cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recs Preventing Wrecks

The asexual cell cycle of E. coli produces two genetically identical clones of the parental cell through processive, semiconservative replication of the chromosome. When this process is prematurely disrupted by DNA damage, several recF pathway gene products play critical roles processing the arrested replication fork, allowing it to resume and complete its task. In contrast, when E. coli cultures are starved for thymine, these same gene products play a detrimental role, allowing replication to become unregulated and highly recombinagenic, resulting in lethality after prolonged starvation. Here, I briefly review the experimental observations that suggest how RecF maintains replication in the presence of DNA damage and discuss how this function may relate to the events that lead to a loss of viability during thymine starvation.
Listening to the Speaking Wound A Trauma Studies Perspective on Student Positioning in Schools

This article discusses theoretical lenses drawn from scholars in the interdisciplinary field of trauma studies to consider students’ positioning in relation to emotional-cognitive, private-public dichotomies that permeate normative notions of what can and should count as successful engagement with school. Specifically, we explicate Caruth’s metaphor of the speaking wound, in conversation with other trauma studies scholarship, to consider the representations of lived experiences carried into classrooms and the consequences of interpreting and representing students’ lives. To provide context for our conceptual argument, we discuss qualitative data of two students’ experiences across a school year. We argue that trauma theory illuminates two overlapping, yet distinguishable, ways trauma can be productively conceptualized in schools and marshaled as a context for analyzing structural inequities: first, to consider the trauma individuals carry into classrooms as a potential source for deepening students’ conne...
Computer Attitudes, Computer Experience, and Their Correlates: An Investigation of Path Linkages

Two models to explain relations among computer attitudes, computer experience, and cognitive ability were investigated. The sample consisted of 136 college students in a large southwestern state university. Results supported the cognitive ability-computer experience-computer attitudes path. Specifically, cognitive ability exhibited a direct relation with computer experience, and the cognitive ability-computer attitude relation was mediated by computer experience. Results thus supported the hypothesis that initial computer experiences play a major role in the formation of subsequent computer attitudes. There were no significant relations between computer experience and computer attitudes and their postulated correlates. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the strategic introduction of psychology students to computers in their courses and steps to reduce self-selection from computer interactions.
Liquidity Events and the Geographic Distribution of Entrepreneurial Activity

In this paper, we examine the ecological consequences of initial public offerings (IPOs) and acquisitions, specifically how the spatial distribution of these events influences the location-specific...
The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment: A Centenary Perspective

We review the experimental evidence for Einstein’s special and general relativity. A variety of high precision null experiments verify the weak equivalence principle and local Lorentz invariance, while gravitational redshift and other clock experiments support local position invariance. Together these results confirm the Einstein Equivalence Principle which underlies the concept that gravitation is synonymous with spacetime geometry, and must be described by a metric theory. Solar system experiments that test the weak-field, post-Newtonian limit of metric theories strongly favor general relativity. The Binary Pulsar provides tests of gravitational-wave damping and of strong-field general relativity. Recently discovered binary pulsar systems may provide additional tests. Future and ongoing experiments, such as the Gravity Probe B Gyroscope Experiment, satellite tests of the Equivalence principle, and tests of gravity at short distance to look for extra spatial dimensions could constrain extensions of general relativity. Laser interferometric gravitational-wave observatories on Earth and in space may provide new tests of gravitational theory via detailed measurements of the properties of gravitational waves. During the late 1960s, it was frequently said that “the field of general relativity is a theorist’s paradise and an experimentalist’s purgatory”. To be sure, there were some experiments: Irwin Shapiro, then at MIT, had just measured the relativistic retardation of radar waves passing the Sun (an effect that now bears his name), Robert Dicke of Princeton was claiming that the Sun was flattened in an amount that would mess up general relativity’s success with Mercury’s perihelion advance, and Joseph Weber of the University of Maryland was just about to announce (40 years prematurely, as we now know) the detection of gravitational waves. Nevertheless the field was dominated by theory and by theorists. The field circa 1970 seemed to reflect Einstein’s own attitudes: although he was not ignorant of experiment, and indeed had a keen insight into the workings of the physical world, he felt that the bottom line was the theory. As he once famously said, if experiment were to contradict the theory, he would have “felt sorry for the dear Lord”. Since that time the field has been completely transformed, and today at the centenary of Einstein’s annus mirabilis, experiment is a central, and in some ways dominant component of gravitational physics. To illustrate this, one needs only to cite the first regular article of the 15 June 2004 issue of Physical Review D: the author list of this “general relativity” paper fills an entire page, and the institution list fills most of another. This was one of the papers reporting results from the first science run of the LIGO laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories, but it brings to mind papers in high-energy physics, not general relativity! The breadth of current experiments, ranging from tests of classic general relativistic effects such as
Writing case reports: how to enjoy the journey.

