cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Security analysis of a fingerprint-protected USB drive

Fingerprint-protected Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives have seen increasing deployment recently to protect mobile data. Compared to regular USB drives, a fingerprint-protected USB drive has an integrated optical scanner and a private partition/drive (for example, drive G: on MS Windows), which is not accessible before a successful fingerprint authentication.This paper studies the security of a representative fingerprint-protected USB drive called AliceFDrive. Our results are twofold. First, through black-box reverse engineering and manipulation of binary code in a DLL, we bypassed AliceF-Drive's fingerprint authentication and accessed the private drive without actually presenting a valid fingerprint. This authentication bypass is a class attack in that the modified DLL can be distributed to any naive users to bypass AliceF-Drive's fingerprint authentication.Second, in our security analysis of AliceFDrive, we developed a program to automatically recover fingerprint reference templates from AliceFDrive, which may make AliceF-Drive worse than a regular USB drive: when Alice loses her fingerprint-protected USB drive, she does not only lose her data, she also loses her good-quality fingerprints, which are hard to recover as Alice's fingerprints do not change much over a long period of time.
The Birth of the Infinite Cluster:¶Finite-Size Scaling in Percolation

We address the question of finite-size scaling in percolation by studying bond percolation in a finite box of side length n, both in two and in higher dimensions. In dimension d= 2, we obtain a complete characterization of finite-size scaling. In dimensions d>2, we establish the same results under a set of hypotheses related to so-called scaling and hyperscaling postulates which are widely believed to hold up to d= 6.
Visualization of uniparental inheritance, Mendelian inconsistencies, deletions, and parent of origin effects in single nucleotide polymorphism trio data with SNPtrio

A variety of alterations occur in chromosomal DNA, many of which can be detected using high density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays. These include deletions and duplications (assessed by observing changes in copy number) and regions of homozygosity. The analysis of SNP data from trios can provide an additional category of information about the nature and origin of inheritance patterns, including uniparental disomy (UPD), loss of transmitted allele (LTA), and nonparental relationship. The main purpose of SNPtrio is to locate regions of uniparental inheritance (UPI) and Mendelian inconsistency (MI), identify the type (paternal vs. maternal, iso- vs. hetero-), and assess the associated statistical probability of occurrence by chance. SNPtrio's schema permits the identification of hemizygous or homozygous deletions as well as UPD. We validated the performance of SNPtrio on three platforms (Affymetrix 10 K and 100 K arrays and Illumina 550 K arrays) using SNP data obtained from DNA samples of patients known to have UPD and diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, pseudohypoparathyroidism, and a complex chromosome 2 abnormality. We further validated SNPtrio using DNA from patients previously shown to have microdeletions that were verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). SNPtrio successfully identified previously known UPD and deletion regions, and generated associated probability values. SNPtrio analysis of trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) cases and their parents permitted identification of the parent of origin of the extra chromosomal copy. SNPtrio is freely accessible at http://pevsnerlab.kennedykrieger.org/SNPtrio.htm (Last accessed: 20 June 2007). Hum Mutat 28(12), 1225–1235, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Wavelet Smoothing Based Multivariate Polynomial for Anchovy Catches Forecasting

In this paprer, a multivariate polynomial (MP) combined with smoothing techniques is proposed to forecast 1-month ahead monthly anchovy catches in the north area of Chile. The anchovy catches data is smoothed by using multiscale discrete stationary wavelet transform and then appropriate is used as inputs to the MP. The MP's parameters are estimated using the penalized least square method and the performance evaluation of the proposed forecaster showed that a 98 percent of the explained variance was captured with a reduced parsimony.
Strained Si Channel MOSFETs with Embedded Silicon Carbon Formed by Solid Phase Epitaxy

Current drive enhancement is demonstrated in sub-40 nm NFETs with strained silicon carbon (Si:C) source and drain using a novel solid-phase epitaxy (SPE) technique for the first time. The very simple process uses no recess etch or epi deposition steps, adds minimal process cost, and can be easily integrated into a standard CMOS process. With a record high 1.65 at% substitutional C concentration in source and drain, 615 MPa uniaxial tensile stress was introduced in the channel, leading to a 35% improvement in electron mobility and 6% and 15% current drive increase in sub-40 and 200 nm channel length devices respectively.
Variable-Temperature Ion-Exchanged Engineered Stress Profile (ESP) Glasses

A variable–temperature ion–exchange process was developed to produce strengthened glasses with decreased strength variability. By introducing a high–temperature step into the normal ion–exchange process, the strength variability was greatly decreased (∼60%) with only about 10% loss in the average strength. The surface damage resistance was also studied using indentation strength tests, and, again, there was a significant improvement compared with the traditional ion–exchange (isothermal) process. Stress profiles in isothermal and variable–temperature ion–exchanged glasses were measured using an optical method. The strength and strength variability of ion–exchanged glass predicted from the measured stress profiles agreed with the experimental strength data.
Ingestion of lye

