cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immunology of borreliosis in nonhuman primates.

Nonhuman primates have been found susceptible to infection with borrelias which cause relapsing fever in man (2). Preliminary experiments showed that patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and vervets (African green monkeys, Cercopithecus aethiops) may serve as satisfactory models for the investigation of the immunologic features of infections with Borrelia turicatae 2 and B. hermsii, which are the two most frequently reported causative agents of human borreliosis in the United States.
Toxic Responses of the Adrenal Cortex

The adrenal gland is reported to be the most common toxicological target organ within the endocrine system. It is a vital organ with universal steroidogenic capability and there are well-described cases of human drug-induced adrenocortical toxicity, typically resulting from unpredicted enzyme inhibition. Adrenal hypertrophy/adrenocortical cellular hypertrophy are common findings in toxicity studies and also often incorrectly attributed to “stress”: these findings should not be attributed to stress unless there is clear evidence that the adrenal cortex is also functional. This article reviews the endocrinology of the hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenocortical system and steroidogenesis identifying the many potential physiological and molecular targets for toxicity and also factors predisposing the adrenal to toxic insult. In vivo assessment models and strategies are reviewed including species differences and the effects of age and gender. The need for proper examination of the mechanistic cause of adrenal hypertrophy (which usually results from excess adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion) is discussed in terms of comparison of the more benign excess ACTH drive due to stress with the more sinister effect of adrenocortical steroidogenic inhibition and insufficiency which results in a loss of glucocorticoids, reduced feedback inhibition, and unrestrained ACTH stimulation of the adrenal. In vitro models and the use of human cell lines in both screening and mechanism elucidation are also discussed. Examples and mechanisms of toxic responses of the adrenal cortex are given. The focus is on the adrenal cortex as a toxicological target but adrenocortical and glucocorticoid modulation of the response to toxic insult is also discussed: adrenal functional activation is one of the most vital physiological responses after infection or injury, including toxic insult, and the action of the glucocorticoids can profoundly alter the response to toxic insult. Human adrenocortical dysfunction is discussed, both from the point view of drugs that are known to cause adrenocortical toxicity (e.g., etomidate, aminoglutethimide, synthetic steroids which all have different mechanisms) and as a means of identifying the consequences of disruption of specific molecular targets important in health and disease from which mechanisms of toxicity can be inferred. Finally, environmental evidence increased the awareness and concern of endocrine disruption through estrogenic mechanisms and the evidence for adrenal toxicity and reduced survival fitness in environmentally important sentinel species such as fish and birds is also reviewed.
Suicide in a Middle-Born Child.

A case of suicide in a 17-year-old boy is described. Extracts from an interview with his mother are used to illustrate his violent behavior, delinquency, relationships with his family and peers, efforts to seek treatment, and the clues he gave to his impending suicide. His life-style and subsequent suicidal behavior are related to his middle-born sibling position. Language: en
Information Modeling for Product Lifecycle Management

Product lifecycle modelling is to define and represent product lifecycle data and to maintain data interdependencies. This paper presents a framework of product lifecycle model that comprises three parts: product information model, process model based on product life cycle, and extended enterprise resource model. Further, the relationship and formation of product models at different stages are described. Finally, an integrated information architecture is proposed to support interoperability of distributed product data sources.
What Does It Mean to Notice My Students' Ideas in Science Today?: An Investigation of Elementary Teachers' Practice of Noticing Their Students' Thinking in Science.

Efforts toward improving K-12 science education emphasize teachers noticing students’ thinking as they engage in disciplinary practices and reasoning. This noticing requires specialized teacher kno...
How contextual factors influence athlete experiences of team cohesion: an in-depth exploration

Research question: In the name of ‘high performance team practices’, coaches and managers try to build stronger cohesion within their teams to improve athletic performance. However, uninformed atte...
Combined Effects of Race and Socioeconomic Status on Cancer Beliefs, Cognitions, and Emotions

Aim: To determine whether socioeconomic status (SES; educational attainment and income) explains the racial gap in cancer beliefs, cognitions, and emotions in a national sample of American adults. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, data came from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2017, which included a nationally representative sample of American adults. The study enrolled 2277 adults who were either non-Hispanic Black (n = 409) or non-Hispanic White (n = 1868). Race, demographic factors (age and gender), SES (i.e., educational attainment and income), health access (insurance status, usual source of care), family history of cancer, fatalistic cancer beliefs, perceived risk of cancer, and cancer worries were measured. We ran structural equation models (SEMs) for data analysis. Results: Race and SES were associated with perceived risk of cancer, cancer worries, and fatalistic cancer beliefs, suggesting that non-Hispanic Blacks, low educational attainment and low income were associated with higher fatalistic cancer beliefs, lower perceived risk of cancer, and less cancer worries. Educational attainment and income only partially mediated the effects of race on cancer beliefs, emotions, and cognitions. Race was directly associated with fatalistic cancer beliefs, perceived risk of cancer, and cancer worries, net of SES. Conclusions: Racial gap in SES is not the only reason behind racial gap in cancer beliefs, cognitions, and emotions. Racial gap in cancer related beliefs, emotions, and cognitions is the result of race and SES rather than race or SES. Elimination of racial gap in socioeconomic status will not be enough for elimination of racial disparities in cancer beliefs, cognitions, and emotions in the United States.
Proceedings of the 48th Annual Pancreas Club Meeting

