cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scaling behavior of explosive percolation on the square lattice

Clusters generated by the product-rule growth model of Achlioptas, D'Souza, and Spencer on a two-dimensional square lattice are shown to obey qualitatively different scaling behavior than standard (random growth) percolation. The threshold with unrestricted bond placement (allowing loops) is found precisely using several different criteria based on both moments and wrapping probabilities, yielding ${p}_{c}=0.526\text{ }565\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.000\text{ }005$, consistent with the recent result of Radicchi and Fortunato. The correlation-length exponent $\ensuremath{\nu}$ is found to be close to 1. The qualitative difference from regular percolation is shown dramatically in the behavior of the percolation probability ${P}_{\ensuremath{\infty}}$ (size of largest cluster), of the susceptibility, and of the second moment of finite clusters, where discontinuities appear at the threshold. The critical cluster-size distribution does not follow a consistent power law for the range of system sizes we study $(L\ensuremath{\le}8192)$ but may approach a power law with $\ensuremath{\tau}g2$ for larger $L$.
The Structure of Baroclinic Wave Packets

Abstract In this paper, the three-dimensional structure of baroclinic wave packets is studied using composites from ECMWF reanalysis data. Eddy variances and covariances associated with wave packets are examined in terms of the eddy energy budget and wave activity and fluxes, and the large-scale, phase-independent flow component associated with wave packets is studied using composites of the low zonal wavenumber component of the flow. The results suggest that the sources of upper-level eddy energy–wave activity associated with the wave packets are located over the central and upstream portion of the wave packet, and the downstream part of the wave packet is entirely maintained by radiation of energy–wave activity fluxes from the upstream end. The results are entirely consistent with previous studies of the energetics of individual wave evolution cases. The composites also show that the basic flow response to eddy transports associated with the wave packets consists mainly of a poleward shift of the jet ne...
Segregation of recombined chromosomes in meiosis I requires DNA topoisomerase II

To understand better the similarities and differences between meiosis and mitosis, we examined the meiotic role of DNA topoisomerase II, an enzyme that is required mitotically to disentangle sister chromatids at the time of chromosome segregation. In meiosis, we found that topoisomerase II is required only at the time of nuclear division. When cold-sensitive top2 mutants are induced to sporulate at the restrictive temperature, they undergo premeiotic DNA synthesis and commitment to meiotic levels of recombination but fail to complete the first meiotic nuclear division. The introduction of a mutation blocking recombination relieves the requirement for topoisomerase II in meiosis I. These results suggest that topoisomerase II is required at the time of chromosome segregation in meiosis I for the resolution of recombined chromosomes.
Effects of focus misregistration on optical disk performance

The effects of focus misregistration on optical disk performanceBlair I. Finkelstein and Ed R. ChildersIBM Corporation, Storage Systems Products Division, Tucson, Arizona 85744ABSTRACTThe effects of focus misregistration (FMR) on signal amplitude, jitter, write performance, peak shift, and thefigure-of-merit parameter were investigated as a function of track position, pattern, write power, andcrosstalk. Experimental results for FMR offsets were compared to theoretical predictions. A Monte Carlomodel of FMR distribution was generated from experimental results. These results were then compared toresults from noise injection into the focus servo. In the test system, the tracking servo failed under focusnoise injection before system performance degraded appreciably.
Probabilistic map building for aircraft-tracking radars

We develop a formalism to assess the risk of missions that consist of flying an aircraft over a region infested by enemy radars and co-located surface-to-air missile launchers. This is accomplished by building several probabilistic maps that will allow one to compute the probability of success for the missions.
Violence Performed and Imagined: Militant Action, the Black Bloc and the Mass Media in Genoa

The Battle of Genoa has become an iconic sign of wanton destruction, evoking images of tear gas, burning cars, and black clad protestors hurling stones and Molotov cocktails at advancing lines of heavily militarized riot police. In this article, I explore the complex relationship between performative violence and mass-mediated constructions of violence during the anti-G8 protests in Genoa. Performative violence is a specific mode of communication through which activists seek to produce social transformation by staging symbolic rituals of confrontation. Young militants enact performative violence in order to generate radical identities, while producing concrete messages challenging global capitalism and the state. At the same time, dominant media frames reinterpret the resulting images as random acts of senseless violence, undermining activists more generally. I further argue that the prevailing ‘diversity of tactics’ ethic reflects the broader networking logics associated with anti-corporate globalization...
EFFECT OF CALCIUM ON THE TEXTURE PROFILE OF IRRADIATED CARROTS, BEETS AND POTATOES *

. Addition of calcium as a firming agent to fresh vegetable tissues softened by gamma radiation was studied. With tissues given pasteurizing doses (100 Krad), it was found that most of the texture profile parameters could be effectively restored in beets but not in potatoes. With tissues given sterilizing doses (2 Mrad), none of the texture profile parameters could be restored in beets or in carrots.
Effect ofd-electrons on the frequency response of metal-insulator-metal devices

Abstract The frequency limitation of metal-insulator-metal point-contact diodes is interpreted in terms of the fundamental electronic band structure of the metal whisker. It is shown that the response at optical frequencies depends on the partial delocalization of the d -electrons resulting in a different cut-off frequency for transition and noble metals. The implications for diode design are discussed.
Designing Environments for Teaching and Learning History in Multilingual Contexts.