This paper reports on the case of a 13-year-old white male who committed suicide by ingestion of heavy duty drain and sewer opener. He left behind a note indicating his suicide. This teenager was grieving over the suicide of one of his friends and was under counseling by a mental health therapist at school. Results of autopsy and toxicological analyses indicated the ingestion of a highly alkaline substance that is consistent with the ingredients of the drain opener mentioned.
Strongly NP-hard discrete gate-sizing problems

The discrete gate-sizing problem has been studied by several researchers recently. Some complexity results have been obtained, and a number of heuristic algorithms have been proposed. For circuit networks that are restricted to the set of trees, or series-parallel graphs, pseudo-polynomial time algorithms to obtain the exact solution have also been proposed, though none can be extended to circuit networks that are arbitrary directed acyclic graphs (dags), We prove that the problem is strongly NP-hard. Our result implies that for arbitrary dags, there is no pseudo-polynomial time algorithm to obtain the exact solution unless P=NP. We also prove that the absolute approximation discrete gate sizing problem is strongly NP-hard. These results provide insight into the difficulties of the problem and may lead to better heuristics. >
Host-Pathogen Interactions: Subversion and Utilization of the NF-κB Pathway during Infection

The NF-κB family of transcription factors is a group of evolutionarily conserved proteins which are important in regulation of the immune system. These transcription factors are involved in the development of accessory cell and lymphocyte populations and expression of numerous proteins involved in
Directional wavelet analysis on the sphere: Application to gravity and topography of the terrestrial planets

[1] The spectral relations (admittance and correlation) between gravity and topography are often used to obtain information on the density structure, flexural support, and heat flow of planetary lithospheres. Mapping spatial variations in these quantities requires spatiospectral analysis techniques. Here we describe the application of a directional, continuous spherical wavelet transform using a wavelet basis constructed from the superposition of azimuthally adjacent complex Morlet wavelets, in a manner similar to the “fan” wavelet developed in the plane. The method is applied to gravity and topography of the Earth, Venus, Mars, and the Moon. The wavelet coefficients are used to compute isotropic and directional wavelet autospectra and cross spectra, which are then combined to form the admittance and correlation functions. The resulting maps offer insights into lithospheric structure of the terrestrial planets. In particular we show that the Earth and Venus have uniformly low positive admittance and high correlation, whereas Mars and the Moon display hemispherical contrasts with large negative and anisotropic coefficients coinciding with lowlands. As has long been known, the two largest impact basins in the inner solar system, the South Pole–Aitken basin on the Moon and the Hellas basin on Mars, display low positive admittance and high correlation, indicating isostatic compensation. In contrast, most other impact basins, particularly the Martian and lunar mascons, show negative coefficients at low wavelet degrees suggesting flexural support by a strong lithosphere. These results imply that, although simple isotropic flexural models can account for most observations, future models may need to incorporate anisotropy as an additional parameter.
Explaining the Variability of Human Nonverbal Behaviors in Face-to-Face Interaction

Modeling human nonverbal behaviors is a key factor in creating a successful virtual human system. This is a very challenging problem because human nonverbal behaviors inherently contain a lot of variability. The variability comes from many possible sources, such as the participant’s interactional goal, conversational roles, personality and emotions and so on, making the analysis of the variability hard. Such analysis is even harder in face-to-face interactions since these factors can interact both within and across the participants (i.e. speaker and listener). In this paper, we introduce our initial efforts in analying the variability of human nonverbal behaviors in face-to-face interactions. Specifically, by exploring the Parasocial Consensus Sampling (PCS) framework [13], we show personality has significant influences on listener backchannel feedback and clearly demonstrate how it affects backchannel feedback. Moreover, we suggest that PCS framework provides a general and effective approach to analyze the variability of human nonverbal behaviors, which would be difficult to perform by using the traditional face-to-face interaction data.
Daily Dose and Costs Associated With Maintenance Therapy of Topical Testosterone Agents Among Hypogonadal Men.

PIH84 59.24 mg and risk-adjusted dose PPPD was 113.3%, 113.5%, 126.4%, and 118.7% of RSD for Axiron, AndroGel 1% (non- significant vs. Axiron), AndroGel 1.62% (p<0.001 vs. Axiron), and Testim (p=0.047 vs. Axiron), respectively. Risk-adjusted third-party payer costs PPPD were $7.49, $9.49, $10.39, and $9.59 (all p<0.001 vs. Axiron), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance dose as a proportion of RSD was the lowest among Axiron and AndroGel 1% patients, while third- party payer costs for the maintenance dose were lowest among Axiron patients. 14 (6.7%) 74 (12.1%) 35 (14.9%) 64 (11.5%) 0.0305 0.0059 0.0516 PPO 133 (63.6%) 364 (59.3%) 137 (58.3%) 219 (39.2%) 0.2664 0.2501 <0.0001 POS 34 (16.3%) 70 (11.4%) 31 (13.2%) 119 (21.3%) 0.0674 0.3600 0.1186 Other/unknown 28 (13.4%) 106 (17.3%) 32 (13.6%) 156 (28.0%) 0.1909 0.9461 <0.0001 HG b 201 (96.2%) 556 (90.6%) 220 (93.6%) 528 (94.6%) 0.0098 0.2253 0.3789 HG associated conditions c 16 (7.7%) 90 (14.7%) 31 (13.2%) 67 (12.0%) 0.0090 0.0584 0.0841 CCI, Mean (SD) 0.7 (1.2) 1.0 (2.0) 0.8 (1.4) 0.9 (1.9) 0.0736 0.4415 0.3124 Select comorbidities included in the CCI Renal disease 2 (1.0%) 19 (3.1%) 10 (4.3%) 21 (3.8%) 0.0905 0.0324 0.0424 HIV/AIDS 0 (0.0%) 12 (2.0%) 1 (0.4%) 12 (2.2%) 0.0438 1.0000 0.0434 Any testosterone use during baseline period d 113 (54.1%) 157 (25.6%) 57 (24.3%) 260 (46.6%) <0.0001 <0.0001 0.0653
A study of the teratogenic potential of caffeine ingested in drinking-water