The 48th annual Pancreas Club meeting was held on May 2 and 3, 2014, at the Westin Lombard in Lombard, IL. Two hundred sixty attendees included pancreatologists from 17 countries. Two hundred eleven abstracts were submitted; from these, a record number (64) oral presentations and 136 posters were selected. Table 1 documents oral abstract titles with institutional affiliation. Full abstracts for all oral presentations and posters are available at the Pancreas Club website, http://pancreasclub.com . Representative abstracts from each of the eight sessions are summarized below.
The Influence of a Continuous Mining Machine and Roof/Rib Mesh on Magnetic Proximity Detection Systems

Magnetic proximity detection systems (PDSs) are used with continuous mining machines (CMMs) to protect miners from striking and pinning accidents. Generators are used in a PDS to create magnetic fields covering the space around a CMM. The PDS determines the proximity of a miner relative to the CMM based on the magnetic flux density detected by a miner-wearable component (MWC) and simultaneously alerts the miner and stops the motion of the CMM if the miner is within a proximity that creates a striking hazard. A stable magnetic field is essential to the accuracy of the proximity calculations performed by the PDS. This paper presents the results of a systematic study of the magnetic influence of two types of steel structures found near a CMM—the body of the CMM itself and the wire mesh used for roof and rib control. The results show that the steel of the CMM body can change the magnetic field distribution and also alter electrical parameters of a PDS by changing its generator current. The study also shows that, depending on the distance between the wire mesh and a generator, the magnetic field can also be altered.
Mirrors and Windows for High-Energy Lasers: The Wavefront Distortion Problem

High-energy laser (HEL) systems involve an optical train consisting of mirrors and windows, which may compromise the system’s operation because of unavoidable wavefront distortions resulting from the absorption of some fraction of the incident laser-beam energy. The first part of the paper concerns actively cooled HEL reflectors; a generalized mirror/heat-exchanger model is used for evaluating both irradiance-mapping and coolant-pressure induced distortions. The theory of thermal lensing of HEL windows is reviewed in part 2; the purpose is to clarify the role of stress-induced birefringence effects and to apply the figure-of-merit concept to key laser-window material candidates.
Therapeutic Challenges for Elderly Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) predominantly affects older adults, and parathyroidectomy can achieve definitive cure in symptomatic PHPT and asymptomatic meeting surgical criteria. As the population continues to age, the treatment of PHPT in octogenarians and nonagenarians presents a clinical conundrum. This case series presents the management of eight patients 85 years of age and older diagnosed with PHPT. A retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism were identified in a single institution. Those patients 85 years of age and older who were followed up for over one year were included in this case series. The literature on treatment options for this age group was also reviewed. Eight cases of PHPT patients aged 88 ± 2.5 years old with a follow-up average of 5.6 ± 4.4 years were reported in our case series. Six PHPT patients were medically managed and two PHPT patients underwent parathyroid resection. Most of the medically managed PHPT patients except for one had long-term stability of disease for over five years. The treatment of PHPT diagnosed in patients over 85 years of age presents a clinical challenge for which there is no clear consensus guideline. Our case series supports that medical therapy is a feasible option for PHPT patients over 85 years old.
Pythia: Intellectual Property Verification in Zero-Knowledge

The contemporary IC supply chain depends heavily on third-party intellectual property (3PIP) that is integrated to in-house designs. As the correctness of such 3PIPs should be verified before integration, one important challenge for 3PIP vendors is proving the functionality of their designs while protecting the privacy of circuit implementations. In this work, we present Pythia that employs zero-knowledge proofs to enable vendors convince integrators about the functionality of a circuit without disclosing its netlist. Pythia automatically encodes netlists into zero knowledge-friendly format, evaluates them on different inputs, and proves correctness of outputs. We evaluate Pythia using the ISCAS’85 benchmark suite.
Abdominal Flap-based Breast Reconstruction versus Abdominoplasty: The Impact of Surgical Procedure on Scar Location.

