cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Volatile fatty acids from axenic Ascaris lumbricoides.

Abstract 1. 1. The investigations in this study have been concerned with the separation and identification by gas-liquid chromatography of the methyl esters of volatile fatty acids excreted from axenic Ascaris lumbricoides. 2. 2. Ten methyl ester peaks, of which three were major components and seven minor components, were detected. All but one were tentatively identified by comparison with the relative retention times of comparable standards under the same conditions. 3. 3. The three major components were positively identified by infrared spectroscopy and preparation of amide derivatives as α-methyl n-butyric, n-valeric, and isocaproic acids. The minor components were acetic, propionic, isobutyric and/or trimethylacetic, n-butyric, trans-α-niethyl crotonic (tiglic), and n-caproic acids, plus an unknown branched C7 or C8 acid. 4. 4. The total mole percentages of the methyl esters of different carbon numbers were: C2, 0.27%; C3, 0.77%; C4, 1.14%; C5, 38.0%; C6, 56.2%; and C7–8 3.56%. The most abundant individual acids found were isocaproic, 55.1 mole %, and α-methyl-n-butryic, 31.8 mole %.
Closing the loop on test creation: a question assessment mechanism for instructors

New accreditation requirements focus on education as a "continuous improvement process." The most important part of such a process is that information gets fed back into the system to improve the quality of the output. This requirement is often interpreted to imply a course-level feedback loop that iterates on offerings of courses or entire academic years. This paper provides a smaller and more immediate feedback loop. This technique gives instructors feedback onthe quality of each question on a test or quiz, as well as a numeric score for the difficult of the question. A simple tool implementing this procedure can be used to help train instructors on which questions are difficult, as well as what types of questions are correlated with ability, and how to design a meaningful instrument of assessment. Performing this analysis at the end of a course offering could help demonstrate continuous improvement to accreditation committees. Performing this analysis immediately after the administration of a test or quiz can point out topics that the class as a whole have failed to understand, thus giving instructors more insight into student knowledge.
Targeting abnormal DNA double-strand break repair in tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant chronic myeloid leukemias

Resistance to imatinib (IM) and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI)s is an increasing problem in leukemias caused by expression of BCR-ABL1. As chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell lines expressing BCR-ABL1 utilize an alternative non-homologous end-joining pathway (ALT NHEJ) to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSB)s, we asked whether this repair pathway is a novel therapeutic target in TKI-resistant disease. Notably, the steady state levels of two ALT NHEJ proteins, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and DNA ligase IIIα, were increased in the BCR-ABL1-positive CML cell line K562 and, to a greater extent, in its imatinib-resistant (IMR) derivative. Incubation of these cell lines with a combination of DNA ligase and PARP inhibitors inhibited ALT NHEJ and selectively decreased survival with the effect being greater in the IMR derivative. Similar results were obtained with TKI-resistant derivatives of two hematopoietic cell lines that had been engineered to stably express BCR-ABL1. Together our results show that the sensitivity of cell lines expressing BCR-ABL1 to the combination of DNA ligase and PARP inhibitors correlates with the steady state levels of PARP1 and DNA ligase IIIα, and ALT NHEJ activity. Importantly, analysis of clinical samples from CML patients confirmed that the expression levels of PARP1 and DNA ligase IIIα correlated with the sensitivity to the DNA repair inhibitor combination. Thus, the expression levels of PARP1 and DNA ligase IIIα serve as biomarkers to identify a subgroup of CML patients who may be candidates for therapies that target the ALT NHEJ pathway when treatment with TKIs has failed.
Parallel acquisition of Raman spectra from a 2D multifocal array using a modulated multifocal detection scheme

A major limitation of spontaneous Raman scattering is its intrinsically weak signals, which makes Raman analysis or imaging of biological specimens slow and impractical for many applications. To address this, we report the development of a novel modulated multifocal detection scheme for simultaneous acquisition of full Raman spectra from a 2-D m × n multifocal array. A spatial light modulator (SLM), or a pair of galvo-mirrors, is used to generate m × n laser foci. Raman signals generated within each focus are projected simultaneously into a spectrometer and detected by a CCD camera. The system can resolve the Raman spectra with no crosstalk along the vertical pixels of the CCD camera, e.g., along the entrance slit of the spectrometer. However, there is significant overlap of the spectra in the horizontal pixel direction, e.g., along the dispersion direction. By modulating the excitation multifocal array (illumination modulation) or the emitted Raman signal array (detection modulation), the superimposed Raman spectra of different multifocal patterns are collected. The individual Raman spectrum from each focus is then retrieved from the superimposed spectra using a postacquisition data processing algorithm. This development leads to a significant improvement in the speed of acquiring Raman spectra. We discuss the application of this detection scheme for parallel analysis of individual cells with multifocus laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (M-LTRS) and for rapid confocal hyperspectral Raman imaging.
Enhancements and the quest for perfection.