Caffeine dissolved in drinking-water was available ad lib. to Osborne-Mendel rats at dose levels of 0, 0.007, 0.018, 0.036, 0.07, 0.10, 0.15 or 0.20% during days 0-20 of gestation. The corresponding daily caffeine intakes were 0, 10.1, 27.4, 50.7, 86.6, 115.8, 160.9 and 204.5 mg/kg body weight. Dosages of 160.9 and 204.5 mg/kg were associated with decreased implantation efficiency, increased resorptions and decreased mean numbers of viable foetuses. Numbers of runts were significantly increased after dosages of 115.8-204.5 mg/kg/day. Foetal body weight and length were decreased and oedematous foetuses were increased at dosages of 86.6-204.5 mg/kg/day. Contrary to results seen after gavage studies, caffeine available ad lib. in drinking-water produced no dose-related gross anomalies. Only two animals with missing or hypoplastic nails were produced, both in the 160.9-mg/kg group. Sternebral ossification deficiencies were increased at all dose levels except 10.1 mg/kg/day. Skeletal ossification deficiencies were increased in a dose-related manner at the four highest dose levels. Caffeine given by water bottle produced ossification deficiencies similar to those seen after intubation, but at higher dosages.
Ground plane effects on quadrifilar helix antenna phase center and radiation characteristics for GPS applications

Resonant quadrifilar helixes (QHs) have found applications in Global Positioning System (GPS) receiving antennas. Results of an investigation of QH antennas with shaped ground planes and their effects on the radiation pattern, input impedance, and phase center stability are presented. It is necessary to know the location of the phase center of the field radiated to a great precision in an application like GPS. The phase center has been determined by two methods: the tangent sphere technique and an optimization technique that minimizes the mean square error. >
Classic Ras Proteins Promote Proliferation and Survival Via Distinct Phosphoproteome Alterations in Neurofibromin-Null Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells

Neurofibromin, the tumor suppressor encoded by the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene, potentially suppresses the activation of H-Ras, N-Ras, and K-Ras. However, it is not known whether these classic Ras proteins are hyperactivated in NF1-null nerve sheath tumors, how they contribute to tumorigenesis, and what signaling pathways mediate their effects. Here we show that H-Ras, N-Ras, and K-Ras are coexpressed with their activators (guanine nucleotide exchange factors) in neurofibromin-null malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cells, and that all 3 Ras proteins are activated. Dominant negative (DN) H-Ras, a pan-inhibitor of the classic Ras family, inhibited MPNST proliferation and survival, but not migration. However, NF1-null MPNST cells were variably dependent on individual Ras proteins. In some lines, ablation of H-Ras, N-Ras, and/or K-Ras inhibited mitogenesis. In others, ablation of a single Ras protein had no effect on proliferation; in these lines, ablation of a single Ras protein resulted in compensatory increases in the activation and/or expression of other Ras proteins. Using mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics, we identified 7 signaling networks affecting morphology, proliferation, and survival that are regulated by DN H-Ras. Thus, neurofibromin loss activates multiple classic Ras proteins that promote proliferation and survival by regulating several distinct signaling cascades.
Hughes/Olson: Whose Music? Whose Era?