Background Autologous breast reconstruction has been demonstrated to be associated with superior patient-reported outcomes, and hence is regarded as the gold standard reconstructive modality. A common drawback of this procedure, however, is related to a high abdominal scar. Recently, hybrid breast reconstruction (ie, the combination of autologous and implant-based reconstruction) was presented as an approach that would combine the benefits of both reconstructive modalities. In this study, we sought to assess abdominal aesthetic outcomes associated with this approach. Methods Thirty-two blinded reviewers evaluated standardized pre- and postoperative abdominal images of patients following autologous reconstruction with free abdominal flap (Group 1; N = 10), hybrid reconstruction (Group 2; N = 5), and abdominoplasty (Group 3; N = 10). Aesthetic abdominal appearance, including overall result, scar position, skin redundancy, and lateral abdominal contour, was rated on a 5-point Likert scale and a comparative analysis was performed. Results Hybrid reconstruction was associated with significantly lower abdominal scars compared with Group 1 (P = 0.01), nearing results of patients in Group 3 (P = 0.39). Significantly higher aesthetic ratings were ascribed to Groups 2 and 3 when compared with Group 1 (P < 0.001) with regard to scar positioning (P < 0.001), skin redundancy (P < 0.001), and lateral abdominal contour (P < 0.001). No significant difference in aesthetic ratings was noted between Groups 2 and 3. Conclusions When applied to the appropriate patient population, hybrid breast reconstruction is a powerful method to achieve reconstructive goals while optimizing abdominal aesthetics. A significantly lower scar position was noted and higher abdominal aesthetic ratings were given following abdominoplasty and hybrid reconstruction compared with conventional abdominal flap-based reconstruction.
Abstract PO-184: Air pollution in relation to risk of pancreatic cancer in the Multiethnic Cohort Study

Background: There are limited studies that have investigated the association between ambient gaseous and particulate matter (PM) air pollutants and risk of pancreatic cancer. Results from published studies are inconsistent, the strongest evidence was a significant, 16% increase in risk of pancreatic cancer mortality per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM Citation Format: David Bogumil, Anna H. Wu, Daniel Stram, Chiu-Chen Tseng, Iona Cheng, Veronica Wendy Setiawan. Air pollution in relation to risk of pancreatic cancer in the Multiethnic Cohort Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-184.
Neurological complications of syncope and sudden cardiac arrest

Syncope is very common and usually comes with enough warning for the person to assume a safer position rather than fall in a potentially dangerous way. Syncope may be associated with pregnancy, for example, but we rarely encounter significant injury related to the potential for an associated fall. In the elderly, however, there are often comorbid factors such as delayed reaction time and other aspects of cognitive impairment, along with gait instability, that can affect the defensive reflexes to the point that brain injury, including subdural or epidural hematoma, is not uncommonly encountered. Sudden syncope without warning can also have both neurological and general physical implications in terms of driving safety, safety operating potentially dangerous equipment or exposure to heights as well as the potential impact for drowning or near-drowning while swimming or taking a bath. Sudden death, from whatever the mechanism, implies cerebral hypoperfusion with the potential consequences of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Proceedings of the 7th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Location-Based Social Networks

These proceedings contain the papers selected for presentation at the seventh edition of the ACM SIGSPATIAL Workshop on Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN 2014) which is being held in conjunction with the ACM SIGSPATIAL GIS conference in 2014. Social networks have been prevalent on the Internet and become a hot research topic attracting many professionals from a variety of fields. The advances in location-acquisition and mobile communication technologies empower people to use location data with existing online social networks. The dimension of location helps bridge the gap between the physical world and online social networking services. Furthermore, people in an existing social network can expand their social structure with the new interdependency derived from their locations. As location is one of the most important components of user context, extensive knowledge about an individual's interests, behaviors, and relationships with others can be learned from locations. These kinds of location-embedded and location-driven social structures are known as location-based social networks. The objective of this workshop is to provide professionals, researchers, and technologists with a single forum where they can discuss and share the state-of-the-art of LBSN development and applications, present their ideas and contributions, and set future directions in emerging innovative research for location based social networks. This year program is composed of two tracks of predominantly "social" and "spatial" views on LBSNs.
A new inhibition mechanism in the multifunctional catalytic hemoglobin dehaloperoxidase as revealed by the DHP A(V59W) mutant: A spectroscopic and crystallographic study

As multifunctional catalytic hemoglobins, dehaloperoxidase isoenzymes A and B (DHP A and B) are among the most versatile hemoproteins in terms of activities displayed. The ability of DHP to bind ov...
A Multiscale Entropy-Based Long Short Term Memory Model for Lithium-Ion Battery Prognostics

Data-driven methods for battery prognostics aim to capture information from past data to predict the future battery performance. Large amount of data required in these methods can be further complicated by noises. Coarse-graining technique may reduce the noises in the battery data. Entropy, from information viewpoint, can be used as an input variable for prognostics. Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) algorithm is a good candidate to fit the battery data since it is compatible with numerical dependent variables and yields great generalization ability. In this paper, we utilize the multiscale Shannon entropy of lithium-ion battery coarse-grained voltage sequences and the actual past capacities as input variables in a LSTM model for predicting the next-cycle capacities. As compared to the traditional data-driven approaches to battery prognostics, the proposed model results in high accuracy since it takes into account the multiple time scales inherent in voltage sequences and stores key information from capacities over charge/discharge cycles.
Holey Substrate-Directed Strain Patterning in Bilayer MoS2.