(1999). Enhancements and the Quest for Perfection. Christian Bioethics: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 99-103.
Optical spectroscopy of II-VI (magnetic) semiconductor quantum dots

We have probed the magnetooptical properties of II–VI semiconductor quantum dots at low temperatures (T=5K) in magnetic fields up to 6T. A layer of coherently strained CdSe dots of diameters 5–20nm is introduced into heterostructures containing either a Zn0.8Cd0.2Se quantum well or a barrier layer of MnSe. In the quantum well structure, carriers are localized in strain fields due to the nearby quantum dot layer. The effective g-factors g∗ of excitons in the localized states are ∼−1.5. In contrast, g∗∼6–7 for carriers localized in CdSe islands coupled to an adjacent MnSe barrier. The enhancement of the g-factor in this case is due to the overlap of the tails of the localized wave functions with Mn++ ions in the barrier.
Behavioral Adaptation in Deceptive Transactions Fact or Fiction: Reply to Levine and McCornack

for their interest in deceptive interactions and commend them for their contributions to our understanding of how cognitive biases influence receivers’ reactions to truthful and deceptive messages. How- ever, their preceding article assailing behavioral adaptation as a frequent and important response to interrogative probes has several flaws and inaccuracies. Our primary concem is that scholars who are not intimately familiar with the conceptual issues and relevant research literature
Subclasses of platelet 3H-imipramine binding sites

Abstract The possible presence of multiple high affinity 3 H-imipramine ( 3 H-IMI) binding sites on blood platelets was studied using trypsin digestion and cyanoimipramine (CNIMI), a pseudo-irreversible inhibitor of 3 H-IMI binding and serotonin uptake. Increasing concentrations of CNIMI resulted in a discontinuous curve with a plateau at intermediate concentrations (0.05-0.35 n M ). CNIMI sensitive (0.25 n M ) sites accounted for approximately half of total high affinity 3 H-IMI binding as defined by displacement with 100μ desipramine. Similar results were obtained when platelet membranes were pretreated with trypsin (0.21-0.84 mg/ml), and no additional inhibition was evident with a combination of both treatments. The present results suggest that 3 H-IMI may bind to two separate types of high affinity sites. One subclass is apparently proteinaceous and sensitive to low concentrations of CNIMI, whereas the other is apparently nonproteinaceous and is CNIMI resistant.
Nutrient-Dependent Efficacy of the Antifungal Protein YvgO Correlates to Cellular Proliferation Rate in Candida albicans 3153A and Byssochlamys fulva H25

YvgO is a recently characterized antifungal protein isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis SF361 that exhibits a broad spectrum of activity and pH stability. Customized colorimetric metabolic assays based on standard broth microdilution techniques were used to determine the variable tolerance of Byssochlamys fulva H25 and Candida albicans 3153A to YvgO exposure under select matrix conditions impacting cellular proliferation. Normalization of the solution pH after antifungal challenge expanded the available pH range under consideration allowing for a comprehensive in vitro assessment of YvgO efficacy. Indicator susceptibility was examined across an array of elementary growth-modifying conditions, including media pH, incubation temperature, ionic strength, and carbohydrate supplementation. Under suboptimal temperature and pH conditions, the indicator growth rate reduced, and YvgO-mediated susceptibility was attenuated. While YvgO association but not efficacy was somewhat influenced by solution ionic strength, carbohydrate supplementation was shown to be the most influential susceptibility factor, particularly for C. albicans. Although the specific choice of carbohydrate/nutrient supplement dictated the extent of enhanced YvgO efficacy, d-glucose additionally improved the association between antifungal and target. Indeed, when exposed to YvgO under conditions that lead to increased cellular proliferation, both indicators displayed a stronger association and susceptibility to YvgO when compared to carbohydrate-deprived media or suboptimal incubation environments. With further study, YvgO may have the capacity to function as a prophylaxis for food safety and preservation, as well as a pharmaceutical agent against opportunistic fungal pathogens either independently or in combination with other established treatments applied to both livestock and human health concerns.
Effect of electrical stimulation in combination with calcium chloride or sodium chloride treatments at constant ionic strength on moisture binding and textural quality of early-harvested breast fillets.

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the effects of a CaCl2 or NaCl treatment combined with electrical stimulation (ES) on textural and moisture binding of early-harvested chicken breast fillets. During exsanguination, half the birds were subjected to ES, and then all carcasses were aged for 30, 60, 90, or 120 min before excising both Pectoralis major muscles. Half the muscles were chilled with a NaCl solution and half with a CaCl2 solution. Effects of ES and chill medium composition on meat pH, moisture absorption, cooking loss, and shear value of the fillets were assessed. The ES reduced meat pH for the NaCl-treated muscles, but had no effect on those treated with CaCl2 of on moisture absorbed during chilling. Cooking loss was greater for the CaCl2-treated than NaCl-treated muscles and for muscles from stimulated birds that were excised more than 30 min post-mortem. Shear values were unaffected by chilling medium composition. However, even though shear values for both ES and unstimulated birds declined as aging time increased, the rate of decline was greater, and ultimate shear value lower, for muscles from ES birds. Results indicate that, although ES might offer some advantage in improving the tenderness of early-harvested breast fillets, combining ES with CaCl2 treatment offers no real advantage. Moreover, reductions in moisture binding properties by these technologies might limit applicability in some commercial environments.
Copper ball bond shear test for two pad aluminum thicknesses