This essay uses two poetic works from the 1950s—Langston Hughes’s 1951 sequence Montage of a Dream Deferred and the poetry and poetics of Black Mountain pioneer Charles Olson—to articulate a theory of racially engaged, nonmimetic poetic musicality deriving from the engagement both poets make with the bebop jazz of Charlie Parker and his colleagues. By taking “jazz” less as a specific body of sounds than as a conceptual provocation to rethink the very idea (and ideal) of poetry as a musical phenomenon, Hughes and Olson—both individually and together—help us make new sense of three phenomena: the way poetry relates to musical sounds external to it, the way poetry understands itself as a form of music, and the prospects for racial representation this reevaluation makes possible.
2015 AERA Distinguished Lecture College in Prison: A Cause in Need of Advocacy and Research

This essay describes the economic, social, and civic benefits of college in prison. Turning to history, it describes the unfortunate 1994 decision to eliminate Pell Grant eligibility for people in prison and argues that the time is now right to reverse that policy. Finally, it describes several ways in which scholars of education can contribute to efforts to restore equal rights to financial aid and therefore to education for the 2.2 million men and women living behind bars.
Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Bacteremia in a Cirrhotic Rat Model

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a rat model to study experimental pneumococcal pneumonia in a cirrhotic host. This model system can be used to study the host-pathogen interactions that facilitate pneumococcal pneumonia and bacteremia. It also can be used to study new approaches to the prevention and treatment of these infections. In this model, cirrhosis is induced in 200 g male Sprague-Dawley rats by weekly gavage with the hepatotoxin CCl4. The rats are group-housed and fed standard rat chow ad libitum and water containing 1.5 m mol/1 phenobarbital. The phenobarbital increases the hepatic toxicity of CCl4. After 10–14 days of phenobarbital treatment, when the rats reached a weight of at least 190 g, they are weighed and given an initial dose of 0.04 ml of CCl4. The dose is administered by intragastric gavage to rats lightly anesthetized by ether inhalation. The pneumonia is induced by transtracheal inoculation of S. pneurnoniae under ether anesthesia. An incision is made over the trachea, which is then exposed by blunt dissection. A 20G catheter is inserted into the mainstem bronchus and by using a 1 ml syringe, bacteria suspended in 0.3 ml of PBS are introduced into the lungs, followed by 0.3 ml of air to simulate aspiration. After removal of the catheter, the wound is closed with two sterile metal clips and the rats are maintained in an inclined position until fully conscious.
Evaluation of i.v. medication waste

As hospitals nationwide face budget restrictions and demands for decreased costs, pharmacy departments are increasingly pressured to discover new ways to save money. Many avenues have been explored, including enhanced formulary management, use of optimal vial sizes and multidose vials, and decreased
Experimental Study of Industrial Buyer Behavior

This article describes a buying game used in studying the industrial buying process in controlled experiments. Results indicate that purchasers have clear preferences for types of bidders and bids ...
First-Principles Calculations of Quasiparticle Excitations of Open-Shell Condensed Matter Systems

We develop a Green's function approach to quasiparticle excitations of open-shell systems within the $GW$ approximation. It is shown that accurate calculations of the characteristic multiplet structure require a precise knowledge of the self-energy and, in particular, its poles. We achieve this by constructing the self-energy from appropriately chosen mean-field theories on a fine frequency grid. We apply our method to a two-site Hubbard model, several molecules, and the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond and obtain good agreement with experiment and other high-level theories.
Bionomics of Eucosma womonana Kearfott (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), A Root Borer in Sunflowers

Female Eucosma womonana Kearfott had a preoviposition period of 4.4 ± 0.5 days, after which they laid an average of 236.8 ± 18.1 eggs in the laboratory at 27 ± 2°C. Incubation averaged 6.3 ± 1.5 days. Larvae passed through five stadia in ca. 85.8 ± 6.8 (females) or 86.5 ± 6.9 days (males). The total life cycle for laboratory-reared specimens averaged 106.7 ± 4.7 days. Infestation of roots of sunflowers, Helianthus annuus L., by E. womonana larvae on the High Plains of Texas was significantly reduced in plantings made after late April in 1982 and mid-May in 1983.
minFlash: A minimalistic clustered flash array

NAND flash is seeing increasing adoption in the data center because of its orders of magnitude lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to hard disks. However, flash performance is often degraded by (i) inefficient storage I/O stack that hides flash characteristics under Flash Translation Layer (FTL), and (ii) long latency network protocols for distributed storage. In this paper, we propose a minimalistic clustered flash array (minFlash). First, minFlash exposes a simple, stable, error-free, shared-memory flash interface that enables the host to perform cross-layer flash management optimizations in file systems, databases and other user applications. Second, minFlash uses a controller-to-controller network to connect multiple flash drives with very little overhead. We envision minFlash to be used within a rack cluster of servers to provide fast scalable distributed flash storage. We show through benchmarks that minFlash can access both local and remote flash devices with negligible latency overhead, and it can expose near theoretical max performance of the NAND chips in a distributed setting.
Influence of AC Transmission Lines on Parallelly Erected UHVDC Transmission Lines and Suppression Measures

With unceasingly increasing of electric power requirement and the shortage of corridor resource for transmission lines, in some regions the situation that the UHVDC lines are parallelly erected with UHVAC lines or the corridor is common-used.According to the main circuit parameters of UHVDC project from Xiangjiaba to Nanhui and the data of 1000kV AC transmission line being planned, the model for simulation of UHVAC/UHVDC transmission lines is built by Electro-Magnetic Transient in DC System (EMTDC) program.The power frequency voltages and currents induced in UHVDC lines under different parallel erection lengths and different adjacent distances are calculated.The relation between DC bias current at valve side of converter transformer and power frequency induced current in UHVDC lines is researched;and the corresponding calculation results are given.Several suggestions on the parallel length between UHVAC and UHVDC lines, their adjacent distance and the measure to suppress the DC bias current at valve side of converter transformer are put forward.
Corpuscular and trilaminar appearance of cultivated chick embryo fibroblast plasma membranes.

