cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal response of polycrystalline diamond compact cutters under simulated downhole conditions

An analytical method is developed to predict temperatures in polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drag cutters under steady-state and transient downhole conditions. The method is used to determine mean wearflat temperatures for cutters under conditions used in previous experiments to measure cutter wear. A correlation between wearflat temperatures and cutter wear rates is demonstrated, and it is shown that, for the particular rock type tested, cutter wear rates increase significantly above 350/sup 0/C (662/sup 0/F). The concept of a critical weight on bit, above which wearflat temperatures exceed this value, is introduced. The effects of several parameters on the critical WOB are examined. These include cutter thermal conductivity, diamond layer thickness, rock properties, convective cooling, bit balling, and transient events such as bit bounce. Preliminary results of thermal stress modeling show that plastic yielding of the cutter structure can occur under certain downhole conditions.
The kinetics of leaching galena with ferric nitrate

The kinetics of leaching galena with ferric nitrate as oxidant has been studied. Experimental results indicate that the rate of galena dissolution is controlled by surface chemical reaction. Rate is proportional to the square root of the concentration of ferric ion. The addition of more than one mole/liter sodium nitrate decreases reaction rate. With nitrate additions below this concentration, rate either remains constant or is slightly enhanced. An activation energy of 47 kJ/mol was measured, and rate is proportional to the inverse of the initial size of galena particles. These results are explained in terms of mixed electrochemical control. The anodic reaction involves the oxidation of galena to lead ion and elemental sulfur, and the cathodic reaction involves the reduction of ferric ion to ferrous ion.
Corrosion Inhibition of Steel by Lead Pigments: The Steel–Lead Galvanic Couple in Acetate Solutions

Abstract The corrosion behavior of lead—steel couples in acetate solutions is a function of pH. Steel is anodic to lead in an acidic acetate solution, whereas, lead is anodic to steel in an alkaline solution. This polarity reversal is attributed to the breakdown of the oxide on steel in the low pH solution. The corrosion process is under cathodic control in both acidic and alkaline solutions. Transport of oxygen to the cathode surface is the rate-limiting step in the acidic solution. The corrosion process is under activation control in the alkaline solution.
Time-dependent retrograde amnesic effects of muscimol on conditioned taste aversion extinction.

Abstract We explored how stimulation of GABA A receptors at different times during conditioned taste aversion (CTA) acquisition or extinction influenced extinction. In Experiment 1, rats acquired a CTA to 0.3% saccharin-flavored water (SAC) when it followed an injection of lithium chloride (LiCl; 81.0 mg/kg, i.p.). Following conditioning, rats received extinction training in which the GABA A agonist muscimol (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), or control (saline) injections, were administered either before or after each extinction trial. Muscimol hindered extinction when administered after extinction trials. Muscimol's inhibitory effects may have impeded extinction learning by disrupting synaptic mechanisms required to consolidate information experienced during extinction training. In Experiment 2, we studied the effects of muscimol on CTA acquisition and subsequent extinction. Rats received muscimol (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) either before or after CTA conditioning trials. Following CTA acquisition, all rats were given CTA extinction training without muscimol administration. All groups developed CTA, but the group that received muscimol before CTA conditioning trials extinguished rapidly in comparison to other treatment groups. Differences between muscimol's effects on CTA conditioning and CTA extinction indicate that fear conditioning and extinction involve, to some degree, different neuronal mechanisms.
Youth Health Services, Development Programs, and Teenage Birth Rates in 55 California Cities