Educational interventions designed to serve the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools are developed within a fractured social context. Recent language and immigration policy debates in the U.S. have focused on the importance of English in attaining socio-economic success. On the other hand, research in applied linguistics has shown that immigrants who become English monolingual do not fare better than their counterparts who develop bilingual skills and maintain a connection to their heritage. All of these discussions place the emphasis on what individuals have and do not have. The paper presents an alternative view of how to address issues of multilingualism in education by framing them in terms of opportunities the environment affords. This perspective is illustrated with a professional development program focused on designing environments with opportunities to develop critical language awareness. The case study reports work done with history teachers working with ELLs in the m...
The field of vector biology: A perspective on the first 100 years

The time surrounding Ross' epic studies on the role mosquitoes play in the life cycle of Plasmodium was marked by a series of discoveries that truly defined the beginning of the field of vector biology, as outlined here by Bruce Christensen and Michael Ferdig.
Using Student Opinions Regarding Traditional Vs. Writing Across The Curriculum Teaching Techniques: A Qualitative Pilot Study

The focus groups of students representing a variety of majors, reported that assigning WTL exercises, WID papers, and guided-focus journals was indeed useful in helping then to learn the subject matter more comprehensively than the traditional method of lecturing and test taking. Students tended to report that they learned the information more in depth and could apply the information in their respective majors compared to only memorizing facts and terms.
How well you absorb calcium is important for limiting hip fracture risk.

Two recent studies suggest that when consuming a low-calcium diet, low efficiency of calcium absorption (measured as fractional calcium absorption) is a problem in the elderly; this is also an important risk factor for hip fracture. These studies show that elderly women are less able to compensate for low calcium intake by increasing calcium absorption and that within that age group, those who are least able to adapt are more likely to experience hip fractures. A novel explanation for this phenomenon is that a genetic predisposition for low calcium absorption efficiency exists that can be alleviated by a simple dietary change–improved calcium intake.
Viral upper respiratory tract infection and otitis media complication in young children

Background The common cold or upper respiratory infection (URI) is highly prevalent in young children and often results in otitis media (OM). Incidence and characteristics of OM complicating URI by specific viruses have not been well studied.
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Affects Mouse Ovarian Follicle Growth Via Mechanisms Involving Estradiol Regulation and Responsiveness

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a known transcription factor. Although studies indicate that Ahr-deficient (AhRKO) mice have defects in female reproduction, only a few studies have examined the role of AHR in the ovary. Previous studies have suggested, without directly testing, that AhRKO mice have slower follicular growth than wild-type (WT) mice. Therefore, the first objective of the present study was to examine whether AhRKO follicles grow slower than WT follicles and if so, to determine whether the mechanism by which Ahr affects follicular growth is through effects on antrum size, granulosa cell proliferation, and regulators of cell cycle progression. Since estradiol (E 2 ) is critical for the normal growth of ovarian follicles, the second objective of the present study was to determine the role of Ahr in regulating E 2 production and responsiveness. The third objective of the present study was to determine whether E 2 replacement restores follicular growth of AhRKO follicles to WT levels in vitro. We found that AhRKO follicles grew slower than WT follicles in vitro. While AhRKO and WT follicles had similar antrum sizes, AhRKO follicles showed decreased granulosa cell proliferation and reduced mRNA and protein levels of cell cycle regulators, as compared to WT follicles. Furthermore, the AhRKO mice had lower serum and follicle-produced E 2 levels and showed decreased Esr1 and Esr2 mRNA levels compared to WT mice. Finally, E 2 treatment of AhRKO follicles restored follicular growth to WT levels in vitro. Collectively, these findings suggest that the AHR affects follicular growth via mechanisms that involve E 2 regulation and responsiveness. estrdiol, estradiol receptor, follicle, ovary, toxicology
Waterborne disease outbreaks, 1986-1988.