Electron microscope examination of chick embryo fibroblasts grown in tissue culture and fixed in a variety of osmium fixatives as well as in fixatives not containing osmium revealed a limiting cell membrane with a corpuscular substructure. A trilaminar appearance was more difficult to demonstrate in plasma membranes of cells fixed in osmium or glutaraldehyde solutions followed by osmication, while many extensive regions of membranes with this appearance were observed after fixation in buffered potassium permanganate. A study of the conditions favorable to the demonstration of a trilaminar appearance indicated that the level of focus of the electron microscope image and alteration of the intrinsic structure of the summits within the membrane played significant roles in producing this appearance.
Severe congestive heart failure. How successful are drug and transplant therapies

Severe congestive heart failure is a fatal illness. Aggressive use of proven medical regimens, including vasodilators and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, may prolong survival time for some patients. Those with refractory symptoms and seriously reduced left ventricular function, impaired exercise capacity, and complex or frequent ventricular arrhythmias should be considered for cardiac transplantation. Candidacy for transplantation is based on the absence of other illnesses that would limit survival or diminish the likelihood of success of the transplant. With the introduction of potent immunosuppressive agents, particularly cyclosporine (Sandimmune), survival rates after transplantation have improved to 90% at 1 year. Major problems include organ rejection, serious infection, development of coronary artery disease in the transplanted heart, and the limited donor organ supply.
What Happened in Sandtown-Winchester? Understanding the Impacts of a Comprehensive Community Initiative

We use multiple longitudinal data sources and propensity score matching to assess the long-term outcomes of the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) in the Sandtown-Winchester community of ...
Improved Swiss-rolling Technique for Intestinal Tissue Preparation for Immunohistochemical and Immunofluorescent Analyses

Understanding the role of factors that regulate intestinal epithelial homeostasis and response to injury and regeneration is important. The current literature describes several different methodological approaches to obtain images of intestinal tissues for data validation. In this paper, we delineate a common protocol relating to the derivation and processing of mouse intestinal tissues. Proper fixation of intestinal tissues and Swiss-roll techniques that enhance intestinal epithelial morphology are discussed. Postresection processing and reorientation of embedded intestinal tissues are critical in obtaining paraffin-embedded blocks that display intact intestinal structural features after sectioning. The Swiss-rolling technique helps in histological assessment of the complete intestinal or colonic sections examined. An ability to differentiate intestinal structural features can be vital in quantitative measurements of intestinal inflammation and tumorigenesis along the entire length. Finally, paraffin-embedded sections are ideal for robust processing using both immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent detection methods. Nonfluorescent immunohistochemical sections provide a vibrant image of the tissue detailing different cellular structural features but do not provide flexibility for intracellular co-localization experiments. Multiple fluorescent channels can be appropriately utilized with immunofluorescent detection for co-localization experiments, lending support to mechanistic studies.
In Utero Transplantation of Transduced Hematopoietic Stem Cells Results in Deletion of Transgene-Specific T Cells.

The developing fetal immune system provides a unique opportunity to manipulate normal immunologic development for therapeutic prenatal and anticipated postnatal interventions. In previous studies we have shown that allogeneic in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) results in donor specific tolerance that can subsequently facilitate non-myeloablative postnatal cellular or organ transplants. It follows that in utero injection of transduced hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) could potentially induce tolerance to a transgene encoded protein. We hypothesized that expression of a transduced antigenic protein by HSC and their progeny would alter thymic T cell development resulting in deletion of antigen specific T-cells. To test this hypothesis, we used the mammary tumor virus (MTV) superantigen system to evaluate the effect of IUHCT of transduced HSC on T cell development. In this system, expression of different MTV oncogenes by different I-E+ strains of mice results in deletion of T cells expressing the relevant Vβ T cell receptor. Specifically, mice which are Mtv7+ delete T cells expressing the Vβ6 T-cell receptor. In this study, CD150+CD48− enriched Balb/c (I-E+ Mtv7−) HSC were transduced with an HIV-based lentivirus expressing MTV7 under an MND promoter. 1.5E+05 transduced cells were injected intravascularly via the vitelline vein into E14 Balb/c fetuses. Non-injected age matched naive Balb/c mice served as the control group. The peripheral blood (PB) and thymuses of injected fetuses and control mice were harvested at day of life (DOL) 10, 20 and 60 and analyzed by flow cytometry for T lymphocyte Vβ6 expression. Additionally, the T cell composition of the thymus was assessed at DOL10 for CD4 and CD8 single positive (SP) and CD4/CD8 double positive (DP) cells. Thymic flow cytometric analysis at DOL10 revealed that greater than 98% of the T cells were CD4CD8 DP, a stage that has not yet undergone negative selection. No significant difference was noted in the percentage of thymic Vβ6+ DP T-cells at this time point or at DOL20 and DOL60. In contrast, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of Vβ6+ peripheral blood SP cells in those mice injected with MTV7 transduced HSC relative to control mice at DOL10, DOL20 and DOL60 (p
Constructive Communication Patterns and Associated Factors Among Male Couples