Key properties of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials are highly strain tunable, arising from bond modulation and associated reconfiguration of the energy bands around the Fermi level. Approache...
Phenoloxidase Activity in Mycelia Carrying Modifier Mutations That Affect Sporocarp Development in Schizophyllum commune

Phenoloxidase activity was studied in mycelia carrying mutations that affect sporocarp formation. The results suggest that phenoloxidase activity may be essential to, but is not sufficient for, the fruiting response in Schizophyllum.
Reducing harmonic in multiobject joint transform correlation by use of adaptive mean processing

We propose and demonstrate a single spatial light modulator joint transform correlator with adaptive mean processing for reducing harmonic peaks. Compared with the binary joint transform correlator, the proposed scheme provides better correlation performance with insignificant harmonic terms under multiobject and noise background.
Examining the Role of Gender in Longitudinal Adventure Education Outcome Attainment

This paper investigates the impacts of gender on outcomes five years after participation in an adventure education program. Original data collection began in 2006 with 510 study participants. In 2010, 200 of the original participants were interviewed including 139 males and 61 females. This study employed means-end theory to examine how program components (attributes) led participants to experience outcomes (consequences and values). Results revealed few differences between male and female participants. Both reported that group and instruction were two of the most meaningful course attributes, and interactions and new experiences/opportunities were two of the most frequently mentioned consequences. Males and females transferred course experiences to other areas of their lives and had increased self-respect/esteem/confidence.
Gender Differences in Physician Pay: Tradeoffs Between Career and Family

This paper analyzes how much of the gender earnings gap among physicians is due to womens greater family responsibilities. Women physicians earn 11 percent less for being married plus 14 percent less for having one child and 22 percent less for having more than one child. Before marrying/having children, women physicians who later became wives or mothers had higher earnings than those who remained single and childless, but sharply reduced their hours of work after marrying/having children. The results suggest that these earnings gaps do not reflect adverse selection but rather individual choices given time constraints imposed by family responsibilities.
A Needs Assessment, Development, and Formative Evaluation of a Health Promotion Smartphone Application for College Students

Background: Approximately half of college students who completed the National College Health Assessment 2013 indicated a greater need for health-related information. University-based smartphone applications may help students better access this information. Purpose: This study describes the needs assessment, development, and formative evaluation of a smartphone application designed to link students to health promotion information and on-campus resources at a public university. Methods: An online survey was administered to 219 students. A smartphone application was subsequently developed also considering feedback from selected campus leaders. A focus group was conducted with 9 students to assess opinions about the application prototype. Results: The 3 most common health topics participants selected as most important to them were stress management, nutrition/diet, and physical activity/fitness. Students thought the application prototype was beneficial to the campus community and the topics included were help...
Acoustic analysis reveals a new cryptic bush-cricket in the Carpathian Mountains (Orthoptera, Phaneropteridae).

A new morphologically cryptic species of phaneropterid bush–cricket from the genus Isophya is described from the Eastern Carpathian Mountains: Isophya dochia sp. n. Sound analysis and morphological details are discussed in the paper comparing the new species with several Isophya species having similar morphology and acoustic behavior.
Oxygen permeability of cast ionomer films from chronoamperometry on microelectrodes

Abstract The paper presents a method for determination of diffusion coefficient and solubility of oxygen in cast polymer electrolyte from chronoamperometry of oxygen on polymer electrolyte coated platinum disk ultramicroelectrodes. The approach is based on numerical fitting of measured currents to the known but not previously used for polymer electrolytes equation derived by Shoup and Szabo. The method was applied to cast films of a novel polymer electrolyte 6F-40. As opposed to Nafion®, cast 6F-40 films do not undergo interfacial restructuring, i.e., they retain their original morphology under selected temperature and humidity conditions, which allows for accurate determination of both parameters from measurements for a range of electrode radii and film thicknesses. It is demonstrated that the Shoup and Szabo equation satisfactorily describes measured current transients for shorter oxygen reduction times, i.e., when the diffusion field in the thin polymer film can be regarded as semiinfinite. The accuracy of the diffusion coefficient and solubility determinations was not measurably affected by the product water and the observed systematic changes of the fit quality in various time domains were attributed to approximate character of the fitting equation.
Numerical study of porous channel flow in a rotating system by a homotopy method