From 1986 to 1988, 24 states and Puerto Rico reported 50 outbreaks of illness due to water that people intended to drink, affecting 25,846 persons. The protozoal parasite Giardia lamblia was the agent most commonly implicated in outbreaks, as it has been for the last 10 years; many of these outbreaks were associated with ingestion of chlorinated but unfiltered surface water. Shigella sonnei was the most commonly implicated bacterial pathogen; in outbreaks caused by this pathogen, water supplies were found to be contaminated with human waste. Cryptosporidium contamination of a chlorinated, filtered public water supply caused the largest outbreak during this period, affecting an estimated 13,000 persons. A large multistate outbreak caused by commercially produced ice made from contaminated well water caused illness with Norwalk-like virus among an estimated 5,000 persons. The first reported outbreak of chronic diarrhea of unknown cause associated with drinking untreated well water occurred in 1987. Twenty-six outbreaks due to recreational water use were also reported, including outbreaks of Pseudomonas dermatitis , associated with the use of hot tubs or whirlpools, and swimming-associated shigellosis, giardiasis, and viral illness. Although the total number of reported water-related outbreaks has been declining in recent years, the few large outbreaks due to Cryptosporidium , Norwalk-like agent, S. sonnei , and G. lamblia caused more cases of illness in 1987 than have been reported to the Water-Related Disease Outbreak Surveillance System for any other year since CDC and the Environmental Protection Agency began tabulating these data in 1971.
Robust Magnet Polarity Estimation for Initialization of PM Synchronous Machines with Near Zero Saliency

This paper investigates magnet polarity estimation of permanent-magnet synchronous machines. Because the magnet polarity is estimated from low signal-to-noise ratio signals, it is sensitive to additional signal content, affecting the robustness of magnet polarity estimate. An evaluation of eight low-saliency machines identifies a DC-offset vector in the positive second-harmonic carrier signal current as the primary source of magnet polarity estimation error. Angular offset is a secondary limitation to the polarity estimation robustness. By estimating and decoupling the dc-offset vector and the angular offset, the robustness is improved, and applicability to a wide set of the machines is enabled.
High Temperature Nuclear Process Heat - An Incipient Technology In Concert With Improved Clean Air Goals

The long-term goal of emission-free energy and transportation systems by utilizing nuclear generated electricity and hydrogen may well take half a century to realize in the industrialized nations and even longer in the developing countries. It has become clear, even to former antinuclear power organizations, that future use of nuclear power could be a significant factor in combating both acid rain and the greenhouse effect. However, it is also clear that to realize clean air goals, the next generation of nuclear plants must address users beyond just the electricity generating sector, namely manufacturing industry, heat supply markets and transportation systems. This can be realized by means of high temperature nuclear process heat using an advanced Modular High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (MHTGR). The nuclear process heat system outlined in this paper would utilize coal, uranium, and water as feedstocks, and have as its principal product synthesis gas (i.e., hydrogen and carbon monoxide). This is readily converted into methanol, synthetic natural gas (SNG), or hydrogen to meet changing market needs, and since the thermodynamics of the process does not use all of the available reactor thermal energy, electricity can be cogenerated. As outlined in this paper, the basic very high temperature nuclear reactor and coal conversion technologies have been demonstrated in experimental facilities, and the next step would be their coupling in a pilot plant which could be operational a little after the year 2000.
Causal Linkages in Supply Chain Management: An Exploratory Study of North American Manufacturing Firms

In this paper we investigate the key causal linkages in supply chain management. We propose a conceptual framework and test this framework on data from 215 North American manufacturing firms using structural equation modeling techniques. Three major research issues are addressed in this study: Do sourcing decisions affect the degree to which firms achieve manufacturing goals of cost, flexibility, dependability, and quality? Does the degree of manufacturing goal achievement lead to higher customer responsiveness? Does the degree of manufacturing goal achievement lead to higher internal manufacturing performance? The study examines the relationship among sourcing decisions, manufacturing goals, customer responsiveness, and manufacturing performance. The results support the notion that an integrated supply chain involves aligning sourcing decisions to achieve manufacturing goals that are set to respond favorably to the needs of customers.
A Stepwise Approach to the Interpretation of Pulmonary Function Tests

Office-based pulmonary function testing, also known as spirometry, is a powerful tool for primary care physicians to diagnose and manage respiratory problems. An obstructive defect is indicated by a low forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio, which is defined as less than 70% or below the fifth percentile based on data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) in adults, and less than 85% in patients five to 18 years of age. If an obstructive defect is present, the physician should determine if the disease is reversible based on the increase in FEV1 or FVC after bronchodilator treatment (i.e., increase of more than 12% in patients five to 18 years of age, or more than 12% and more than 200 mL in adults). Asthma is typically reversible, whereas chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is not. A restrictive pattern is indicated by an FVC below the fifth percentile based on NHANES III data in adults, or less than 80% in patients five to 18 years of age. If a restrictive pattern is present, full pulmonary function tests with diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide testing should be ordered to confirm restrictive lung disease and form a differential diagnosis. If both the FEV1/FVC ratio and the FVC are low, the patient has a mixed defect. The severity of the abnormality is determined by the FEV1 (percentage of predicted). If pulmonary function test results are normal, but the physician still suspects exercise- or allergen-induced asthma, bronchoprovocation (e.g., methacholine challenge, mannitol inhalation challenge, exercise testing) should be considered.
Do the designs work? (VLSI design education)