Case reports are a time-honored medical tradition, and much of what we know in practice today can be traced back to individual case studies. Vandenbroucke pro-poses the potential roles of case reports include recogni-tion and description of new diseases, detection of drug side effects, study of disease mechanisms, medical edu-cation and audit, and recognition of rare manifestations of disease; and his editorial in
MRP isoforms and BCRP mediate sulfate conjugate efflux out of BeWo cells

Abstract The breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and the multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) have the ability to eliminate sulfate conjugates but it is not known if this constitutes one of their roles in the placenta. To determine this, the BeWo cell line was used as a model of placental trophoblast cells and the mechanisms of elimination of sulfate metabolites of two common sulfotransferase substrates, 4-nitrophenol and acetaminophen were examined. At 0.5–200 μM, neither 4-nitrophenyl sulfate nor acetaminophen sulfate affected the accumulation of the BCRP substrates BODIPY FL prazosin or mitoxantrone in BeWo monolayers, indicating a lack of interaction of BCRP with the sulfates. Examination of the effect of BCRP/MRP inhibitors on the efflux of intracellularly generated 4-nitrophenyl sulfate and acetaminophen sulfate, indicated that one or more of the MRP isoforms play a major role in the elimination of 4-nitrophenyl sulfate and acetaminophen sulfate across the basolateral (fetal-facing) and apical (maternal-facing) membranes respectively. BCRP played a minor role in the elimination of these two sulfate conjugates across the apical membrane. This study demonstrates that a yet undetermined role of trophoblast efflux transporters is the elimination of sulfate conjugates.
Examination of Forest Recovery Scenarios in a Southern Appalachian Picea-Abies Forest

Summary This study contrasts various forest recovery scenarios in a Picea rubens Sarg. Abies fraseri (Pursh.) Poir. forest 20 years after the onset of Adelges picea Ratz. and tests them against a 10-year data set from an intensive catchment study in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Standing live biomass, increment, ingrowth, mortality and net change in live biomass are analysed by species and elevation based on inventory data gathered in 1993, 1998 and 2003 at a network of 50 permanent plots stratifi ed along nine elevation bands (1700 – 1900 m). Total standing live biomass at the study site remained stable between inventories ( ~ 260 Mg ha 1 ). Betula showed little, if any, response to the recent set of catastrophic overstory disturbances. Biomass and increment of Picea increased somewhat; but overall, there is limited evidence that Picea is expanding. Abies showed signifi cant increases in standing live biomass (from 3.3 to 12.7 Mg ha 1 ), increment (380 to 850 kg ha 1 year 1 ) and ingrowth (320 to 610 kg ha 1 year 1 ) over time. While some scenarios have not fully played out yet, at this time, total elimination of Abies is not indicated and there is considerable evidence to support the stable Picea and Abies scenario.
Tracking control of an underactuated unmanned underwater vehicle

In this paper, a robust position tracking controller is developed for an autonomous, underactuated, unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). Specifically, the proposed controller forces the three dimensional (i.e., longitudinal, latitudinal, and depth) position tracking error to within an arbitrarily small region about zero (i.e., global exponential uniformly ultimately bounded tracking) through the utilization of one translational and three orientation actuators. Therefore, the proposed methodology may hold special appeal to such underactuated applications as the omni-directional intelligent navigators (ODINs) by extending capabilities to include changes in vehicle depth. In addition, uncertainty in such parameters as vehicle inertia and hydrodynamic damping forces are compensated through a robust control structure. Simulation results are provided to illustrate performance and details of the controller.
Gender differences in the associations among body mass index, weight loss, exercise, and drinking among college students.

Abstract Objective: To explore gender differences regarding weight management behaviors of college drinkers. Participants: Nationally representative sample of college students from the fall 2008 American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II (N = 26,062 students). Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to examine potential gender differences in associations among exercise, weight loss behaviors, and alcohol use. Results: Critical ratio tests revealed that associations between exercise and weight loss behaviors were more strongly correlated among females as compared with males. For females, there was a small negative association between exercise and drinking behaviors; in contrast, for males, there was a positive relationship between exercise and alcohol use. Weight loss behaviors were positively associated with drinking for both female and male students; however, the association was significantly stronger for females. Conclusions: This investigation furthers previous r...
A Role for the ETS Domain Transcription Factor PEA3 in Myogenic Differentiation

Activation of adult myoblasts called satellite cells during muscle degeneration is an important aspect of muscle regeneration. Satellite cells are believed to be the only myogenic stem cells in adult skeletal muscle and the source of regenerating muscle fibers. Upon activation, satellite cells proliferate, migrate to the site of degeneration, and become competent to fuse and differentiate. We show here that the transcription factor polyomavirus enhancer activator 3 (PEA3) is expressed in adult myoblasts in vitro when they are proliferative and during the early stages of differentiation. Overexpression of PEA3 accelerates differentiation, whereas blocking of PEA3 function delays myoblast fusion. PEA3 activates gene expression following binding to the ets motif most efficiently in conjunction with the transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2). In vivo, PEA3 is expressed in satellite cells only after muscle degeneration. Taken together, these results suggest that PEA3 is an important regulator of activated satellite cell function.
Political legitimacy and Islam in the Ottoman Empire Lessons learned