Abstract Problems in lubrication, transpiration cooling, dialysis, gaseous diffusion processes, subterranean rivers fed by porous bedrock, and flow under the polar icecap are examples of porous channel flow in a rotating system. Using similarity equations the Navier-Stokes equations reduce to a 10th order two-point boundary value problem. For certain parameter ranges this problem is very difficult and is not amenable to simple shooting techniques or classical locally convergent iterative methods. A recently developed globally convergent homotopy algorithm is applied to the boundary value problem, and numerical results are reported for a wide range of parameter values.
Sintering mechanisms of blended Ti6Al4V powder from diffusion path analysis

The sintering of master alloy-blended Ti6Al4V powder has been investigated to elucidate the mechanisms of sintering. Both blended powder compacts and diffusion couple samples were investigated using backscattered imaging and energy dispersive analysis to determine the phases present, and the diffusion path for sintering which has not been previously reported for this system. Transient liquid-phase sintering does not occur, and it is shown for the first time that the reason for the rapid sintering of this material in the temperature range of 1000–1150 °C is due to enhanced diffusion kinetics resulting from a combination of the concentration gradient and stress induced by a phase transformation in the ternary system. The results of this study have implications for the development of blended master alloy combinations in other powder metallurgy systems.
Lateral hypothalamic stimulation-produced analgesia: Inferred refractory period of directly stimulated neurons and resistance to pimozide antagonism

Abstract Electrical stimulation in lateral hypothalamic sites (ESLH) supporting appetitive behavior and reward also diminishes pain and aversion responses that are organized high in the neuraxis. A paired-pulse stimulation technique was used, in two different behavioral paradigms, to infer the absolute refractory periods of LH neurons that mediate this apparent supraspinal analgesia. In both paradigms, recovery from refractoriness—reflected by increased analgesic action—was evident at intrapair intervals of 0.8 msec and greater. This finding suggests that the overlap, if any, between first stage neurons mediating analgesia and appetitive/reward behavior may be restricted to the ‘heterogeneous slow population’ distinguished by Gratton and Wise. The dopamine antagonist pimozide, at doses known to diminish ESLH-induced feeding and reward (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg), failed to affect analgesia. Thus, the dopaminergic second stage neurons deemed critical to feeding and reward may not play an important role in analgesia. Finally, ESLH-induced ameliorative action as a case of ‘aversion-gating’ or a dimension of classical somatosensory analgesia is discussed.
Prognostic significance of ventricular ectopic activity in survivors of acute myocardial infarction who receive propranolol.

Abstract Beta blockers are frequently prescribed for survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although ventricular ectopic activity was found to be associated with mortality in several cohorts, there are no data on the relation of ventricular ectopic activity to mortality in patients with AMI who receive β blockers. One thousand six hundred and fifty participants in the Beta-Blocker Heart Attack Trial who were randomized to receive propranolol (60 or 80 mg 3 times daily) had 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography at baseline. By multivariate analysis considering 16 variables, ventricular ectopic activity was independently associated with sudden death (p = 0.02 to 0.001) and total mortality (p = 0.04 to 0.0001) for an average follow-up of 25 months. By univariate analysis, ventricular ectopic activity was associated with increased total mortality (odds ratios 2.13 to 3.54) and sudden death mortality (odds ratio 2.26 to 3.93). The association of ventricular ectopic activity with mortality was observed in both high- and tow-risk patient subsets with odds ratios similar to the placebo group. Thus, treatment with propranolol does not alter the relation between ventricular ectopic activity and mortality.
The effect of vegetation density on male mate guarding and extra-territorial forays in the yellow-breasted chat ( Icteria virens )

Extra-pair paternity is widely documented in birds, but the behaviors that lead to extra-pair copulations (EPCs) have been less well studied, particularly in territorial songbirds. We studied the behaviors associated with extra-territorial forays (ETFs) and male mate guarding in a socially monogamous, but genetically promiscuous, neotropical migrant passerine, the yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens). Focal observations and radiotelemetry revealed that both males and females engaged in ETFs. 65% of the females in our study engaged in at least one foray onto a neighboring territory. 50% of males also were observed engaging in ETFs, but males were much more conspicuous during these intrusions compared to females. Females preferred to remain close to the ground in areas where vegetation was the densest. Female behavior was difficult to observe during ETFs but females sometimes interacted with neighboring extra-pair males. Males attempted to guard their mates by remaining close to them and following them during extra-territorial intrusions. We observed instances in which a male attacked his mate and appeared to herd her back to his territory. However a male's ability to maintain close proximity to his mate was significantly and negatively correlated with vegetation density. Our results suggest that the behaviors which lead to extra-pair encounters are influenced by the behavior of all participants and are modified by the characteristics of the habitat.
Numerical simulation of spin coated P3HT organic thin film transistors with field dependent mobility and distributed contact resistance