The author presents a philosophy of VLSI design education based on four premises: managing a VLSI design requires a hierarchical approach; a library of standard cells simplifies and increases design reliability; VLSI design requires interaction between the designer and a supportive CAE (computer-aided engineering) environment; and to allow reliable design by inexperienced designers, the CAE environment must assure design correctness. Training inexperienced designers requires providing feedback (including grades) on whether or not their designs work. The CAE tools must provide this feedback at all levels of the design process: layout circuit, logic and architecture. Assuring that designs work is a necessary part of design education. To achieve this, feedback to designers is essential at all levels and stages of the design process. >
Real-time ray tracer for visualizing massive models on a cluster

We present a state of the art read-only distributed shared memory (DSM) ray tracer capable of fully utilizing modern cluster hardware to render massive out-of-core polygonal models at real-time frame rates. Achieving this required adapting a state of the art packetized BVH acceleration structure for use with DSM and modifying the mesh and BVH data layouts to minimize communication costs. Furthermore, several design decisions and optimizations were made to take advantage of InfiniBand interconnects and multi-core machines.
LIQUID DIET TECHNIQUE OF ETHANOL ADMINISTRATION: 1989 UPDATE

A technique of feeding alcohol as part of a liquid diet is reviewed that achieves an alcohol consumption of clinical relevance, while maintaining dietary control and providing adequate nutrition. With this procedure, blood alcohol levels are obtained which mimic clinical conditions and allow experimental duplications of many pathological complications caused by alcohol. In the rat, the liquid diet technique provides a model for the alcoholic fatty liver, various alcohol-induced metabolic, endocrine and central nervous system abnormalities (including tolerance and dependence) and the interaction of ethanol with industrial solvents, many commonly used drugs, analgesics, carcinogens and nutrients. This technique also resulted in the discovery of a new pathway of ethanol metabolism in the microsomes involving an ethanol-specific cytochrome P-450 (P450IIE1), which has now been confirmed in man. P450IIE1 contributes not only to the metabolic tolerance to ethanol, but also explains the enhanced susceptibility of the alcoholic to many ubiquitous xenobiotic agents. The liquid diet technique provides the flexibility to adjust to special experimental or physiological needs by allowing for various substitutions including changes in lipids, proteins or other dietary constituents. This procedure is thereby ideally suited for the study of the interactions of alcohol with deficiency or excess of various nutrients. The technique also facilitates the comparison with controls by simplifying pair feeding procedures. Although the flexibility of the liquid diet technique is one of its key advantages, a standard 'all purpose' liquid diet is described which is appropriate for most experimental applications. In addition, two other general formulae are given, namely a low fat diet (that allows the study of the effects of ethanol in the presence of minimal hepatic lipid accumulation) and a high protein diet (to meet increased needs, e.g. during pregnancy and lactation). The optimal amount of ethanol for the rat liquid diet was found to be 5 g/dl or 36% of total energy. With lesser amounts of alcohol, intake falls below a critical threshold; blood levels of alcohol then become negligible and the model becomes irrelevant to clinical conditions. In the rat, amounts of ethanol above 5 g/dl were not found to be associated with any further gain in alcohol ingestion. By contrast, in the baboon, the ethanol content could be raised profitably to 7 g/dl or 50% of total energy and resulted in the development of cirrhosis. This higher alcohol intake, together with species difference, may explain the greater severity of liver lesions produced by alcohol in the baboon.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Characteristics of workloads using the pipeline programming model

Pipeline parallel programming is a frequently used model to program applications on multiprocessors. Despite its popularity, there is a lack of studies of the characteristics of such workloads. This paper gives an overview of the pipeline model and its typical implementations for multiprocessors. We present implementation choices and analyze their impact on the program. We furthermore show that workloads that use the pipeline model have their own unique characteristics that should be considered when selecting a set of benchmarks. Such information can be beneficial for program developers as well as for computer architects who want to understand the behavior of applications.
Copper uptake and resistance in bacteria

Copper ions are essential for bacteria but can cause a number of toxic cellular effects if levels of free ions are not controlled. Investigations of copper-resistant bacteria have revealed several mechanisms, mostly plasmid-determined, that prevent cellular uptake of high levels of free copper ions. However, these studies have also revealed that bacteria apparently have efficient chromosomally encoded systems for uptake and management of trace levels of copper. This review will explore the relationship of copper uptake systems to resistance mechanisms and the possibility that copper resistance has evolved directly through modification of chromosomal copper uptake genes.
A 1V downconversion filter using duty-cycle controlled bandwidth tuning

This paper describes a downconversion filter which uses variable delay clocks to simultaneously perform downconversion mixing and filter bandwidth tuning. This method of bandwidth tuning is highly linear and applicable to low supply voltages. The test chip fabricated in a 0.18 mum CMOS process achieves 19.2 dBV IIP3 at 1 V and has a bandwidth that is tunable over a -50% range. The downconversion filter mixes and filters an 830 MHz input to a nominal 300 kHz bandwidth at DC.
Review of methods for characterization of interfacial fiber-matrix interactions

This paper reviews various common methods for studying fiber-matrix interaction with specific evaluation of the critical fiber length method. Commonly accepted methods are often shown to be unsatisfactory because interfacial results may not be independent of fiber tensile strength properties. A new concept for measuring fiber-matrix interaction in a single filament, or in a single uniaxially reinforced thin layer, sandwiched between two relatively thick unreinforced layers is proposed. This method relies upon variable curvature bending jigs introducing continuously changing longitudinal shear profiles across the fiber surface by clamping the sandwiched specimen onto the jig surface and also upon the availability of physical detection methods of debonding fronts.
Diabetic cystopathy correlates with a long-term decrease in nerve growth factor levels in the bladder and lumbosacral dorsal root Ganglia.