This article explores the role of religion in Ottoman political legitimation. It shows that the Ottoman rulers were interested in a much more expansive, diverse form of political legitimation that ...
Has the Community Reinvestment Act increased loan availability among small businesses operating in minority neighbourhoods

The 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) established a bold agenda requiring financial institutions in the USA to serve the credit needs of low- and moderate-income areas, including traditionally excluded minority residential areas. Initially opposed by both bankers and the federal regulatory authorities responsible for enforcement, the CRA has been contentious for decades. This study explores CRA impacts by investigating whether small businesses located in minority neighbourhoods have the same degree of bank-loan access as equally creditworthy firms located in other environs. We analysed both the unmet credit needs of small firms and the outcomes of their loan applications. We found that equality in loan access has been attained in some respects, indicating the CRA has had positive effects on loan availability. Inequality nonetheless persists. Regarding unmet credit needs, firms are penalised if their owners are African American, Latino or Asian American. Since roughly half of owners in minority communities are minorities, our challenge was to disentangle the effects on loan access of small-business geographic location versus owner race. Causal factors underlying our findings were investigated. Did bank regulators take the initiative in lessening traditional discriminatory lending practices? Alternatively, were activist community groups responsible? While the agenda advocated by activist groups coincides closely with actual gains, the overlapping but differing stated objectives of regulators did not.
Seismic structure, crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the Anatolian-African Plate Boundary and the Cenozoic Orogenic Belts in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The modern Anatolian–African plate boundary is represented by a north-dipping subduction zone that has been part of a broad domain of regional convergence between Eurasia and Afro–Arabia since the latest Mesozoic. A series of collisions between Gondwana-derived ribbon continents and trench-roll-back systems in the Tethyan realm produced nearly East– West-trending, subparallel mountain belts with high elevation and thick orogenic crust in this region. Ophiolite emplacement, terrane stacking, high-P and Barrovian metamorphism, and crustal thickening occurred during the accretion of these microcontinents into the upper plates of Tethyan subduction roll-back systems during the Late Cretaceous–Early Eocene. Continued convergence and oceanic lithospheric subduction within the Tethyan realm were punctuated by slab breakoff events following the microcontinental accretion episodes. Slab breakoff resulted in asthenospheric upwelling and partial melting, which facilitated post-collisional magmatism along and across the suture zones. Resumed subduction and slab roll-back-induced upper plate extension triggered a tectonic collapse of the thermally weakened orogenic crust in Anatolia in the late Oligocene–Miocene. This extensional phase resulted in exhumation of high-P rocks and mediumto lower-crustal material leading to the formation of metamorphic core complexes in the hinterland of the young collision zones. The geochemical character of the attendant magmatism has progressed from initial shoshonitic and high-K calc-alkaline to calc-alkaline and alkaline affinities through time, as more asthenosphere-derived melts found their way to the surface with insignificant degrees of crustal contamination. The occurrence of discrete high-velocity bodies in the mantle beneath Anatolia, as deduced from lithospheric seismic velocity data, supports our Tethyan slab breakoff interpretations. Pn velocity and Sn attenuation tomography models indicate that the uppermost mantle is anomalously hot and thin, consistent with the existence of a shallow asthenosphere beneath the collapsing Anatolian orogenic belts and widespread volcanism in this region. The sharp, north-pointing cusp (Isparta Angle) between the Hellenic and Cyprus trenches along the modern Anatolian–African plate boundary corresponds to a subductiontransform edge propagator (STEP) fault, which is an artifact of a slab tear within the downgoing African lithosphere.
The Process of Photosynthesis The Dark Reactions

Thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts capture light energy and transform it into chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH. But cells do not, in fact cannot, accumulate a sizable store of energy reserves as ATP or as NADPH. Rather, these direct products of photosynthesis are used to synthesize more appropriate storage forms of energy. The final achievement of photosynthesis, therefore, is the biosynthesis of carbohydrate, as glucose, from CO2 and H2O. Glucose is the key carbohydrate around which the metabolism of most organisms revolves. The metabolism of glucose provides the compounds needed for the fabric of the cell, whereas the oxidation of glucose provides the energy needed by nonphotosynthetic organisms to live. However, more glucose can be synthesized than is needed for current life processes in plant cells. The excess is stored in the form of polymers, the most common of which is starch. Starch is an excellent storage form of carbohydrate, since it is stable, nearly inert, and exerts very little osmotic pressure, but is readily broken down enzymatically to provide glucose when needed.
Antarctic streams as a potential source of iron for the Southern Ocean