Constructive communication is an important correlate to examine for sexual health promotion and HIV prevention among male couples. However, few studies have examined the effect of different relationship dynamics on both partners' perceptions of constructive communication. Using dyadic data collected from 361 male couples, the present study explores which relationship dynamics were associated with constructive communication patterns. The results highlight the relevance of investment in a sexual agreement and trust within the relationship in perceptions of constructive communication. These findings may be particularly useful to guide the development of future dyadic-focused sexual health and HIV preventive interventions for male couples.
Molecular pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is an almost universally fatal disease, with a five-year survival rate of 5%. Research into both sporadic and inherited forms of pancreatic cancer has yielded tremendous advances in the understanding of this disease at the molecular level. Elucidating genetic alterations in pancreatic cancer has identified various abnormalities ranging from gross chromosomal abnormalities to point mutations, many of which influence the development and progression of pancreatic cancer. Identifying precursor lesions within pancreatic ducts has led to the formulation of a progression model of pancreatic cancer and subsequent identification of early- and late-stage changes leading to invasive cancer. Ultimately, understanding the genetic events underlying the development of pancreatic cancer may serve as a useful adjunct in the screening and treatment of patients suffering from, or at risk for, pancreatic cancer.
Exploring the link between work-family conflict and job burnout among Indian police officers:

Working in law enforcement can be a trying experience that can result in work-family conflict. Work-family conflict occurs when the domains of work and home spill into one another, causing strain a...
Screening and selection of artificial riboswitches

Synthetic riboswitches are engineered to regulate gene expression in response to a variety of non-endogenous small molecules, and a challenge to select this engineered response requires robust screening tools. A new synthetic riboswitch can be created by linking an in vitro-selected aptamer library with a randomized expression platform followed by in vivo selection and screening. In order to determine response to analyte, we developed a dual-color reporter comprising elements of the E. coli fimbriae phase variation system: recombinase FimE controlled by a synthetic riboswitch and an invertible DNA segment (fimS) containing a constitutively active promoter placed between two fluorescent protein genes. Without an analyte, the fluorescent reporter constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFPa1). Addition of the analyte initiated translation of fimE causing unidirectional inversion of the fimS segment and constitutive expression of red fluorescent protein (mKate2). The dual color reporter system can be used to select and to optimize artificial riboswitches in E. coli cells. In this work, the enriched library of aptamers incorporated into the riboswitch architecture reduces the sequence search space by offering a higher percentage of potential ligand binders. The study was designed to produce structure switching aptamers, a necessary feature for riboswitch function and efficiently quantify this function using the dual color reporter system.
Novel insights from the Yellow Light Game: Safe and risky decisions differentially impact adolescent outcome-related brain function.

Abstract Changes across the span of adolescence in the adolescent reward system are thought to increase the tendency to take risks. While developmental differences in decision and outcome-related reward processes have been studied extensively, existing paradigms have largely neglected to measure how different types of decisions modulate reward-related outcome processes. We modified an existing decision-making paradigm (the Stoplight Task; Chein et al., 2011) to create a flexible laboratory measure of decision-making and outcome processing, including the ability to assess modulatory effects of safe versus risky decisions on reward-related outcome processes: the Yellow Light Game (YLG). We administered the YLG in the MRI scanner to 81 adolescents, ages 11–17 years, recruited from the community. Results showed that nucleus accumbens activation was enhanced for (1) risky > safe decisions, (2) positive > negative outcomes, and (3) outcomes following safe decisions compared to outcomes following risky decisions, regardless of whether these outcomes were positive or negative. Outcomes following risky decisions (compared to outcomes following safe decisions) were associated with enhanced activity in cortical midline structures. Furthermore, while there were no developmental differences in risk-taking behavior, more pubertally mature adolescents showed enhanced nucleus accumbens activation during positive > negative outcomes. These findings suggest that outcome processing is modulated by the types of decisions made by adolescents and highlight the importance of investigating processes involved in safe as well as risky decisions to better understand the adolescent tendency to take risks.
Molecular Diffusion In A Single Zeolite Crystal

The single crystal membrane technique for measuring zeolitic diffusivities has been modified with aim to measure differential diffusivities. A Mass Selective Detector (MSD) has been integrated into the experimental system. The membrane is subjected to a concentration difference rather than a pressure difference as driving force, and the concentration of the diffusing species is monitored on the receiving side with the MSD. The transient response has been used to calculate the zeolitic diffusivity. The method has been applied to measure micropore diffusivity of CO2 and CH4 in silicalite. The method has significant potential: but, several operational difficulties have to be overcome before the method can be applied to measure differential diffusivities.
HYPERFINE AND ZEEMAN STUDIES OF METASTABLE ATOMIC STATES BY ATOMIC-BEAM MAGNETIC-RESONANCE