P3HT thin film transistors (TFT) have been fabricated using inkjet printing technique. The present work aims at the systematic study of the impact of distributed contact resistance including field dependent mobility. The coupled analysis is not yet explored for polymer organic thin film transistors. Numerical simulations are performed to study the coupled influence of field mobility and distributed contact resistance on the FET device behavior. Considering the influence of field mobility and distributed contact resistance, simulated results are consistent with our experimental results.
Emergence of Influenza Viruses and Crossing the Species Barrier

Influenza A viruses are zoonotic pathogens that infect a variety of host species including wild aquatic birds, domestic poultry, and a limited number of mammals including humans. The error-prone nature of the virus's replication machinery and its ability to transmit among multiple hosts lead to generation of novel virus variants with altered pathogenicity and virulence. Spatial, molecular, and physiological barriers inhibit cross-species infections, particularly in the case of human infection with avian viruses. Pigs are proposed as a mixing vessel that facilitates movement of avian viruses from the wild bird reservoir into humans. However, the past decade has witnessed the emergence of highly pathogenic and virulent avian H5 and H7 viruses that have breached these barriers, bypassed the pig intermediate host, and infected humans with a high mortality rate, but have not established human-to-human transmissible lineages. Because influenza viruses pose a significant risk to both human and animal health, it is becoming increasingly important to attempt to predict their identities and pathogenic potential before their widespread emergence. Surveillance of the wild bird reservoir, molecular characterization and documentation of currently circulating viruses in humans and animals, and a comprehensive risk assessment analysis of individual isolates should remain a high priority. Such efforts are critical to the pursuit of prevention and control strategies, including vaccine development and assessment of antiviral susceptibility, that will have a direct impact on the well-being of humans and animals worldwide.
Evaluation of rotation formalisms in three dimensions using a Lissajous knot

An evaluation of three dimensional rotation formalisms using a Lissajous knot is given. The optimal parameterization of SO(3) is determined so that robotics attitude system can become more effective. Given a robot's local translational velocity and local angular velocity, numerical integrations along a robot's trajectory using rotation formalisms are performed. Comparing the resulting trajectory with a robot's true trajectory, this paper considers numerical error, integration time and steps as parameterization methods' evaluation criteria.
A CASE OF SIPPLE'S SYNDROME WITH A HUGE PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA

A case of Sipple's syndrome with a huge pheochromocytoma diagnosed before resection is reported. The patient is a 42-year-old male, who was admitted with the chief complaints of a right abdominal tumor and fever. Right total adrenalectomy and resection of left adrenal tumor with reserving normal left adrenal gland and total thyroidectomy with modified neck resection were performed after minute examinations. The excised right adrenal tumor was 1500 g and left one was 70 g in weight. They were histologically indicated benign pheochromocytomas and tumors of the thyroid were medullary carcinomas. Post-operative course was uneventful and no steroid therapy has been necessary. Sipple's syndrome is a hereditary disease of autosomal dominant, so follow up study to his children with periodically measuring serum calcitonin seemed to be necessary.
Gender differences in the expression of PTSD symptoms among active duty military personnel

This study examined gender differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptom factors in the total U.S. active duty force. Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Active Duty Military Personnel including 17,939 men and 6751 women from all services. The results indicated that women expressed more distress than men across almost all the symptoms on the PTSD Checklist except for hypervigilance. Women also scored significantly higher on all four factors examined: Re-experiencing, Avoidance, Emotionally Numb, Hyperarousal. More women than men were distressed by combat experiences that involved some type of violence, such as being wounded, witnessing or engaging in acts of cruelty, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, and, to a lesser extent, handling dead bodies. Men who had been sexually abused had a greater number of symptoms and were consistently more distressed than women on individual symptoms and symptom factors.
Diffusion regulated growth characteristics of a spherical prevascular carcinoma.

Recently a mathematical model of the prevascular phases of tumor growth by diffusion has been investigated (S.A. Maggelakis and J.A. Adam, Math. Comput. Modeling, in press). In this paper we examine in detail the results and implications of that mathematical model, particularly in the light of recent experimental work carried out on multicellular spheroids. The overall growth characteristics are determined in the present model by four parameters: Q, gamma, b, and delta, which depend on information about inhibitor production rates, oxygen consumption rates, volume loss and cell proliferation rates, and measures of the degree of non-uniformity of the various diffusion processes that take place. The integro-differential growth equation is solved for the outer spheroid radius R0(t) and three related inner radii subject to the solution of the governing time-independent diffusion equations (under conditions of diffusive equilibrium) and the appropriate boundary conditions. Hopefully, future experimental work will enable reasonable bounds to be placed on parameter values referred to in this model: meanwhile, specific experimentally-provided initial data can be used to predict subsequent growth characteristics of in vitro multicellular spheroids. This will be one objective of future studies.
The Becoming of Age: Cinematic Visions of Mind, Body and Identity in Later Life Pamela H. Gravagne. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.