Due to iron9s role in oceanic primary production, there has been great interest in quantifying the importance of Fe in regions where concentrations are very low and macronutrients, nitrate and phosphate, are available. Measurements of filterable (i.e., <0.4 μm) Fe concentrations in streams from Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, suggest that coastal-zone stream Fe input to the Southern Ocean could potentially play an important role in primary production in nearshore regions. Filterable Fe (fFe) data from streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were used to represent glacier meltwater that flows through ice-free landscape with the potential of transporting Fe to the Antarctic coastal zone. Estimates of potential fFe flux to the Antarctic Peninsula region using our mean fFe concentration of 10.6 μg L –1 combined with an estimate of ice-free area for the Antarctic Peninsula result in an fFe flux of 1.2 × 10 7 g yr –1 . Although small compared to iceberg and aeolian Fe fluxes, future stream input to the Southern Ocean could increase due to glacier retreat and melting, thus increasing the fFe flux from glacier meltwater streams.
Tourism and the health effects of infectious diseases: are there potential risks for tourists?

According to statistics of the WorldTourism Organization (WTO), international touristarrivals for 2014 exceeded 1138 million. In the same year the majority ofinternational tourist arrivals were for thepurposes of leisure, recreation and holiday, about 55%. However travel is a potent force in the emergenceof disease since the migration of humans has beenthe pathway for disseminating infectious diseases throughout recorded history andwill continue to shape the emergence, frequency, and spread of infections in geographicareas and populations. The current volume, speed, and reach of travel are unprecedented.The consequences of travel extend beyond the traveler to the population visitedand the ecosystem.International travel and tourism can pose various risks tohealth, depending on the characteristics ofboth the traveler and the travel. Travelersmay encounter serious health risks that may arise inareas where accommodation is of poorquality, hygiene and sanitation areinadequate.The purpose of this paper is to highlightthe details and impact of significant infectious diseases that can pose a risk to tourists and threaten public health.The paper also seeks to raiseawareness of the issues outlined and thereby increase efforts to enhance travel safety.
Regulation of jejunal sodium and water absorption by angiotensin subtype receptors

The purpose of this study was to determine the precise role of angiotensin subtype-1 (AT1) and -2 (AT2) receptors and the mechanisms by which they act to alter fluid transport in the rat jejunum. I...
Skeletal muscle in hypophosphatemia and phosphorus deficiency

The intentions of this presentation are to briefly review the clinical characteristics of acute rhabdomyolysis with hypophosphatemia; how this syndrome differs from the chronic hypophosphatemic myopathy and to provide a brief overview of our recent clinical and experimental work concerning cellular injury in phosphorus deficiency and hypophosphatemia.
Reframing concussions, masculinity, and NFL mythology in League of Denial

This article explores how the PBS Frontline documentary League of Denial reframes the “concussion crisis” in three ways that contest the rationalization of injury and the normalization of violence in the hegemonic masculine discourses (visual, written, oral) produced about professional football. First, the film problematizes the notion of head injury as merely “part of the game” and a risk that players ostensibly understand when they enter the National Football League. Second, the film’s depiction of Mike Webster’s “unruly” body further de-naturalizes concussions and contests the masculine ideal of bodily sacrifice in pro football. Third, the film explicitly critiques the role of sports media in constructing a mythology and spectacle of pro football that contributed to the cultural context in which the concussion crisis has emerged.
NMOS Logic Circuits in Laser-Crystallized Silicon on Quartz

Depletion mode as well as enhancement mode n-channel thin-film transistors (TFT’s) have been fabricated in CO2 laser-crystallized silicon on fused quartz. Nearly defect-free islands were obtained by using an offset circular beam to form a tilted melt interface. The optimization of subsequent processing steps to achieve simultaneously low leakage currents and voltage thresholds appropriate for depletion-load NMOS circuits involved adjustments of ion implantation and high temperature cycles with the aid of simulation. The resultant high performance silicon-gate TFT’s have led to NMOS ring oscillators with 2.5 ns delay/stage and dynamic shift registers with MHz clock rates. These are the first logic circuits fabricated in beam-crystallized silicon on bulk amorphous substrates.
Reversible Dehydration Behavior Reveals Coordinatively Unsaturated Metal Sites in Microporous Aluminum Phosphonates

Incorporation of the same ligand into three different aluminum phenylenediphosphonates (Al(H2O)(O3PC6H4PO3H) (1), Al-4(H2O)(2)(O3PC6H4PO3)(3) (2), and Al-4(H2O)(4)(O3PC6H4PO3)(2.84)(OH)(0.64) (3)) was accomplished by varying the synthetic conditions. The compounds have different sorption properties; however, all exhibit reversible dehydration behavior. The structures of the hydrated and dehydrated phases were determined from powder X-ray diffraction data. Compounds 2 and 3 were found to be microporous, while compound 1 was found to be nonporous. The stability of the dehydrated phase and the resulting porosity was found to be influenced by the change in the structure upon loss of water.
Autophagy-linked FYVE containing protein WDFY3 interacts with TRAF6 and modulates RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis

Abstract Recently, autophagy-related proteins were shown to regulate osteoclast mediated bone resorption, a critical process in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, the role of autophagy-linked FYVE containing protein, WDFY3, in osteoclast biology remains elusive. WDFY3 is a master regulator in selective autophagy for clearing ubiquitinated protein aggregates and has been linked with rheumatoid arthritis. Herein, we used a series of WDFY3 transgenic mice (Wdfy3lacZ and Wdfy3loxP) to investigate the function of WDFY3 in osteoclast development and function. Our data demonstrate that WDFY3 is highly expressed at the growth plate of neonatal mice and is expressed in osteoclasts in vitro cultures. Osteoclasts derived from WDFY3 conditional knockout mice (Wdfy3loxP/loxP-LysM-Cre+) demonstrated increased osteoclast differentiation as evidenced by higher number and enlarged size of TRAP+ multinucleated cells. Western blot analysis also revealed up-regulation of TRAF6 and an increase in RANKL-induced NF-κB signaling in WDFY3-deficient bone marrow-derived macrophages compared to wild type cultures. Consistent with these observations WDFY3-deficient cells also demonstrated an increase in osteoclast-related genes Ctsk, Acp5, Mmp9 and an increase of dentine resorption in in vitro assays. Importantly, in vivo RANKL gene transfer exacerbated bone loss in WDFY3 conditional knockout mice, as evidenced by elevated serum TRAP, CTX-I and micro-CT analysis of distal femurs compared to wild type littermates. Taken together, our data highlight a novel role for WDFY3 in osteoclast development and function, which can be exploited for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.
ON MODELING THE IMPACT OF ARMS REDUCTIONS ON WORLD TRADE

[The basic work of Polachek focusses on fundamental aspects of the general relation between trade and political conflict. But at any particular point of time, major shocks in the world economy may occur which can lead to drastic change in trade among many countries. Such was the oil shock of 1973. Today, the shock is the demise of the Warsaw Pact Organization and the economic collapse and democratization (political demise) of the old Soviet totalitarian regime. As we have seen, Klein/Gronicki/Kosaka have addressed the impact of arms reduction in Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union upon their internal economies. But it is also important to examine the impact of major arms reduction in a number of Western powers upon trade in general. While neoclassical and Keynesian theory suggest several different kinds of effects that may come about, Bergstrand looks to empirical materials to identify: (1) the relation of arms trade to aggregate trade; (2) the relation to nonarms trade of the share of real GDP going to military expenditures in importing and exporting countries; and (3) the economic determinants of arms trade. (eds.)]
Stand “Our” Ground: Murder in the Sunshine State

Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law that allows Floridians to use their gun or fire a warning shot to protect themselves when they “reasonably believe it is necessary” to prevent bodily harm, has become an anti-black law to legitimize the killing of black males. On October 1, 2005, the State of Florida became the first to enact Senate Bill 436: Protection of Persons/Use of Force (also introduced as HB 249), a rigid anti-black self-defense law that now stands as a legislative model enacted in more than 20 states (see Table 3.1). The bill passed in both legislative chambers, 39-0 in the Senate and 94-20 in the House, and thereafter, former Republican Governor Jeb Bush signed it into law. In the Senate, the bill had unanimous bipartisan support, including 14 Democrats. Only House Democrats cast roll-call dissent to the bill. Table 3.2, which shows the racial breakdown of House dissent, identifies that black legislators cast 11 of the 20 dissenting votes. Thirteen black legislators, in the Senate and House, voted in favor of the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase Activity in Commercially Processed Chicken: An Indicator of Product End-Point Temperature †.

Residual glutamic-oxaloacetic transminase (GOT) activity in laboratory-prepared samples of white and dark chicken meat heat treated to end-point temperatures (EPTs) of 70 to 75°C were determined. Declines in activity with increasing EPTs occurred in both tissue types; activities were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in dark meat samples at all EPTs except 75°C. Regression coefficients of GOT activities on EPTs of the laboratory prepares sampled were rearranged to estimate EPTs for poultry products obtained from a commercial processing plant. Desired EPTs of the commercial products were 71 and 74°C for white and dark meat, respectively. Product EPTs estimated by measurement of residual GOT activities were 74 to 75°C. Measurement of residual GOT activity appears to be a rapid, accurate means to estimate EPTs in commercially produced poultry products of uniform size and thickness.
Accurate torque control of finger joints with UT hand exoskeleton through Bowden cable SEA

The torque control of finger joints is important for effective hand rehabilitation after neural disorders such as stroke. This paper presents an approach for accurate torque control of finger joints with UT hand exoskeleton. We present 1) how we obtained an accurate kinematics model, 2) how we built the torque actuation model with Bowden cable SEA, and 3) how we controlled the torque of finger joints with the kinematic model and the Bowden cable SEA. We have validated our approach with a testbed finger and results show that the UT hand exoskeleton accurately controls the torque of finger joints.
The simultaneous assessment of normality and homoscedasticity in linear fixed effects models