Abstract Applications of the atomic-beam magnetic-resonance technique to the Zeeman effect and hyperfine structure (hfs) of low-lying states of neutral atoms are discussed. The experimental techniques and relevant theory are reviewed, and the procedure for extracting numerical values of atomic quantities from the data is discussed in detail. For atoms in which the necessary measurements have been made in enough states, some of these quantities (radial expectation values) are overdetermined and stringent self-consistency tests can be made. The values obtained are compared with the results of both nonrelativistic and relativistic Hartree-Fock calculations. Examples are given to show how the hfs is affected by intermediate coupling, configuration interaction (including core polarization), the breakdown of J as a good quantum number, and relativity. In the interpretation, the emphasis throughout is that the eigenvectors for the states, usually determined by fitting the excitation energies, should be simultaneously consistent with the four observables: excitation energy, g j value, magnetic-dipole hfs constant A and electric-quadrupole hfs constant B .
Anti-ganglioside antibodies bind with enhanced affinity to gangliosides containing very long chain fatty acids

Gangliosides function in both physiological and pathological molecular recognition. Although much research has focused on the role of ganglioside glycans in recognition, fewer studies have addressed the role of the ceramide moiety. Ceramides of major brain gangliosides are composed predominantly of monounsaturated 18-carbon and 20-carbon long chain bases with a saturated 18-carbon fatty acid amide. In contrast, gangliosides of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy patients are characterized by abnormal very long chain fatty acids that are proposed to be associated with autoimmune inflammation. In the current study we synthesized and characterized derivatives of the major brain ganglioside GD1a bearing defined very long chain fatty acid amides (C24:0, C24:1, and C26:0). When tested in a solid phase binding assay in the presence of auxiliary membrane lipids, GD1a species with long chain fatty acids were up to 8-fold more potent than normal brain GD1a in binding four different anti-GD1a monoclonal antibodies. These data support the hypothesis that gangliosides bearing very long chain fatty acids are differentially displayed on membranes, which may lead to altered antigenicity.
Queueing Analysis of Auxiliary-Connection-Enabled Switches for Software-Defined Networks

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a powerful technology to enable future network innovations, especially for data center networks. However, the limited capacity of the switch-to-controller link is a scalability issue for data center deployments. Auxiliary connections are introduced in the OpenFlow 1.3 Specification to help alleviate switch-to-controller link overflow and improve the scalability of SDN. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed to study the performance of auxiliary connections with OpenFlow switches. This model characterizes different interactions between the controller and the auxiliary-connection-enabled switches with limited buffer space. The model produces evaluation results in seconds for switches with realistic data center traffic loads, which would require days of compute time with network simulation. The analytical model is validated for lower traffic loads using ns3 and an example in-depth analysis of switch performance is carried out with typical data center traffic loads to illustrate the utility of the approach. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to study auxiliary connections for SDN analytically.
Niche diversity can explain cross-cultural differences in personality structure

The covariance structure of personality traits derived from statistical models (for example, Big Five) is often assumed to be a human universal. Cross-cultural studies have challenged this view, finding that less-complex societies exhibit stronger covariation among behavioural characteristics, resulting in fewer derived personality factors. To explain these results, we propose the niche diversity hypothesis, in which a greater diversity of social and ecological niches elicits a broader range of multivariate behavioural profiles and, hence, lower trait covariance in a population. We formalize this as a computational model, which reproduces empirical results from recent cross-cultural studies and also yields an additional prediction for which we find empirical support. This work provides a general explanation for population differences in personality structure in both humans and other animals and suggests a substantial reimagining of personality research: instead of reifying statistical descriptions of manifest personality structures, research should focus more on modelling their underlying causes.
Distribution and photo-reactivity of chromophoric and fluorescent dissolved organic matter in the Northeastern North Pacific Ocean

Abstract Deep waters in the Northeastern North Pacific Ocean store the most aged, largely biologically refractory dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the global ocean. We conducted high resolution vertical profiles to survey the optical properties of this DOM in the Gulf of Alaska (GoA) onboard the R/V Melville using ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) absorbance spectra and excitation-emission matrix spectra (EEMs) along with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Chromophoric DOM (CDOM) absorption coefficients in the GoA were similar to the global open ocean waters reported elsewhere outside the Northeastern North Pacific. Three humic-like and two protein-like fluorescent components were identified. Profiles of fluorescent DOM (FDOM) showed a low signal for the humic-like organic matter in the surface that increased in the subsurface and remained fairly constant at depth. In contrast, the protein-like components had elevated levels in surface samples that decreased with depth. Both CDOM and FDOM optical proxies remained spatially uniform within the deep ocean water masses. Photochemical irradiations performed onboard showed that photochemistry of the FDOM from deep seawater transformed the deep ocean fluorescent organic matter signals into a fluorescent component distribution that resembled surface water with a dominance of protein-like fluorescent material. This work contributes to the global ocean survey database of chromophoric and fluorescent DOM and provides evidence of a role for the photochemical alteration of deep, biologically refractory DOM once it is mixed back into the sunlit surface ocean.
EWB-USA and EPICS: Academic Credit, Community Impact, and Student Learning