Copper (Cu) wirebonds exhibit higher strength and stiffness as compared to gold (Au) wirebonds. Cu's higher shear strength is studied in this project. There is currently no industry standard specifically for the Cu ballbond shear procedure nor an appropriate bond reliability specification limit. The JEDEC industrial standard JESD22-B116A “Wire Bond Shear Test Method”, issued in 1998, covers Au ball bond reliability testing by shear. Companies typically apply the shear test limits of Au from this standard to Cu ball bonds on Al pads in manufacturing, though the Cu bonds may show significantly more shear strength than Au balls. Cu wirebonds have different failure modes, so a unique test method and reliability spec limit for Cu bonds is needed. ON Semiconductor has conducted experiments comparing shear test results for two Cu ball diameters on two different Al thicknesses, participating in the industrial committee to develop a new Cu shear test procedure (in progress). Selected data from the ON experiments are provided in this paper, demonstrating the behavior of Cu as compared with the limits that were developed for Au ball bonds.
Factor analytic study of learning and perceptual and conceptual performance by a psychiatric outpatient population.

Summary.-43 psychiatric outpatients of varying diagnoses were given a battery of rests, i.e., a Cir:le Discrimination Test, Tone Discrimination Test, Gottschaldt Embedded-figures Tesr, Paired Associates, and a Concept Shift Test. Scores derived from these 5 tesrs, plus age and IQ (13 variables) were intercorrelated and factor analyzed to establish the dimensions of learning and perceptual and conceptual pecformance for these psychiatric outpatients. The 5 orthogonal factors obrained were named: discrimination, rapid concept-shift adaptation, learning-reasoning, older age-high intelligence, and slow concept-shift adaptation. Many studies have explored sympcomatology, gross behavioral characteristics of psychiatric patients, and changes that occur during psychotherapy. This study is aimed toward obtaining some discriminating measurements of perceptual, conceptual, and learning task performance of patients to assess these behavioral laboratory-derived factors as potentially useful indices of a psychiatric population. Stimulus generalization and discrimination have been useful in the study of psychopathology since the work of Dollard and Miller (1950) indicated a relationship between stimulus generalization and severity of psychopathology. Knopf and Fager ( 1959) and Mednick ( 1955) have shown that this relationship does exist, wich more severe disorders being associated with broader gradients of generalization. Rosenbaum (1953) found that the highest gradient of stimulus generalization was obtained with his most anxious Ss. However, Buss (1955) found that stimulus generalization was not significantly related to clinical anxiety. Kirschner ( 1964) tested the hypotheses that a relationship existed between concrete behavior and a constriction in stimulus generalization and that this relationship would hold regardless of diagnostic category. Stimulus generalization was found to be significantly different for his "concrete" and "abstract" patients, but not significantly different among his diagnostic categories. Canestrari (1964) employed the IES test and obtained differences among groups for Id, Ego, and Superego dominated Ss on a stimulus generalization task. He remarked, "The data suggest that differences in spatial stimulus generalization as measured by this task cannot be regarded as jeing indicative of differences in ability to discriminate. Rather, the differences in performance seem to be related to life styles which are associated wich parcicolar personality attributes." This suggests that stimulus dis~rimilzatiolz may be related to psychopathology and to how an individual orients himself to his environment.
Advanced studies of cooperative phase transitions in microgravity

For the past 17 years we have been developing new technology to resolve cooperative phase transitions to the level of t = ¦TTc-1¦ ∼ 10−10, where T is the temperature and Tc that of the transition. Samples of helium near the lambda point (2.1768 K) in microgravity conditions are expected to exhibit transitions at least this sharp. Currently we are approaching the launch of an experiment to measure the heat capacity singularity through the lambda transition with a resolution of about 4×10−10. This experiment involves an instrument developed by Stanford that will be flown in the JPL Low Temperature Research Facility. In this paper we describe the hardware for this program and some additional flight experiments that are currently being considered.
The Ethics Committees of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association: history, process, education, and advocacy

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) are the primary organizational embodiments of the specialties of, respectively, general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry in the United States. Professional organizations set guidelines and standards for the expected behaviors of their members. To those ends, ethics committees were established by both the APA and the AACAP. This article describes how each of these organizations, via their committees, produced codes of ethics, and continuously provide relevant educational materials and advocacy efforts. It also reviews the APA ethics committee's responsibility for the evaluation of ethical complaints lodged against members. In closing, the article examines ethical dilemmas lurking on the horizon, beginning to be faced by the specialties and thus likely to be addressed by the committees.
Fine structural and cytochemical studies of human diploid fibroblasts arrested in an essentially nonmitotic state.