ABSTRACTPurpose: It has been proposed that a deficiency in the axonal transport of nerve growth factor (NGF) may have an important role in inducing diabetic neuropathy, which contributes to diabetic cystopathy. Therefore, in streptozotocin (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Missouri) induced diabetic rats we investigated the relationship of bladder function with NGF levels in the bladder and lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia, which contain afferent neurons innervating the bladder.Materials and Methods: At 6 and 12 weeks after the induction of diabetes with streptozotocin (65 mg./kg. intraperitoneally) the effects of diabetes on Aδ afferent fiber dependent, conscious voiding were evaluated by metabolic cage measurements and awake cystometry. The effects of diabetes on C-fiber mediated bladder nociceptive responses were also investigated by cystometry with intravesical instillation of 0.25% acetic acid in the rats under urethane anesthesia. NGF levels in the bladder and L6 to S1 dorsal root ganglia were measured...
Can Prosecutors Be Social Workers

How do prosecutors behave when the state puts them in charge of solving social problems? Drawing on interviews with prosecutors in California, this article investigates the degree to which problem-oriented strategies can transform the conventional prosecutorial role. The data show that problem-oriented prosecutors regard themselves as more responsive to the communities they serve and more inclined to develop creative and broad-ranging strategies to manage deviance within these communities. But there are significant limitations to the social worker role embedded in the problem orientation. First, problem-solving approaches are most compatible with chronic, low-level criminal offenses that hold little professional allure for prosecutors, who therefore have little incentive (at least in traditional professional terms) to devote time and energy to solving them. Second, the problem-oriented model produces among prosecutors a challenging role conflict, as the skills required for effective, creative problem-solving contrast sharply with those traits that traditionally define a good prosecutor. If problem-solving strategies are to effectively take hold, therefore, the prosecutorial role must be reconceptualized and the institution of prosecution reconstituted to accommodate a wider range of attitudes and actions.
The Hobby Lobby Problem and the HSA/HRA Solution

The controversy about the contraception mandate is unnecessary. The tax law contains devices for reconciling the religious concerns of employers like Hobby Lobby with the policy of expanding medical coverage: health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). The current regulatory exemption should be amended in two respects, to include for-profit employers and to exempt from the federal mandate employers (both nonprofit and profit-making) that maintain HSAs or HRAs for their employees.
Mechanistic Insights into the Formation of N2O by a Nickel Nitrosyl Complex

Reaction of [Ni(NO)(bipy)(Me2phen)][PF6] with 1 equiv of nitric oxide (NO) in CH2Cl2 results in the formation of N2O and [{(Me2phen)Ni(NO)}2(μ–η1-N:η1-O)-NO2)][PF6] (3), along with the known complex, [Ni(bipy)3][PF6]2 (4). The isolation of complex 3, which contains a nitrite ligand, demonstrates that the reaction of [Ni(NO)(bipy)(Me2phen)][PF6] with exogenous NO results in NO disproportionation and not NO reduction. Complex 3 could also be accessed by reaction of [Ni(NO)(Me2phen)][PF6] (5) with (Me2phen)Ni(NO)(NO2) (7) in good yield. Complexes 3, 5, and 7 were fully characterized, including analysis by X-ray crystallography in the case of 3 and 7. Furthermore, addition of 0.5 equiv of bipy to [Ni(NO)(bipy)][PF6] results in formation of the hyponitrite complex, [{(bipy)Ni(κ2-O2N2)}η1:η1-N,N-{Ni(NO)(bipy)}2][PF6]2 (9), in modest yield. Importantly, the hyponitrite ligand in 9 is thought to form via coupling of two NO– ligands and not by coupling of a nucleophilic nitrosyl ligand (NO–) with an electrophilic ...
A few last words on Far Eastern Dipterocarps

Three additions to the Dipterocarpaceae are presented. Recent collections from southern Vietnam have finally revealed the identity of Dipterocarpus condorensis Pierre, necessitating reduction of D. ca
The Importance of First Impressions: Early Events in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection Influence Outcome