The Becoming of Age: Cinematic Visions of Mind, Body and Identity in Later Life Pamela H. Gravagne. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.The introduction of The Becoming of Age: Cinematic Visions of Mind, Body, and Identity in Later Life recounts an anecdote about author Pamela H. Gravagne's grandmother, who defied her family's expectations by dating after her husband's death. This memorable introduction suggests Gravagne's personal commitment to debunking the "narrative of decline" (13), her term for age-related myths which marginalize senior citizens by characterizing them as subhuman creatures whose physical, emotional, and psychological capabilities have deteriorated with age. To debunk these myths, Gravagne analyzes such recent movies as Gran Torino (2009), Up (2009), Calendar Girls (2003), Something's Gotta Give (2003), Beginners (2011), Away from Her (2007), The Straight Story (1999), and Howl's Moving Castle (2005), among others, which attempt to free "old age from the attitudinal, cultural, and material constraints that hobble its exuberant expression" (5). Criticizing traditional film theories which stress the medium's representative faculties, Gravagne instead argues that popular cinema can alter the world by replacing the socially and culturally constructed myths which justify a "persistently negative attitudes toward growing older" (10) with counternarratives about aging which would empower senior citizens to grow, learn, and remake themselves throughout their lives. Her goal is to discover if these movies fulfill this utopian potential or reinforce ageist stereotypes, and, with one significant exception, she succeeds.The first chapter, which establishes the theoretical groundwork for Gravagne's argument, engages such prominent age scholars and critical theorists as Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Stephen Katz, Margaret Gullette, and Michel Foucault whose works expose how socially and culturally constructed normalizing systems that masquerade as naturalized discourses regulate seniors. The author suggests that these normalizing systems coerce seniors into upholding societal expectations about aging which harm them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; these normalizing systems also prevent seniors from exploring alternative modes of aging which would emphasize the opportunities (instead of the obstructions) which accompany old age (45).The remaining chapters expand these observations by analyzing specific control mechanisms which discipline and marginalize specific subpopulations of seniors. The second, third, and fourth chapters concentrate upon gender-specific narratives of decline which constrain older men and women, and they reveal how popular movies (such as Gran Torino, Up, Saving Grace (2000), and Calendar Girls) attempt to dramatize the pain that these myths inflict upon seniors. …
Surface Correlation of Some Pennsylvanian Limestones in Mid-Continent by Thermoluminescence

Limestone samples collected from established stratigraphic horizons in outcropping Pennsylvanian rocks of Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas have been subjected to thermoluminescence study to evaluate the use of thermoluminescence in correlation. Although each limestone selected for study is a unit whose lateral continuity has been reasonably well demonstrated by other stratigraphic methods, there is wide variation among the limestones in the lateral persistence of specific thermoluminescence properties. Some show fairly persistent thermoluminescence patterns over a township-to-county area, whereas other limestones show wide variation within a square mile. Because lithologic factors, chemical composition, radioactivity, recrystallization, cyclical sedimentation, and sampling interval are capable of exerting a control upon thermoluminescence itself or influencing the interpretation of the results obtained, correlation by thermoluminescence is subject to severe limitations. Thermoluminescence curves from cyclical limestones of the Kansas City and Shawnee groups show cyclical repetitions. A relationship between glow-curve shape and lithologic character is suggested for some limestones in the cyclical sequences, but the factors controlling thermoluminescence are complex and need further study. In the limestones studied, radioactivity is either of secondary importance or its effects are masked by other factors.
Infrared vision using uncooled optomechanical camera

An uncooled IR imaging system that is based on thermomechanical sensing of IR radiation in conjunction with a visible optical readout has been developed. The system contains a focal plane array (FPA) consisting of bimaterial cantilever beams made of silicon nitride (SiN x ) and gold (Au) in each pixel. Absorption on incident IR radiation in the 8-14 micrometers wavelength range by SiN x in each cantilever beam raises its temperature, resulting in proportional deflection due to mismatch in thermal expansion of the two cantilever materials. The FPA design involved maximizing the thermal resistance between the pixel and its surroundings, maximizing the thermomechanical response within the constraints of the pixel size, optimizing the pixel time response, and maximizing the IR absorption using thin film optics. Microfabrication of stress-balanced bimaterial cantilevers was achieved by varying the silicon concentration along the thickness of the SiN x films in order to balance the residual tensile stress in the Au film and the Cr adhesion layer between Au and SiN x . The optical readout utilized Fourier diffractive optics to simultaneously detect deflections of all cantilevers using a single light source. The results suggest that objects at temperatures as low as 30 degrees C can be imaged with the best noise-equivalent temperature difference (NETD) in the range of 2-5 K. It is estimated that further improvements that are currently being pursed can improved NETD below 5 mK.
Effects of triplet state losses on coherent properties of organic dye lasers

Abstract Using a full quantum mechanical approach we show that, as pumping is incresase intensity dependent triplet state losses.
Two-dimensional XY magnets with random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

