESEEM in a “2+1” experiment are also discussed.
NEUTRON-DIFFRACTION STUDIES OF THE STRUCTURE OF CARBON BLACKS

A study was made by neutron diffraction of carbon blacks with varying hydrogen content. The data were compared with those from X-ray diffraction and also with computed neutron scattering from graphitic layers having bonded hydrogen. The results indicate that hydrogen in carbon blacks may be bonded to edge atoms of the graphitic layers and contribute to the coherent scattering. The partial removal of hydrogen by heat treatment produces a modification of the neutron-diffraction pattern approaching that of just graphitic layers. Both hydrogen and tetrahedrally coordinated carbon can contribute to broadening observed in higher order layer reflections (21) and (30).
Skeletal Muscle Sodium Channels

In mammalian muscle, a voltage-sensitive sodium channel controls the transient increase in membrane conductance that produces an action potential in the sarcolemma and T-tubular membranes. The time- and voltage-dependent characteristics of the currents regulated by this channel have been studied extensively over the past few decades, first using the traditional approach of voltage clamp (Adrian et al., 1970) and more recently at the single-channel level using patch-clamp technology (Sigworth and Neher, 1980).
Purification and Pharmacological Analysis of the Omega-Conotoxin GVIA Receptor from Rat Brain

The excitation of neurons is coupled to the secretion of neurotransmitters by a discrete sequence of events involving the transduction of an electrical signal, in the form of the action potential propagating along the axon, into an increase in calcium at the nerve terminal (Sakmann, 1992). Numerous excellent reports address the importance of calcium as the intracellular chemical messenger and elucidate the specific steps in the release of neurotransmitters (Augustine et al., 1987; Smith and Augustine, 1988; Zimmermann, 1990; Llinas et al., 1992). These steps are outlined briefly as follows:
Sport governing bodies’ influence on non-transactional fan behaviours

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the paper is to present an advanced knowledge of a sport governing body’s – instead of club’s or team’s – influence on non-transactional fan behaviours. A higher understanding is achieved via the development of a global Fan-Relationship-Management-Model and local subgroup-specific models. A partial least squares path modelling approach is used to test the global model among a sample of five hundred and one individuals. Further, a response-based procedure for detecting unit segments is implemented to uncover local models. A series of chi-square tests are conducted to determine whether the local models differ on, for example, demographic measures and the fan’s devotedness to the team. We found three local models. Each local model exhibits different relationship strengths between its variables. These different relationship strengths are not confounded by demographic characteristics, but by a fan’s devotedness. This paper is useful to appreciate the sport governing body’s impact on non-...
The Impact of Capping Creatinine Clearance on Achieving Therapeutic Vancomycin Concentrations in Neurocritically Ill Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with secondary complications, including infection, and patients with TBI often exhibit augmented renal clearance (ARC). This phenomenon has been associated with subtherapeutic levels of renally cleared drugs such as vancomycin, which is dosed based on body weight and creatinine clearance (CrCl). Many clinicians, however, cap CrCl at 120 mL/min/1.73 m2 when calculating vancomycin dosing regimens. We hypothesize that capping patient CrCl, as opposed to utilizing the non-capped CrCl, when determining vancomycin dosing schemes results in subtherapeutic serum trough concentrations in patients with TBI. This was a retrospective study of adult patients with TBI admitted between April 2014 and December 2015 who received vancomycin. Population-based pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters using non-capped calculated CrCl and capped CrCl were compared with patient-specific PK parameters based on serum trough concentrations. Thirty-two patients with TBI were included in the study. ARC was suspected in 24 (75%) patients due to a median estimated CrCl at serum trough concentration of 167.3 (127.7–197.7) mL/min. The mean dosing regimen was 17.1 (13.2–19.2) mg/kg every 8 (8–8) h. There was no difference between the median measured trough concentration and predicted value using non-capped CrCl [10.4 (7.1–15.0) vs. 11.5 (7.8–13.7) mcg/mL; p = 0.7986]. The median measured trough concentration was significantly lower than the predicted trough concentration when calculated based on capping the CrCl at 120 mL/min/1.73 m2 [16.3 (15.3–22.0) vs. 11.5 (7.8–13.7) mcg/mL; p < 0.0001]. Patients with traumatic brain injury appeared to exhibit augmented renal clearance, leading to subtherapeutic vancomycin serum trough concentrations when doses were calculated using the traditional method of capping creatinine clearance at 120 mL/min/1.73 m2. Instead, utilizing patients’ non-capped creatinine clearance when determining a vancomycin dosing regimen is more accurate and provides a better estimation of vancomycin pharmacokinetics and could be applied to other renally excreted medications.
France is a Feast: The Photographic Journey of Paul and Julia Child, by Alex Prud’homme and Katie Pratt: Thames & Hudson, 2017

At a Napa Valley culinary conference in the late 1970s, the husband of the featured guest introduced himself to me as “Mr. Julia Child.” I was sitting beside his celebrated wife during dinner, whil...
Designing Digital Badging Programs: Findings from an Interview-Based Study with Instructional Designers.

Digital badging programs are becoming increasingly popular in K-12, higher education, and corporate training environments. Instructional designers are playing a key role in the design and implementation of such programs. This qualitative research study was conducted to identify practical techniques from instructional designers who have been involved in the design and implementation of digital badging programs. Results from this study indicate that there is not one standard instructional design method to use when designing digital badging programs and that non-traditional approaches may be viable options. Results indicate that five areas of focus are employed by instructional designers creating digital badge programs: iterative design, piloting, participant feedback, incorporating communicative elements about the utility of digital badges in the program, and adopting high-touch or hands-on approaches.
A longitudinal evaluation of a survivor-mentor program for child survivors of sex trafficking in the United States.

Abstract Background Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) of children is a significant public health and criminal justice problem, but there are few evaluated models of CSE mentorship service. Objectives To assess whether youth who participated in a CSE survivor-mentor program evidenced changes in CSE victimization, dating abuse victimization, health, delinquency, social support, and coping during the year following their enrollment in the program. Participants 41 youth who were CSE-experienced at baseline (72%) or determined very high risk, 11–18 years old, 95% female, 58% heterosexual, 29% White, 29% Hispanic, and 42% other races/ethnicities. Setting An urban city in the Northeast United States. Methods We used a one-group repeated measures design and a GEE analysis. Data were collected at baseline, six months after baseline (71% follow-up) and 12 months after baseline (68% follow-up). Results At baseline 72% could be characterized as CSE-experienced, while at 6 months the percentage decreased to 24% (p Conclusion Findings demonstrate that youth who received survivor-mentor services from MLMC experienced improved well-being and less drug use, delinquent behavior, and exploitation.
Gender and Differences in Materialism, Power, Risk Aversion, Self-Consciousness, and Social Comparison

AbstractThis paper examines gender differences in terms of materialism, conspicuous consumption, power importance, risk aversion, self-consciousness, and social comparison. We build our hypotheses ...