Many advocacy groups depict sexuality education, abstinence education, health services, and development services to teenagers as pivotal factors in their birth rates. Data from California’s 55 largest cities for 1990-2002 allow regression analyses of the associations between levels of health and development services to youth, socioeconomic factors such as poverty, and environmental factors such adult birth rates on rates of and changes in births to teenage mothers. The analysis found teenage birth rates vary 30-fold from California’s richest to poorest city. Socioeconomic and environmental factors, chiefly adult birth rates and youth poverty rates, are associated with nearly 90% of the variance in teen birth rates. Contrary to assertions by many advocates, lower-income teens have greater access to health, sexuality education, and development services, and the availability of these services is not associated with lower rates of or greater reductions over time in teenage birth rates.
Forty-nine new host plant species for Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), is a worldwide pest of numerous agricultural and ornamental crops. In addition to directly feeding on plants, it also acts as a vector of plant viruses of cultivated and uncultivated host plant species. Moreover, host plants can affect the population dynamics of whiteflies. An open-choice screening experiment was conducted with B-biotype B. tabaci on a diverse collection of crops, weeds, and other indigenous plant species. Five of the plant species were further evaluated in choice or no-choice tests in the laboratory. The results reveal 49 new reproductive host plant species for B. tabaci. This includes 11 new genera of host plants (Arenaria, Avena, Carduus, Dichondra, Glechoma, Gnaphalium, Molugo, Panicum, Parthenocissus, Trianthema, and Triticum) for this whitefly. All species that served as hosts were acceptable for feeding, oviposition, and development to the adult stage by B. tabaci. The new hosts include three cultivated crops [oats (Avena sativa L.), proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)], weeds and other wild species, including 32 Ipomoea species, which are relatives of sweetpotato [I. batatas (L.) Lam.)]. Yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus L., did not serve as a host for B. tabaci in either open-choice or no-choice tests. The results presented herein have implications for whitefly ecology and the numerous viruses that B. tabaci spreads to and among cultivated plants.
Phoenix rebirth: Scalable MapReduce on a large-scale shared-memory system

Dynamic runtimes can simplify parallel programming by automatically managing concurrency and locality without further burdening the programmer. Nevertheless, implementing such runtime systems for large-scale, shared-memory systems can be challenging. This work optimizes Phoenix, a MapReduce runtime for shared-memory multi-cores and multiprocessors, on a quad-chip, 32-core, 256-thread UltraSPARC T2+ system with NUMA characteristics. We show how a multi-layered approach that comprises optimizations on the algorithm, implementation, and OS interaction leads to significant speedup improvements with 256 threads (average of 2.5× higher speedup, maximum of 19×). We also identify the roadblocks that limit the scalability of parallel runtimes on shared-memory systems, which are inherently tied to the OS scalability on large-scale systems.
Operating System Structures for Multiprocessor Systems on Programmable Chip

Chips are moving from single-core systems to much more complex, heterogeneous many core systems. While heterogeneous architectures promise high performance, they are also challenging our ability to port our existing operating systems to abstract the heterogeneous components into a unified architecture. Baseline solutions to resolve heterogeneity issues within many cores use Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) for applications running on slave processors to access a traditional monolithic kernel running on a common master node. Micro kernels are once again re-emerging to eliminate the central bottleneck of the monolithic kernel. In both cases the RPC methods used for communications increase the overhead of system services, counter to the desire of breaking threads up into finer grained services to match and scale with increasing numbers of processors. In this paper we show how new invocation mechanisms built as hardware primitives in combination with new a new hw/sw co-designed micro kernel can resolve heterogeneity issues in a framework that supports the level of scalability required for next generation systems. We present experimental results as well as a new queuing model to show how both monolithic and micro kernels that rely historical interrupt mechanisms cannot support scalability beyond small numbers of processors. We also show through these results the potential scalability of a hardware kernel based micro kernel with new lightweight invocation mechanisms.
Supporting Inclusion Through Case‐Based Vignette Conversations

The trend toward the inclusion of students with special needs in classrooms in which there is ambitious instruction places complex and multiple demands on teachers. These challenges suggest the need for research investigating powerful ways of supporting teachers to critically reflect upon and revise their instructional practices. Using interactional ethnography, we report on the process and outcomes of engaging in conversations with teachers when the purpose of the conversation is to interpret and respond to vignettes characterizing the participation and learning of students with special needs. Specifically, we focus on how teachers' thinking about the use of small-group work changed over the course of the conversations and led to modifications in teachers' practices relative to constituting and employing small-group work in their classrooms.
Republicanism and the Problem of Ambition: The Critique of Cicero in Machiavelli’s Discourses