This article investigates the problem of simultaneously testing the normality and homoscedasticity assumptions in a linear fixed effects model when we have grouped data. This has been facilitated by the assumption of a smooth alternative to the normal distribution. The smooth alternative is specified using Legendre polynomials, and the score statistic is derived under two scenarios: a common smooth alternative across the different groups, or different smooth alternatives across the different groups. A data-driven approach available in the literature is used for determining the order of the polynomials. For the null distribution of the score statistic, the accuracy of the asymptotic chi-squared distribution is numerically investigated under a one-way fixed effects model with balanced and unbalanced data. The results are illustrated with an example.
Implosion of composite cylinders due to underwater impulsive loads

Abstract The implosion of composite cylindrical shells in underwater blasts is a process in which a structure collapses inward onto itself and releases energy via outwardly radiating pressure pulses. Relevant issues include incident loading, elastic buckling, plasticity, damage, and release of impulsive waves. Research is still in an early stage. So far, experimental studies have primarily focused on the structural response of composite tubes including the load threshold for buckling and material damage and the release of impulsive waves from the collapse site. The latter is of concern as it is a source of potential damage for surrounding assets. Computational simulations have tracked and complemented the development of experiments, focusing on the effects on structural response of material, layup, and loading. It has been shown that filament-wound glass-fiber composite structures offer superior resistance to damage and yield lower postcollapse energy release compared with carbon-fiber composite structures. One focus has been on the development of quantitative relations between structural response in terms of deflection, energy dissipation, and intensity of released pressure pulses and input conditions in terms of initial incoming load intensity, internal air pressure, fiber orientation, and structural design attributes. The overarching objective is to establish criteria and load-structure-performance relations for the design of structures with enhanced, tailored, and adaptive performance offerings. This chapter reviews the progress in experimental investigations and presents recent computational studies on the response of composite cylindrical structures during an implosion event.
Temporal stability and changes in risk perception rankings of hazardous activities and technologies

AbstractResearchers have extensively studied risk perceptions of hazardous activities and technologies to better understand how to analyze risk to inform and improve risk communications and risk management policy-making in various facets of society. Despite the existence of such studies, there is limited research on how stable or different risk perceptions of various activities and technologies are across time. A better understanding of the temporal aspect of risk perceptions can lead to more effective policy responses by ensuring that policies based on risk perceptions continuously reflect current public risk perceptions. Hence, the purpose of this descriptive study is to explore the question: ‘How stable or different are risk perceptions of hazardous activities and technologies over time?’ To answer this question, this study compares the risk rankings for 29 hazardous activities (e.g. smoking cigarettes) and technologies (e.g. driving a motor vehicle) from a risk perception survey of 2008 U.S. employees...
The UFO Phenomenon

Before the year is out, the Government—perhaps the President—is expected to make what are described as “unsettling disclosures” about UFO’s—unidentified flying objects. Such revelations, based on information from the CIA, would be a reversal of official policy that in the past has downgraded UFO incidents.
Higher education surveys from United States' National Center for Education Statistics

In this article, we analysed the use of surveys conducted by the United States' National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) related to postsecondary education in studies published in 2015. We discuss topics studied, methods used and limitations reported. Based on the review of the 27 published articles in 2015, we found that the most commonly used NCES postsecondary surveys are ELS:2002 and IPEDS, followed by BPS:04/09, NPSAS, NELS:1988, B&B:1993/1997/2003 and HSLS:2009. The issues studied in the articles reviewed include college access and choice, student outcomes and higher education finances. In addition, our analysis indicates that these articles applied appropriate and advanced analytical methods and the majority of them took into consideration the complex sampling designs and data structures of these NCES surveys. We concluded with a series of recommendations for both users and leaders developing these surveys in order to maximise their utility. These recommendations, if adopted, will undoubtedly result in more use of NCES data for research.
Picogram detection of doxorubicin in breast cancer cells using accelerator mass spectrometry

525 Doxorubicin (Dox) is a widely used cancer chemotherapeutic drug. Unfortunately, treatment success can be compromised by the development of multidrug resistance (MDR), an accumulation defect which reduces the drug concentration in tumor cells. Our goal is to develop a highly sensitive assay for quantifying Dox at the tumor level which will have applications in the early detection of drug resist-ance in cancer patients, as well as monitoring the effects of resistance modifiers in vivo. Towards this goal, we used accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to com-pare the accumulation of [14C]Dox in MDR+ and wildtype MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells in vitro. In an experiment to establish that AMS analysis could reproduce drug kinetic profiles obtained by HPLC with fluorescence detection (the current “gold standard” method of analysis), we quantified the cellular drug content using AMS following exposure to 2 μg/ml [14C]Dox for up to 4 hours. The AMS data successfully reproduced the kinetic profiles obtained by HPLC in which the wildtype cells had 5-fold higher levels of Dox than the resistant cells at 4 hours. A study conducted in cells using [14C]Dox at concentrations ranging from 0.2 pg/ml to 2 μg/ml with analysis at 4 hours demonstrated that AMS has approximately a 1 million-fold sensitivity improvement over fluorescence-based HPLC. The extreme sensitivity of AMS should facilitate similar studies in vivo to establish target site drug delivery and to potentially determine the optimal treatment dose and regimen in humans. Conducted under auspices of US DOE (LLNL W-7405-ENG-48) and supported by UCDRD and NIH grant 1 P30 CA93373-01.
Organizationally Intractable Decision Problems and the Intellectual Virtues of Heuristics