EWB-USA engages thousands of students nationally on community-driven projects almost exclusively as an extra-curricular activity. This paper documents how one EWB-USA chapter used the EPICS framework to merge the club into a credit-bearing program that leverages the infrastructure of the university and recognizes the faculty work within their respective teaching loads. The approach preserves student leadership and ownership while enhancing student learning and accountability. Student reflections were analyzed and showed evidence of learning of design as well as broader professional skills including communication, teamwork and project management. Critical and reflective thinking is evident in the class artifacts. Deeper learning including evidence of an awareness of ethnocentrism and positionality and bias were documented in the analysis of the student reflections.
Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy and the cost of conversion

Background Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is preferred for distal pancreatectomy but is not always attempted due to the risk of conversion to open. We hypothesized that the total cost for MIS converted to open procedures would be comparable to those that started open. Methods A prospectively collected institutional registry (2011-2017) was reviewed for demographic, clinical, and perioperative cost data for patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy. Results There were 80 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy: 41 open, 39 MIS (11 laparoscopic and 28 robotic). Conversion to open occurred in 14 of 39 (36%, 3 laparoscopic and 11 robotic). Length of stay was shorter for the MIS completed (6 days; range, 3-8), and MIS converted to open (7 days; range, 4-10) groups, compared with open (10 days; range, 5-36; P = .003). Laparoscopic cases were the least expensive (P = .02). Robotic converted to open procedures had the highest operating room cost. However, the total cost for robotic converted to open cohort was similar to the open cohort due to cost savings associated with a shorter length of stay. Conclusions Despite the higher intraoperative costs of robotic surgery, there is no significant overall financial penalty for conversion to open. Financial considerations should not play a role in selecting a robotic or open approach.
Exploration of life satisfaction of Korean people with sensory impairments across the lifespan.

Abstract Background Approximately, 600,000 people in South Korea have registered as people with either visual or hearing impairment or both. Individuals with sensory impairments are more likely to have limited physical and social functioning, which consequently affected their health, well-being and life satisfaction. While diverse elements were considered as critical determinants of life satisfaction among individuals with sensory impairments, only few studies examined the relationships between life domains and life satisfaction of the population. Objectives This study investigated the relationships between life domains and life satisfactions among Korean individuals with sensory impairments. Methods This study used 2015 national data from Korea to explore the relationships across different age groups. A total of 965 participants were selected, and they were divided into three groups: (a) middle aged group (MAG; 54 and below, 35.2%), (b) late-middle aged group (L-MAG; 55–64; 35.2%), and (c) older adult group (OAG; 65 and older; 29.5%). Demographic variables (e.g., perceived socioeconomic status, the severity of disabilities), the satisfaction of seven life domains, and the overall life satisfaction were measured. Results Although most of the life domains were significant predictors of overall life satisfaction, the leisure domain was the strongest determinant of the overall life satisfaction to MAG and OAG and the second strongest predictor to L-MAG. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of leisure for quality of life of individuals with sensory impairments and suggests an implication to researchers and practitioners to increase accessibility for individuals with sensory impairments to leisure facilities and programs.
A 16 Path All-Passive Harmonic Rejection Mixer With Watt-Level In-Band IIP3 in 45-nm CMOS SOI

This work presents an all-passive harmonic rejection mixer (HRM) with watt-level in-band IIP3. The HRM operates in the voltage mode using resistors to scale the voltages of the different paths across the frequency cycle and therefore, attains very high linearity. The passive HRM employs a non-overlapping clock generation chain combined with duty cycle control circuit to trim the rise and fall times of the individual paths, and maintains the harmonic rejection ratio (HRR) over the frequency band. Two 0.13–3 GHz 16-path HRM chips are fabricated in 45-nm CMOS silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology using thin and thick-oxide devices, respectively, with 80-MHz IF bandwidth and a core area 0.06 mm2. The thick-oxide HRM achieves a HRR >35 dBc for all harmonics up to 3 GHz with a conversion loss of 8–10 dB, while the in-band IIP3 is 24–31 dBm and IP1 dB is 11–13 dBm for an RF of 0.5–3 GHz. To the authors knowledge, the all-passive 16-path HRM achieves the highest reported in-band IIP3 and IP1 dB.
Gamma-ray transitions in 50 V

$\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray transitions from states in $^{50}\mathrm{V}$ up to 1680 keV excitation have been studied using the ($p,n\ensuremath{\gamma}$) reaction. Branching ratios and some lifetime information was obtained. There is an indication of a doublet at 910 keV, the existence of which is previously unreported. Relative transition probabilities are compared to the $1{f}_{\frac{7}{2}}$ model of $^{50}\mathrm{V}$.