Human diploid fibroblasts can be maintained in vitro in an arrested, essentially nonmitotic state for extended periods of time by reducing the serum concentration in the medium from 10 to 0.5%. Arrested cells can be induced to re-enter the proliferative state by subcultivation in medium containing 10% serum. Fine structure, acid phosphatase, cytochrome oxidase, and extracellular carbohydrates in arrested cells were examined and compared to cultures growing in 10% serum and to cells transferred to 10% serum after 21 days in 0.5% serum. Cells in 10% serum possessed a well-developed Golgi complex, extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria containing transverse cristae, and many free ribosomes in the cytoplasm. In arrested cells, Golgi complexes were rarely observed, the number of both free and membranebound ribosomes was reduced, the number of cristae per mitochondrion was decreased and the amount of demonstrable cytochrome oxidase activity was diminished. There was an accumulation of intercellular carbohydrate components. After subcultivation with medium containing 10% serum, arrested cells regained the ultrastructural characteristics of cells continuously cultured at this serum level; however, the amount of intercellular carbohydrate remained elevated. These results indicate that distinct yet reversible changes occur in the subcellular morphology and organization of cells maintained in an essentially nonmitotic state. This arrested state may be a close approximation to the situation as it occurs in vivo in expanding cell populations.
Para-chlorophenylalanine treatment inhibits the expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide messenger RNA in rat anterior pituitary.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with para-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) or alpha-methyl tyrosine (alpha-MT) to study the effect of serotonin or catecholamine depletion on the expression of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) messenger RNA in the anterior pituitary. Single injections of pCPA (300 mg/kg) for two consecutive days resulted on the third day in a dramatic depletion of serotonin in the medial basal hypothalamus, and a significant reduction in the pituitary content of VIP mRNA (1.0 and 1.7 kb). The effect of pCPA on VIP mRNA appeared to be relatively specific for the anterior pituitary since VIP message levels in the cerebral cortex did not decrease. alpha-MT treatment, (150 mg/kg) for 2 consecutive days, reduced dopamine concentrations in the MBH but had no significant effect on pituitary VIP levels. In a time-course study, hypothalamic serotonin and pituitary VIP mRNA levels were significantly depressed 1-3 days after initiation of pCPA treatment; however, 12 days after pCPA treatment, serotonin concentrations in the hypothalamus approached control values and pituitary VIP mRNA content increased an average of 2-fold over control levels in an apparent rebound effect. pCPA-treated rats injected i.p. twice a day with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP; 50 mg/kg) experienced a partial reversal in the decline in the 1.7 kb VIP mRNA seen 24 h after the first pCPA injection. However, at 72 h, supplementation with 5-HTP did not prevent the pCPA-induced decrease of pituitary VIP mRNA. These data indicate that serotonergic pathways have a major role in the control of VIP mRNA expression in the rat anterior pituitary.
Imaging of Pediatric Pituitary Abnormalities

Evaluation of the sella and surrounding structures in pediatric endocrinopathies is best performed with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. Adequate assessment relies not only on determining the size and shape of the gland but also on confirming normal signal characteristics and homogeneous parenchymal enhancement. Surrounding structures, including the hypothalamus-infundibulum-stalk and the skull base and midline structures about the cerebral hemispheres, warrant careful attention to identify any associated abnormalities. Tumors, whether they arise in the gland or affect gland function through mass effect, are usually well resolved on today's scanners and imaging provides accurate characterization of these lesions.
Taking Responsibility for Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Leaders in Creating, Implementing, Sustaining, or Avoiding Socially Responsible Firm Behaviors

This article investigates microfoundations of corporate social responsibility and corporate social irresponsibility by focusing on how leaders influence both activities. An organizing framework, drawn from the leadership literature, is utilized to combine scholarship on individual traits, behaviors, and shared leadership as antecedents to corporate social responsibility and corporate social irresponsibility activities. Resulting combinations highlight the multidimensional nature of corporate social responsibility and the benefits of focusing on emerging work on servant leadership. Merging the corporate social responsibility and leadership literatures demonstrates how each can strengthen the other and illustrates new types of individual-level questions to explore when drawing on such connections. Specifically, corporate social responsibility provides context and outcomes (dependent variables) to leadership scholars; the leadership literature offers process models and explanatory mechanisms to corporate soc...
Structures of rat cytosolic PEPCK: insight into the mechanism of phosphorylation and decarboxylation of oxaloacetic acid.