There is no theory in strategic management and other related fields for identifying decision problems that cannot be solved by organizations using rational analytical technologies of the type typic...
Yogurt, Its Relationship to Cardiometabolic Outcomes, and Patterns of Consumption

Regular yogurt consumption has been associated with significant health benefits, including reducing weight gain and preventing obesity, prevention of diabetes, and improved overall diet quality. While yogurt has been aggressively marketed in recent years and consumption has increased, little is known about consumers of yogurt, including their health characteristics and nutrition attitudes and related behaviors. Our purpose was to summarize clinical studies on the health benefits of yogurt and also to report the results of an analysis of market research data on patterns and trends in consumption. A number of observational studies have reported associations of higher yogurt consumption with lower rates of obesity, weight gain, and diabetes. We analyzed detailed dietary intake surveys for 9560 adults and children. Women are more likely to be yogurt consumers than men (49.3 vs. 29.6%). Compared with non-consumers, consumers are more affluent and highly educated. 28.9% of yogurt consumers were obese, compared to 34.7% of non-consumers (p = 0.014). Consumers were more likely to be dieting at the time of the survey (22.9 vs. 17.7%, p = 0.02). There were substantial differences in nutrition attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors between consumers and non-consumers. Compared with non-consumers, yogurt consumers reported being more knowledgeable about nutrition (3.69 vs. 3.29, 5-point scale, p < 0.01) and also checking nutrition food labels (5.61 vs. 5.15, 7-point scale, p < 0.01). Consumers were less likely to agree than non-consumers that how a food tastes is more important than its nutritional value (4.08 vs. 4.45, 7-point scale, p < 0.01). Greek yogurt consumption increased from 1.8 mean annual eating occasions per capita in 2010 to 17.9 in 2015 (p < 0.01). Greek yogurt consumers were more likely than traditional yogurt consumers to live in households with annual incomes of $70,000 or more (45.6 vs. 33.2% for traditional yogurt consumers, p < .0.001). Yogurt consumption has been associated with lower rates of obesity and better health in prior studies. Our new work suggests that these observations may be mediated by education, income, and more favorable attitudes toward highly nutritious foods.
Use of Visual Decision Aids in Physician-Patient Communication: A Pilot Investigation.

Introduction:A risk calculator paired with a personalized decision aid (RC&DA) may foster shared decision-making in primary care. We assessed the feasibility of using an RC&DA with patients in a pr...
Management of Full-Thickness Duodenal Laceration in the Damage Control Era: Evolution to Primary Repair Without Diversion or Decompression:

The management of duodenal laceration (DL) is controversial. We sought to determine the influence of damage control (DC) on the use of decompression/diversion/exclusion (DDE) techniques and the risk of duodenal-related complications (DRC). We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with full-thickness DL surviving more than 72 hours in the years 1989 to 2009. Forty-one patients with a median duodenal organ injury scale of 3 and a mean abdominal trauma index (ATI) of 45 ± 24 underwent laparotomy. Twenty-five patients (61%) were treated with DC and 16 (39%) with fascial closure (FC). Although the ATI of the patients treated with DC was greater than the ATI of the patients treated with FC (56 ± 23 vs 28 ± 17, P < 0.001), DRCs were equivalent (two vs three, nonsignificant). Twenty-one patients were treated in the first decade and 20 in the second decade. Between the first and second decades, there were trends toward an increased use of DC (52 to 70%, nonsignificant) and a decreased use of DDE (52 to 35%, nonsignificant) with a significant reduction in DRC (5 vs 0, P = 0.04). Among the 18 patients (44%) who underwent DDE procedures there were 2 DRCs (11%) related to DDE. Among the 23 patients who did not have DDE, there were three DRCs (13%), including two obstructions, one partial and one complete. When DC is used after DL, DDE may be unnecessary. Diversion is recommended, however, when the duodenum is at risk for obstruction after primary repair.
PREDICTIONS FOR HYDRODYNAMICALLY AND THERMALLY DEVELOPING PULSATILE FLOWS