Two-dimensional $\mathrm{XY}$ ferromagnets with random Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions are studied. Such systems can be mapped onto a Coulomb gas with a quenched random array of dipoles. For large amounts of randomness, the low-temperature phase of the $\mathrm{XY}$ model is destroyed entirely. For small amounts of randomness, the behavior with decreasing temperatures is first paramagnetic, then ferromagnetic, and finally becomes paramagnetic again via a second, reentrant phase transition. These phase transitions are driven by an unbinding of vortices, just as in pure $\mathrm{XY}$ models. In contrast to pure $\mathrm{XY}$ models, the exponent $\ensuremath{\eta}$ and the spin-wave stiffness are nonuniversal at ${T}_{c}$. The reentrant phase transitions appear to persist when the model is continued to $2+\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ dimensions. Similar results should apply to spin-glass models with a small concentration of bonds with the wrong sign.
A p-methoxybenzyl (PMB) protection/deprotection approach toward the synthesis of 5-phenoxy-4-chloro-N-(aryl/alkyl) thiophene-2-sulfonamides

The synthesis of 17 phenoxy substituted 4-chloro-N-(aryl/alkyl)thiophene-2-sulfonamides using a PMB protection/deprotection strategy is described. Nucleophilic displacement of p-methoxybenzyl (PMB) protected 4,5-dichloro-N-(aryl/alkyl)-thiophene-2-sulfonamides was carried out with different phenols under mild basic conditions. Reaction times of 3–6 h and overall yields of 78–98% were achieved with the PMB group in place compared to no reaction without this protecting group. The PMB group was easily and selectively removed in 68–98% yield using TFA in DCM.
A Multiscale Model of Plasticity Based on Discrete Dislocation Dynamics

We present a framework coupling continuum elasto-viscoplasticity with three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics. In this approach, the elastic response is governed by the classical Hooke 's law and the viscoplastic behavior is determined by the motion of curved dislocations in a three-dimensional space. The resulting hybrid continuum-discrete framework is formulated into a standard finite element model where the dislocation-induced stress is homogenized over each element with a similar treatment for the dislocation-induced plastic strain, The model can be used to investigate a wide range of small scale plasticity phenomena, including microshear bands, adiabatic shear bands, stability and formation of dislocation cells, thin films and multiplayer structures. Here we present results pertaining to the formation of deformation bands and surface distortions under dynamic loading conditions and show the capability of the model in analyzing complicated deformation-induced patterns.
Rejoinder to discussion of 'Philosophy and the practice of Bayesian statistics'.

The main point of our paper was to dispute the commonly held view that Bayesian statistics is or should be an algorithmic, inductive process culminating in the calculation of the posterior probabilities of competing models. Instead, we argued that effective data analysis – Bayesian or otherwise – proceeds more messily through a jagged process of formulating research hypotheses, exploring their implications in light of data, and rejecting aspects of our models in light of systematic misfits compared to available data or other sources of information. We associate this last bit with Popper’s falsification or (weakly) with Kuhn’s scientific revolutions, but these connections with classical philosophy of science are not crucial. Our real point is that Bayesian data analysis, in the form that we understand and practise, requires the active involvement of the researcher in constructing and criticizingmodels, and that from this perspective the entire process of Bayesian prior-to-posterior inference can be seen as an elaborate way of understanding the implications of a model so that it can be effectively tested. Just as a chicken is said to be nothing but an egg’s way of making another egg, so posterior inference is a way that a model can evaluate itself. But this inference and evaluation process, in our view, has essentially nothing to do with calculations of the posterior probability of competingmodels. Aswe discuss in our paper, for technical, philosophical, and historical reasons we tend not to trust such marginal posterior probabilities. (See Figure 1 of our paper for the sort of reasoning that we do not like.) Given all this, the discussion of our paper is remarkably uncontentious: none of the five discussants express support for the standard (according to Wikipedia) view of an overarching inductive Bayesian inference, and all agree with us that the messiness of
Photographing long scenes with multi-viewpoint panoramas

We present a system for producing multi-viewpoint panoramas of long, roughly planar scenes, such as the facades of buildings along a city street, from a relatively sparse set of photographs captured with a handheld still camera that is moved along the scene. Our work is a significant departure from previous methods for creating multi-viewpoint panoramas, which composite thin vertical strips from a video sequence captured by a translating video camera, in that the resulting panoramas are composed of relatively large regions of ordinary perspective. In our system, the only user input required beyond capturing the photographs themselves is to identify the dominant plane of the photographed scene; our system then computes a panorama automatically using Markov Random Field optimization. Users may exert additional control over the appearance of the result by drawing rough strokes that indicate various high-level goals. We demonstrate the results of our system on several scenes, including urban streets, a river bank, and a grocery store aisle.