The structures of the rat cytosolic isoform of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) reported in the PEPCK-Mn2+, -Mn2+-oxaloacetic acid (OAA), -Mn2+-OAA-Mn2+-guanosine-5‘-diphosphate (GDP), and -Mn2+-Mn2+-guanosine-5‘-tri-phosphate (GTP) complexes provide insight into the mechanism of phosphoryl transfer and decarboxylation mediated by this enzyme. OAA is observed to bind in a number of different orientations coordinating directly to the active site metal. The Mn2+-OAA and Mn2+-OAA-Mn2+GDP structures illustrate inner-sphere coordination of OAA to the manganese ion through the displacement of two of the three water molecules coordinated to the metal in the holo-enzyme by the C3 and C4 carbonyl oxygens. In the PEPCK-Mn2+-OAA complex, an alternate bound conformation of OAA is present. In this conformation, in addition to the previous interactions, the C1 carboxylate is directly coordinated to the active site Mn2+, displacing all of the waters coordinated to the metal in the holo-enzyme. In the PEPCK-Mn2+...
When to call it a day: incremental risk of amputation and death after multiple revascularization.

Background Patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) often undergo revascularization before amputation. The exact relationship between multiple procedures and increased risk of amputation is unclear. We sought to determine the increased risk of amputation for each additional revascularization. Methods The 2007–2009 California State Inpatient Database (SID) was used to identify a cohort of CLI patients undergoing revascularization and conduct a time-to-event analysis for patients undergoing one or more revascularization procedures. One-year estimates were generated with Kaplan-Meier curves and compared with the log-rank test. The Wei-Lin-Weissfeld (WLW) marginal proportional hazards model was used to assess independent effects of number of revascularization procedures on amputation and death. Results A total of 11,190 patients with CLI underwent revascularization between July 2007 and December 2009. Their mean age was 71.0 years (interquartile range 62–80 years) and 6255 (55.9%) were male. Over half the subjects (55.2%) were smokers and there was a high burden of comorbidities in the cohort. One-year estimates of amputation by number of revascularizations (1: 23.3%; 2: 27.1%; 3: 30.3%; 4: 26.7%; 5 + : 28.6%; P P = 0.012) increased significantly as procedures increased. In the WLW model for amputation, the hazard increased significantly for patients with 2 revascularization versus 1 (HR = 1.22; 95% CI 1.09–1.37; P = 0.001) and 3 revascularizations versus 2 (HR = 1.33; 95% CI 1.10–1.62; P = 0.004). In the multivariable WLW models for death, the increase in revascularization procedures for 2 compared with 1 (HR = 1.18; 95% CI 1.04–1.34; P = 0.010) was significant. Conclusions The risk of amputation increases with each additional revascularization procedure. These findings hold true for both percutaneous transluminal angioplasty only and lower extremity bypass only subsets. In addition, increased revascularization procedures appear to result in an increased risk of death. We advocate for continued communication between clinicians and patients on the true risks and benefits of additional revascularization procedures.
Genistein, estrogen receptors, and the acquired immune response

Estrogen regulates thymic development and immune function. Despite the critical role of estrogens in inducing thymic involution and modulating immune responses, the mechanism of this effect is unclear. Similarly, humans and animals are exposed to increasing amounts of the estrogenic soy isoflavone genistein in the diet, but whether genistein can induce immune changes has not been definitively established. We reported previously that genistein induces thymic atrophy in mice, and decreases both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. These thymic effects of genistein occur via estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated and non-ER-mediated pathways. Genistein injections produced the most pronounced effects, but dietary administration to mice that produced serum genistein concentrations similar to those reported in human infants consuming soy formula also had demonstrable effects. Microarray analysis of the effects of estradiol and genistein on neonatal thymus indicated that estradiol affected genes involved in transcription, apoptosis, cell cycle, and thymic development and function; genistein had similar effects on many estradiol target genes, but also had unique actions not replicated by estradiol. Despite extensive work showing inhibitory effects of genistein on immunity, other rodent studies reported that genistein or other phytoestrogens stimulate various aspects of immune function. Although the present data strongly indicate that genistein can regulate immune function, possibly at physiologic concentrations, further work is required to definitively establish overall thymic and immune effects of genistein and soy, which may vary with age, species, and specific end point.
Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Technology in Middle School Technology‐Rich Environments: A Study of Implementation and Change

The GTECH project, funded through a grant from the GTE Foundation, prepared school teams of science, mathematics and technology teachers and an administrator to set goals for their local schools regarding implementation of electronic technology and integration of content across curricular areas. A variety of teacher-centered staff development strategies were used to enable participants to achieve local school objectives, model and encourage active learning environments involving technology, develop integrated curriculum and provide training to their peers. GTECH staff provided workshops and summer institutes based on teacher feedback and classroom observations. Data from the Stages of Concerns Questionnaire assisted the staff in designing effective staff development activities. Over the 2-year period, teacher teams developed and implemented integrated instructional materials and developed skills in using HyperStudio, PowerPoint, telecommunications applications, and instructional resources from the Internet. They also linked instruction to new state and national standards in science, mathematics, and technology. GTECH teachers reported that their students have expanded their knowledge and skill in problem solving, teamwork, technical expertise, and creativity.
EasySaaS: A SaaS development framework