1. ABSTRACT In this study an accurate finite–difference scheme has been developed to investigate pulsatile, laminar, incompressible and thermally expandable fluid flow between two parallel plates. The present study was conducted for simultaneously (hydrodynamicaljy and thermally) developing flow for air at Reo(mean with time)=2000, w*=0.08, 8, 32 & 200, x/H from 0 to 71, Tw/To of 1.2 & 1.4. The numerical predictions were in excellent agreement with the closed form solutions available in the literature for pulsatile flow. For the range of wall/inlet temperature ratio and Valensi number (0.08 & 32) considered, the difference between the steady state Nusselt number and the local time–averaged one is less than 1% for each respective case. Moreover, for the same first order harmonic flow field, the temperature field contains only low order harmonics at low Valensi number; while at high Valensi number, distortions of the temperature fluctuations suggest higher order harmonics are present. The trend of the temperature field is similar for both incompressible and thermally expandable models. A video tape showing computer simulations of the pulsatile flow and heat transfer demonstrates the usefulness of the current analyses in providing information on the transient hydraulic and thermal phenomena.
Future Directions in Computer Science Research

Over the last 40 years the computer science research was focused on making computers useful. Areas included programming languages, compilers, operating systems, data structures and algorithms. These are still important topics but with the merging of computing and communication, the emergence of social networks, and the large amount of information in digital form, focus is shifting to applications such as the structure of networks and extracting information from large data sets. This talk will give a brief vision of the future and then an introduction to the science base that needs to be formed to support these new directions.
Highly dense CeO2 nanofibers and MnO2 nanoflowers composite electrode for energy storage application

A high demand of energy storage devices has boosted researchers for fabricating ultra-efficient supercapacitors with better energy density and cycling stability. CeO2 nanofibers are one of the most promising materials due their superior oxidation performance as well as a larger specific capacitance that enables them to hold more charge. However, metal oxides being poor electrical conductors hinder the performance of the device. In this present work, we adopted a novel approach to improve the conductivity of the electrodes and charge storing capability of the device by making a hybrid composite structure with conducting porous carbon and long chain polymers through a simple, efficient and low temperature based hydrothermal synthesis route. This approach boosts the charge storage capability of the electrode electrochemically as well as by the pseudo-capacitive effect from CeO2 nanofibers. The structure and morphology of CeO2 nanofibers were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). FESEM confirmed highly dense CeO2 nanofibers that were less than 30 nm in diameter. Electrochemical measurement of CeO2 nanofibers hybrid composite shows improved specific capacitance value with very large cycling stability.
The way it was

A remarkable conference was held in Dubna, 60 miles north of Moscow on the River Volga. At Dubna, founded in the late 1940s as a center of research in nuclear and high-energy physics, over 130 papers were presented on the history of the Soviet nuclear project from 1943 to 1954. Some presentations were made by foreign guests, but the overwhelming majority of papers were presented by Russian historians and participants in the nuclear project providing a great deal of new information. The conference initiative came from a group of historians and scientists who had organized a regular seminar on the history of the Soviet project the previous two years. The Russian Academy of Sciences, the Kurchatov Institute, and the Ministry of Atomic Energy agreed to provide formal sponsorship. Many excellent papers were presented. The conference organizers hope to publish the proceedings in English as well as in Russian although that plan appears to be in doubt for lack of funds. Perhaps a foundation will provide the necessary support, so that historians will have access to this important historical material. One panel included three papers on the development of Soviet thermonuclear weapons. Two papers provide a new level of insight intomore » the Soviet effort to build thermonuclear bombs.« less
Prehospital Hemorrhage Control and REBOA

Review the current state of the art in prehospital hemorrhage control and the role of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). Prehospital data demonstrate improved hemorrhage control and decreased blood product transfusions with tourniquet use. Minimal complications have been noted (temporary nerve palsy) and no tourniquet-related amputations have been reported in modern series. Junctional tourniquets are effective in stopping arterial flow and controlling bleeding in preclinical trials. Clinical data is lacking. Hemostatic bandages have been shown in animal studies to improve time to hemorrhage control and survival. Limited clinical data supports improved hemorrhage control and no morbidity. The REBOA catheter is a promising technology with a clear role in severe pelvic fractures. The role of REBOA in the prehospital setting remains undefined. Preclinical and clinical data are supportive of both prehospital tourniquet and hemostatic bandages. Junctional tourniquets are promising but lack clinical data. The REBOA catheter is an effective bleeding control adjunct for which prehospital indications are still being defined.
Dynamic Response of Layered Functionally Graded Polyurethane Foam with Nonlinear Density Variation

Polyurethane foam is most commonly used for its energy absorbing characteristics. The purpose of this study is to experimentally determine the energy absorbing of density graded foam subjected to dynamic loading. To define the energy absorption, the stress-strain relationship is developed under dynamic uniaxial compression via compressive Split-Pressure Hopkinson Bar apparatus; which is used in conjunction with DIC. SPHB yields the boundary stress where DIC is used to find the inertia stress term. Combining the boundary and inertia stress yields a full stress-strain response of the functionally graded foam material. Theoretically, it has been previously determined that for continuously graded foams with a nonlinearly increasing density has increased energy absorbing ability’s. Our proposed experiments are used to validate the theoretical results and benchmark the ability of functionally graded foam to optimize the energy absorption of polyurethane foam. It has been found that the convex density gradient FGFM has a much higher normalized energy absorption when compared to that of a concave density gradient.