Tuberculosis remains a major health threat in much of the world. New vaccines against Mycobacterium tuberculosis are essential for preventing infection, disease, and transmission. However, the host immune responses that need to be induced by an effective vaccine remain unclear. Increasingly, it has become clear that early events in infection are of major importance in the eventual outcome of the infection. Studying such events in humans is challenging, as they occur within the lung and thoracic lymph nodes, and any clinical signs of early infection are relatively nonspecific. Nonetheless, clinical studies and animal models of tuberculosis have provided new insights into the local events that occur in the first few weeks of tuberculosis. Development of an effective vaccine requires a clear understanding of the successful (and detrimental) early host responses against M. tuberculosis, with the goal to improve upon natural immune responses and prevent infection or disease.
Randomized trial of harp therapy during in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

Objective:This study evaluated whether harp therapy reduces levels of stress and improves clinical outcomes in patients undergoing embryo transfer.Design:This prospective randomized trial enrolled ...
Open Finance Investment Assistant Analysis System Based on Multi-agent

This paper analyzes the characteristics of open system first,then states that the multi-agent technology is suitable for constructing the open system,and last gives a design of open system about stock planning using multi-agent technology model.The structure and function of this system were introduced and the design of the middle part is given in detail.
Small RNAs regulate plant responses to filamentous pathogens

Small RNAs are central players of RNA silencing in eukaryotes. These short RNA molecules (20-25 nucleotides in length) repress target gene expression based on sequence complementarity. While small RNAs are well-known for their essential function in regulating growth and development, recent research has revealed that they also influence plant immunity. Extensive changes in small RNA accumulation have been observed during infection. This review focuses on specific small RNA changes that are involved in plant responses to filamentous eukaryotic pathogens including fungi and oomycetes. We describe how changes in small RNA accumulation influence plant immunity and summarize the cellular processes affected by these small RNAs. In particular, we discuss secondary small interfering RNAs that directly modulate the expression of defense-related genes.
The Pediatric Acute Care Laboratory

The acute care laboratory service is an integral part of the total care required by the critically ill pediatric patient. Successful laboratory support for the intensive care unit requires optimal location, and sample collection, analysis, and reporting. These needs may be met with proper commitment on the part of laboratory staff and by application of the analytical technology now available. Testing support must reflect the special medical needs of pediatric patients in terms of sample size, test menu, instrumentation, and results interpretation.
Surrogate Imaging Biomarkers of Response of Colorectal Liver Metastases After Salvage Radioembolization Using 90Y-Loaded Resin Microspheres.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, tumor attenuation criteria, Choi criteria, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) PET criteria as measures of response and subsequent predictors of liver progression-free survival (PFS) after radioembolization (RE) of colorectal liver metastases (CLM). The study also assesses interobserver variability for measuring tumor attenuation using a single 2D ROI on a simple PACS workstation. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We performed a retrospective review of the clinical RE database at our institution, to identify patients treated in the salvage setting for CLM between December 2009 and March 2013. Response was evaluated on FDG PET scans, with the use of EORTC PET criteria, and on portal venous phase CT scans, with the use of RECIST 1.1, tumor attenuation criteria, and Choi criteria. Two independent blinded observers measured tumor attenuation using a single 2D RO...
Improved scaling of temperature-accelerated dynamics using localization

While temperature-accelerated dynamics (TAD) is a powerful method for carrying out non-equilibrium simulations of systems over extended time scales, the computational cost of serial TAD increases approximately as N(3) where N is the number of atoms. In addition, although a parallel TAD method based on domain decomposition [Y. Shim et al., Phys. Rev. B 76, 205439 (2007)] has been shown to provide significantly improved scaling, the dynamics in such an approach is only approximate while the size of activated events is limited by the spatial decomposition size. Accordingly, it is of interest to develop methods to improve the scaling of serial TAD. As a first step in understanding the factors which determine the scaling behavior, we first present results for the overall scaling of serial TAD and its components, which were obtained from simulations of Ag/Ag(100) growth and Ag/Ag(100) annealing, and compare with theoretical predictions. We then discuss two methods based on localization which may be used to address two of the primary "bottlenecks" to the scaling of serial TAD with system size. By implementing both of these methods, we find that for intermediate system-sizes, the scaling is improved by almost a factor of N(1/2). Some additional possible methods to improve the scaling of TAD are also discussed.
Leading Libraries: How to Create a Service Culture

All libraries exist to serve the information needs of their constituents. Service is so interwoven into our professional DNA that it is easy to forget that service is fundamental to librarianship. ...
Reversal Of Dabigatran Anticoagulation By a 4-Factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate: Correlation Between Effects On Parameters Of Thrombin Generation and Hemostatic Effect In Vivo

Dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa®) is a prodrug that is metabolized to a small molecule direct thrombin inhibitor. It has the drawback that it is not readily reversible. Several studies have suggested that prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) might reverse the effects of dabigatran on laboratory assays. However, the effects of PCCs on laboratory assays do not seem to correlate well with their effects on hemostatic function in several animal models. We have previously reported the effects of a 4-factor PCC (KCentra®, CSL-Behring) on parameters of thrombin generation in a cell-based assay of thrombin generation (cell-based Calibrated Automated Thrombogram Assay, CAT®). This model allowed us to use varying levels of dabigatran and varying levels of PCC in the presence of freshly isolated platelets, a cell-associated source of tissue factor (TF) and plasma levels of coagulation factors. We found that dabigatran lengthens the lag, and reduces the total and peak levels of active thrombin in this model. KCentra can normalize the peak, rate and total amount of thrombin generated in the presence of dabigatran, but does not normalize the lag time. These effects were seen at all levels of dabigatran tested. A level of 1 U/mL KCentra® (equivalent to an dose of 50 U/kg in vivo) was able to restore the rate and peak levels of thrombin generation, as well as the area-under-the-curve, to normal levels. A level of 0.5 U/mL KCentra did not completely normalize the rate, peak and AUC. We compared results in the cell-based CAT assay to results in a novel mouse saphenous vein bleeding model (Pastoft, et al, A sensitive venous bleeding model in haemophilia A mice: effects of two recombinant FVIII products (N8 and Advate) 2012). We found that an i.v. dose of 15 ug/kg dabigatran doubled the time to hemostasis from 80 sec + 9 in controls to 173 sec + 24. A dose of 25 U/kg KCentra partially corrected hemostasis and a dose of 50 U/kg completely corrected hemostasis in this model. These results are completely consistent with the results of the cell-based CAT assay. While many workers report the peak or the area under the thrombin generation curve (AUC or ETP) as the key parameter in thrombin generation assays, it is not known which parameters reflect hemostatic function in vivo. Because the parameters of thrombin generation are not independent, it is very difficult to determine which of them are most closely related the hemostasis. However, our current data suggest that a 4-factor PCC is able to completely correct the time to hemostasis is a reproducible mouse model, even though it does not the lag time in an assay of thrombin generation Disclosures: Hoffman:Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Research Funding; CSL-Behring: Consultancy, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding. Monroe:CSL-Behring: Research Funding.
Integrated modeling to capture the interaction of physiology and fluid dynamics in biopharmaceutical bioreactors

Abstract The performance of a bioreactor is sensitive to local gradients of chemical and physical stimuli. Thus, this work presents a model, which captures spatial heterogeneity and interactions of biotic and abiotic phases in animal cell cultures. A computational fluid dynamics simulation that includes gas-liquid mass transfer and kinetics of carbon dioxide dissolution is developed to capture the variations of environmental parameters. Unstructured modeling is implemented to integrate growth, viability and productivity of cells. While predictive accuracy is valuable, it is important to balance it with computational feasibility. In this work, evolutions of hydrodynamics and cell population are obtained sequentially. The outcome is a deterministic model with extended integration between physical and biological phenomena which is computationally tractable. The model calculates the bioreactor performance as a function of time and process parameters such as impeller rotation speed and gas sparging flow rate, which makes it useful for bioprocess design and scheduling.
Desayuno en Buck’s. Informalidad, intimidad e innovación en Silicon Valley

Este trabajo propone una version a contrapunto sobre como se produce la innovacion tecno-cientifica y el rol de los espacios de sociabilidad culinarios en la generacion de los negocios vinculados a la misma. Mientras que en los trabajos anteriores de Shapin sobre la subjetividad se analiza como los connoisseurs producen una experiencia del gusto en interaccion con otros individuos y objetos de manera que se estabilizan tanto el sujeto como el objeto en cuestion, este articulo revela el papel de los decorados, de la sociabilidad, de lo dicho y lo no dicho en la produccion del desayuno entre inversores y emprendedores, y el modo en que este se convierte en un cuasi objeto definido de manera similar por todos los interesados.
Examination of youth sexual and reproductive health transitions in Nigeria and Kenya using longitudinal data

The adolescent (ages 15–19) and young adult (ages 20–24) years are a crucial time as many sexual and reproductive health (SRH) transitions take place in these years. The study of youth SRH transitions in sub-Saharan Africa is limited due to a paucity of longitudinal data needed to examine the timing and circumstances of these transitions. This paper uses recently collected longitudinal data from select urban areas in Kenya and Nigeria that include a large youth sample at baseline (2010/2011) and endline (2014). We control for unobserved heterogeneity in our modelling approach to correct for selectivity issues that are often ignored in similar types of analyses. We demonstrate that the transition patterns (i.e., sexual initiation, first marriage, and first pregnancy/birth) differ within and across the urban areas and countries studied. Urban Kenyan youth have more premarital sex and pregnancy than youth from the Nigerian cities. Further analyses demonstrate that more educated and wealthier youth transition later than their less educated and poorer counterparts. The findings from this study can be used to inform programs seeking to serve young people based on their varying reproductive health needs in different contexts over the adolescent and young adult years.
Fiction Is Liquid: States of Money in The Sopranos and Breaking Bad