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) often adopts multi-tenancy architecture (MTA). However, building a MTA SaaS application requires significant effort, either from scratch or using existing platforms such as Force.com or Google App Engine. This paper introduces EasySaaS — a SaaS development framework designed to simplify SaaS development. EasySaaS provides two alternatives to build a SaaS application. First alternative allows tenants to publish their application specifications with their requirements, as well as test scripts and let the SaaS providers customize their SaaS solutions to meet tenants' requirements. The second alternative allows tenants to compose the application using templates provided in EasySaaS. This framework alleviates the workload of tenant developers, and provides an easy approach for customization according to tenants' requirements in a collaborative manner. Most services in the platform is domain independent as the domain knowledge are stored in ontology to support cross-domain development.
Effect of Statin Therapy in Reducing the Risk of Serious Non-AIDS-Defining Events and Nonaccidental Death

Background. Excessive inflammation persists despite antiretroviral treatment. Statins decrease cardiovascular (CV) disease risk by reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and inflammation. We performed an exploratory analysis to evaluate whether statin therapy decreased risk of non-AIDS-defining events and nonaccidental death. Methods. A total of 3601 subjects not on a statin from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Longitudinal Linked Randomized Trials cohort were included. Outcome was time to first clinical event (CV event, renal or hepatic disease, incident diabetes, thrombotic/embolic event, nontraumatic fracture, non-AIDS-defining malignancy, serious bacterial infection, or nonaccidental death); event categories were also analyzed separately. Inverse probability of treatment and censoring weighted Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the causal statin effect. Differential statin effects by baseline covariates were evaluated. Results. Over 15 135 person-years (PY) of follow-up, 484 subjects initiated statins; 616 experienced an event (crude event rate, 4.4/100 PY on a statin and 4.1/100 PY not on a statin); the unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], .91–1.50). In a final weighted model, the adjusted HR (AHR) was 0.81 (95% CI, .53– 1.24). Results for other clinical events were similar, except for malignancies (AHR, 0.43 [95% CI, .19–.94]) and bacterial infections (AHR, 1.30 [95% CI, .64–2.65]). No differential statin effects by baseline covariates were detected. Conclusions. Although statin therapy was not associated with a reduction in time to all non-AIDS-defining event or nonaccidental death, it was associated with a statistically significant 57% reduction in non-AIDS-defining malignancies. Confirmatory studies are needed to evaluate statin-associated reduction in risk of cancer and non-AIDS-associated morbidities.
Additional Histological Findings in the Chicken Reproductive Tract

Abstract DURING the course of a study of the reproductive tracts of laying pullets affected with Newcastle disease, a number of histologic features, which had not previously been recorded or had been given only passing notice were encountered in healthy pullets being used as controls. These are thought deserving of record and are therefore reported here. The histologic development of the ovum of the chicken (Gallus domesticus) has been studied by several workers (His, 1868; D’Hollander, 1904; Sonnenbrodt, 1908; Riddle, 1916; Romanoff, 1931; and Warren and Conrad, 1939). Bartelmez (1912) and Bissonnette and Zujko (1936) made histological studies of the follicular changes that occurred in the pigeon and starling, respectively, prior to sexual maturity. Romanoff (1943), confirming their findings, stated that the histological development of the ova of nidicolous birds like the pigeon (Bartelmez, 1912) or the starling (Bissonnette and Zujko, 1936) was not the same as that of nudifugous birds …
Thomas Hobbes: Skeptical Moralist

Thomas Hobbes is usually held to have been a skeptic in matters of religion and morality. I accept the claim that there is a distinctive skeptical strain in Hobbes' thought but argue that his skepticism informs his moral vision, rather than depriving him of a conception of morality. As evidence for this reading, I situate Hobbes in a tradition of “skeptical moralism,” along with Montaigne and certain other Renaissance figures. As opposed to moral skeptics, skeptical moralists think of moral agents as divided selves, pulled in one direction by law and another by conscience. Skeptical moralists use skepticism to make people aware of this tension, and I argue that (especially in his remarks on religion) Hobbes was doing just that.
Dry weight estimation of the aboveground components of Melaleuca quinquenervia trees in southern Florida

Abstract Allometric equations were derived and dry weight distribution was determined for aboveground components (total wood, trunk, branch, leaf, seed capsule, seed) of Melaleuca quinquenervia trees in south Florida. Aboveground tree components of 42, 46, and 50 trees, harvested from dry, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded habitats, respectively, were separated, sorted, sub-sampled, dried to constant weight at 70°C, and weighed. The effects of diameter at breast height (dbh) on dry weight of the aboveground components were significant. Predictive allometric equations were derived for each component using dbh and/or dbh 2 ×tht (total tree height) as predictors. Based on R 2 values the accuracy of the equations for biomass prediction are ranked as, total wood>trunk>branch>leaf>seed capsule>seed. Diameter at breast height alone was a good predictor of dry weight of the aboveground components of trees. When dbh was combined with total tree height, R 2 improved somewhat for all components except for seed capsules and seeds. Proportions of the dry weight of total wood and branch increased, but trunk and leaf decreased as dbh increased. Wood constituted the greatest proportion (83–96%) across the dbh range (0.1–38.6 cm) in all three habitats. Leaves and seed capsules represented a greater proportion of dry weight in permanently flooded habitats (leaves, 10–13%; seed capsules, 3–4%) than in both dry and seasonally flooded habitats (leaves, 4–12%, seed capsules, up to 2%). Overall leaf proportion decreased as dbh increased.
Test-enhanced learning in the classroom: long-term improvements from quizzing