In this article, I read the television shows The Sopranos and Breaking Bad to explore how an illegitimate economy represents a legitimate one. I argue that what holds these shows together in some proto-generic organization is that money functions as both a criminal outside to capital and a structural assertion that capital has no outside. Thus I claim that capital is best represented by its own double, that legitimate enterprise is best represented by illegitimate enterprise, but that representation is only efficacious because ultimately there is no capitalist activity that, for the right price, cannot become legitimate. I suggest we might best see fiction itself as a kind of liquidity, one of the forms that circulating capital takes, and thus representation and the potential for accumulation become theoretical cognates.
Conclusions, Discussions, and Future Directions

Scoring constructed response items is more time consuming and complex than scoring multiple-choice items. Many educational and noneducational institutions adapt open-ended questions in examinations for admission, certification, graduation, accountability, and licensing purposes. These examinations often are administered on a large-scale basis. Large volumes of examinees are tested and yet only a short time (usually a few weeks) is available for scoring. Many raters are recruited to score the examinations and it is infeasible to assign all the raters to score every one of the examinees. Thus each examinee will be scored by a selection of raters, leading to sparsely-filled data sets and also unbalanced designs, and also causing potentially biased and imprecise estimators. The current monograph developed and validated a method, called the subdividing method, to resolve this problem. The subdividing method, drawing on the concept that one could obtain more stable estimators by synthesizing multiple data sources than using just one source, is set out to improve the accuracy and precision of estimates quantifying measurement errors in the framework of G theory. The implementation of this method was discussed in section 3.1.
Tantala-based sol-gel coating for capillary microextraction on-line coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract A sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid sorbent, consisting of chemically integrated tantalum (V) ethoxide (TaEO) and polypropylene glycol methacrylate (PPGM), was developed for capillary microextraction (CME). The sol-gel sorbent was synthesized within a fused silica capillary through hydrolytic polycondensation of TaEO and chemical incorporation of PPGM into the evolving sol-gel tantala network. A part of the organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel network evolving in the vicinity of the capillary walls had favorable conditions to get chemically bonded to the silanol groups on the capillary surface forming a surface-bonded coating. The newly developed sol-gel sorbent was employed to isolate and enrich a variety of analytes from aqueous samples for on-line analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a UV detector. CME was performed on aqueous samples containing trace concentrations of analytes representing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, amines, nucleosides, and nucleotides. This sol-gel hybrid coating provided efficient extraction with CME-HPLC detection limits ranging from 4.41pM to 28.19 pM. Due to direct chemical bonding between the sol-gel sorbent coating and the fused silica capillary inner surface, this sol-gel sorbent exhibited enhanced solvent stability. The sol-gel tantala-based sorbent also exhibited excellent pH stability over a wide pH range (pH 0–pH 14). Furthermore, it displayed great performance reproducibility in CME-HPLC providing run-to-run HPLC peak area relative standard deviation (RSD) values between 0.23% and 3.83%. The capillary-to-capillary RSD (n = 3), characterizing capillary preparation method reproducibility, ranged from 0.24% to 4.11%. The results show great performance consistency and application potential for the sol-gel tantala-PPGM sorbent in various fields including biomedical, pharmaceutical, and environmental areas.
Focused ultrasound for modulation of the central and peripheral nervous system

Noninvasive neuromodulation has been the preferred option of neurological treatment but noninvasive approaches fall short when it comes to depth penetration. Ultrasound modulation has been shown feasible in several species including humans both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, an overview of our group’s ultrasound neuromodulation in both the central (CNS) and the peripheral (PNS) nervous systems will be provided. In CNS, both motor- and sensory-related responses have been elicited in mice in vivo both in ipsilateral and contralateral limbs and pupils, respectively. The success are was highly correlated with the applied intensity and pressure in both the limb movement and ocular changes. The brain regions targeted were the somatosensory and visual cortex for the limb movement and the superior colliculus and locus coeruleus for the pupil dilation. In PNS, stimulation and inhibition of the sciatic nerve with FUS was elicited at different ultrasound parameters in vivo. Displacement of the nerve highly cor...
NaV1.9 channels in muscle afferent neurons and axons

Small diameter muscle afferents signal pain and muscle activity levels. The muscle activity signals drive the cardiovascular system to increase muscle blood flow, but these signals can become exagg...
True Three-Valued Ternary Content Addressable Memory Cell Based On Ambipolar Carbon Nanotube Transistors

Carbon nanotube-based transistors (CNTFETs) have been shown to exhibit ambipolar field-effect transistor behavior, allowing circuit designers to easily choose between n- and p-conduction channels b...
Criteria for the Diagnosis of Nevus

The sharp distinction between benign nevi and malignant melanoma has increasingly come into question in recent years. The dichotomy between nevi, with no metastatic potential, and melanoma, with a metastatic capacity proportional to its thickness, and no different from that of other melanomas of the same thickness is undoubtedly an oversimplification. Surely, there is a “gray zone,” which is composed of lesions that cannot be precisely classified into one of these groups.