Three experiments examined whether quizzing promotes learning and retention of material from a social studies course with sixth grade students from a suburban middle school. The material used in the experiments was the course material students were to learn and some of the dependent measures were the actual tests on which students received grades. In within-subject designs, students received three low-stakes multiple-choice quizzes in Experiments 1 and 2 and performance on quizzed items was compared to that on items that were presented twice (Experiment 2) or items that were not presented on the initial quizzes (Experiments 1 and 2). We found that students’ performance on both chapter exams and semester exams improved following quizzing relative to either not being quizzed or relative to the twice-presented items. In Experiment 3, students were given one multiple-choice quiz in class and encouraged to quiz themselves outside of class using a Web-based system. The assessment in this experiment was a short answer test in which students had to produce answers, but we also used multiple-choice tests. Once again, we found that quizzing of material produced a positive effect on chapter and semester exams. These results show the robustness of retrieval practice via testing as a learning mechanism in a classroom setting using the subject matter of the course and (in most cases) the tests on which students received grades as the dependent measures. Our results add to a growing body of evidence that retrieval practice in the classroom can boost academic performance.
Optimizing multiple queries on scientific datasets with partial replicas

We propose strategies to efficiently execute a query workload, which consists of multiple related queries submitted against a scientific dataset, on a distributed-memory system in the presence of partial dataset replicas. Partial replication re-organizes and re-distributes one or more subsets of a dataset across the storage system to reduce I/O overheads and increase I/O parallelism. Our work targets a class of queries, called range queries, in which the query predicate specifies lower and upper bounds on the values of all or a subset of attributes of a dataset. Data elements whose attribute values fall into the specified bounds are retrieved from the dataset. If we think of the attributes of a dataset forming multi-dimensional space, where each attribute corresponds to one of the dimensions, a range query defines a bounding box in this multidimensional space. We evaluate our strategies in two scenarios involving range queries. The first scenario represents the case in which queries have overlapping regions of interest, such as those arising from an exploratory analysis of the dataset by multiple users. In the second scenario, queries represent adjacent rectilinear sections that capture an irregular subregion in the multi-dimensional space. This scenario corresponds to a case where the user wants to query and retrieve a spatial feature from the dataset. We propose cost models and an algorithm for optimizing such queries. Our results using queries for subsetting and analysis of medical image datasets show that effective use of partial replicas can result in reduction in query execution times.
A Frankenstein Approach to Open Source: The Construction of a 3D Game Engine as Meaningful Educational Process

Using open source components to assemble a working 3D game engine is an attractive alternative to purchasing off-the-shelf technology. A student development team can use many different resources to investigate what underlying mechanisms are needed to build virtual environments. However, the techniques and processes involved when using open source components offer unique insights and educational opportunities. Leveraging and modifying existing software, and participating in the open source community, may alter the perspective of how game engines can be created. In this work, the process of building a simulation 3D game engine to support a training application for emergency response personnel is discussed. Evidence is presented that researching, gathering, and assembling open source components to build an open educational resource (OER), in this case a virtual 3D application, holds educational value. The research focuses on students whose interests cross disciplines of computer science, educational technology, instructional design, and game design.
Neuroimaging and the Search for a Cure for Alzheimer Disease

Biomarkers, including neuroimaging, have great potential to increase the power of clinical trials through greater effect sizes by matching imaging methodology with therapeutic mechanism.
Electron Transmission Through Modified Schottky Barriers

The effects of a Coulomb-like potential in the Schottky barrier existing between a material-diamond interface is analyzed. The inclusion is intended to mimic the effects of an ionized trap within the barrier, and therefore to account for charge injection into the conduction band of diamond via a Poole-Frenkel transport mechanism. The present treatment is to provide a qualitative account of the increase in current density near the inclusion, which can be substantial. The model is first reduced to an analytically tractable one-dimensional tunneling problem addressable by an Airy Function approach in order to investigate the nature of the effect. A more comprehensive numerical approach is then applied. Finally, statistical arguments are used to estimate emission site densities using the results of the aforementioned analysis.
THE EFFECT OF GROUP SIZE AND ASYMMETRIES ON THE INCENTIVE TO REVEAL GROUP‐SPECIFIC INFORMATION*

In this paper, I examine how firms' incentives to differentiate their products through the revelation of truthful information about product attributes varies with the distribution of consumer preferences for those attributes. I show that information will tend to be provided for large groups, even absent scale economies in producing that information. In addition, the relative sizes of the groups whose estimates of product quality change positively vs. negatively (i.e., the degree of asymmetry) by the information is likewise an important determinant of its profitability.
X‐Ray diffraction of ethylenediamine–amylose complex

Solutions of amylose in ethylenediamine yield a crystalline film complex upon evaporation of solvent. The x-ray analysis indicates the presence of a tetragonal-shaped cell with a symmetry approximating that of space group P212121. The amylose sixfold helix has a diameter of 13.3 A and a translation period of 8.0A. Chemical and physical analyses support a complexing ratio of one ethylenediamine molecule to every two glucose units. The structure is nearly identical to any amylose–dimethyl sulfoxide complex previously examined. The square mode of packing arrangement appears to result from complexation between amylose chains. Such complexing indicates a much greater degree of amylose interaction than is observed in amylose complex structures having a hexagonal close-packing arrangement.
Networked rectenna array for smart material actuators

The concept of microwave-driven smart material actuators is envisioned as the best option to alleviate the complexity associated with hard-wired control circuitry. A networked rectenna patch array receives and converts microwave power into DC power for an array of smart actuators. To use microwave power effectively, the concept of a power allocation and distribution (PAD) circuit is adopted for networking a rectenna/actuator patch array. The PAD circuit is imbedded into a single embodiment of rectenna and actuator array. The thin-film microcircuit embodiment of the PAD circuit adds an insignificant amount of rigidity to membrane flexibility. Preliminary design and fabrication of PAD circuitry that consists of a few nodal elements were made for laboratory testing. The networked actuators were tested to correlate the network coupling effect, power allocation and distribution, and response time. The features of preliminary design are 16-channel computer control of actuators by a PCI board and the compensator for a power failure or leakage of one or more rectennas.
PAM approach to weak CPM and its application to flight termination receivers

A method for computing the PAM representation for weak continuous phase modulation (CPM) is presented and applied to the modulation defined in the enhanced flight termination system (EFTS) standard. The pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) representation was used to formulate a reduced-complexity detector whose performance is within 0.7 dB of maximum likelihood detection and 5.6 dB better than limiter-discriminator detection in the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) environment. The complexity of the reduced-complexity detector is less than 25% that of the maximum likelihood detector but, unlike the limiter-discriminator detector, requires a carrier phase PLL. In the presence of phase noise, the reduced-complexity detector outperforms limiter-discriminator detection when the RMS frequency deviation due to phase noise is less than 10% of the bit rate.
Indaphyrin, a meso-tetraphenylsecochlorin-derived chromophore incorporating o-phenyl-to-β-linkages

Acid-induced cyclization of meso-tetraphenyl-2,3-secochlorin-2,3-dialdehyde produced meso-diphenylindaphyrin, a novel secochlorin-based chromophore in which linkages between the o-phenyl and the β-position force the meso-phenyl groups into co-planarity with the porphyrinic π-system.
Satellites as Aid to Water Resource Managers

Satellite imagery and digital data have been applied to solve water resource problems. Areal snowcover determinations, monitoring of river ice breakup, mapping of flood extent, and precipitation estimates have been derived from polar-orbiting and geostationary satellite data. The operational snowmapping program at the National Environmental Satellite Service provides snowcover data to requesting Federal, State, and local agencies for use in reservoir release decisions, water resource planning, flood forecasting, and runoff modelling. Satellite data can be used to monitor ice breakup on major river systems. During April 4-14, 1976, lengths of individual ice-covered reaches on Canada's Ottawa River were measured daily. Major floods in the United States have been observed on satellite imagery and flood-extent maps produced. Case studies are presented for the Mississippi River flood of 1973 and the Red River of the North flood of 1978.
Right ventricular inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor characterization by cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

![Figure][1] [![Graphic][3] ][3][![Graphic][4] ][4][![Graphic][5] ][5] A 19-month-old female presented with a new, asymptomatic, grade IV/VI systolic ejection murmur at the left upper sternal border. Transesophageal echocardiogram revealed a 19-mm ovoid mass occupying the
Politics of labeling

Labeling is political because it is embedded in social practice. Interests, sometimes conflicting, are involved in what gets labeled (e.g., identities based on match or mismatch of sex of preferred partners as opposed to other possible classifications), which labels are chosen (e.g., lesbian, homosexual, or queer), and when labels are used (e.g., avoiding labels for sexual acts or organs, introducing labels like cis gender to challenge pathologizing of gender transitioning). Keywords: classification; language regulation; markedness
Treaty Trends and Transparency Policies

There has been a general trend toward greater online availability of treaty information even while print publication decreases. This article evaluates that trend and examines the underlying reasons for the publication of treaties, as well as presenting some new resources that shed light on the theoretical underpinnings of legal transparency.