Ambition enjoys an ambiguous status in political practice. It is at once necessary and dangerous. Although Machiavelli’s engagement with Cicero in the Prince has been well-noted, his critique in the Discourses of his preeminent rival authority on republicanism has received very little attention. This critique concerns Cicero’s failure to respond to the threat posed to republican institutions by the ambition of leading citizens. By following out the details of this critique, this article speaks both to recent debates about Machiavelli’s republicanism and to the obscurity about the problem of ambition in contemporary politics.
Surviving the Downsizing: Ethical And Economic Considerations

Administrators of schools that must downsize need to attend to the people who remain after the layoffs have occurred as well as the people who are terminated. What are the ethical considerations of fairness and honesty in this situation, as well as the economic considerations of cost effectiveness in the delivery of services to students?
Total War and the American Civil War: An Exploration of the Applicability of the Label “Total War” to the Conflict of 1861-1865

The Civil War of 1861-1865 is labeled the first modern war in America's history. It is also labeled as a "total war." This article explores the broader definition of "total war" and whether the term is accurately applied to this American conflict. The Civil War, through analysis of the intensity of the war, the range and scope of the conflict, and the mobilization of civilian and governmental forces, earns the label "total war." Ultimately, this pivotal American conflict foreshadowed the total wars the United States would come to fight in the 20th century.
Methylation of the candidate biomarker TCF21 is very frequent across a spectrum of early-stage nonsmall cell lung cancers.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factor TCF21 is involved in mesenchymal-to-epithelial differentiation and was shown to be aberrantly hypermethylated in lung and head and neck cancers. Because of its reported high frequency of hypermethylation in lung cancer, further characterization of the stages and types of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that are hypermethylated and the frequency of hypermethylation and associated “second hits” were assessed. METHODS: TCF21 promoter hypermethylation in 105 NSCLC including various stages and histologies in smokers and nonsmokers was determined. In addition, TCF21 loss of heterozygosity and mutational status were examined. Twenty-two cancer cell lines from varied tissue origins were also assayed. The NSCLC results were validated and expanded by examining TCF21 immunohistochemical expression on a tissue microarray containing 300 NSCLC cases. RESULTS: Overall, 81% of NSCLC samples showed TCF21 promoter hypermethylation, and 84% showed decreased TCF21 protein expression. Multivariate analysis showed that TCF21 expression, although below normal in both histologies, was lower in adenocarcinoma than in squamous cell carcinoma and was not independently correlated with sex, smoking, and EGFR mutation status or with clinical outcome. Cell lines from other cancer types also showed frequent TCF21 promoter hypermethylation. CONCLUSIONS: Hypermethylation and decreased expression of TCF21 were tumor specific and very frequent in all NSCLCs, even early-stage disease, thus making TCF21 a potential candidate methylation biomarker for early-stage NSCLC screening. TCF21 hypermethylation in a variety of tumor cell lines suggests it may also be a valuable methylation biomarker in other tumor types. Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
LAYER ASSIGNMENT FOR HIGH-SPEED MCM PACKAGING

In this paper, we present a layer assignment method under high-performance multi-chip module environments. In contrast with treating global routing and layer assignment separately, our method assigns nets to layers while considering preferable global routing topologies simultaneously. We take transmission line effects into account to avoid noise in high-speed electronics packages besides the conventional optimization goal such as routability or performance. The problem is formulated as a quadratic Boolean programming problem and an algorithm is presented to solve the problem after linearization. The proposed method is applied to a set of benchmark circuits to demonstrate the effectiveness.
Lattice Structure at ZnSe-GaAs Heterojunction Interfaces Prepared by Organometallic Chemical Vapor Deposition

The lattice structure of ZnSe grown on GaAs by a low temperature low pressure organometallic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process was studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The defect structure of ZnSe epitaxial layers and of their interface with the GaAs substrate was directly imaged in cross section for GaAs substrate surfaces in the and orientations. It is shown that the ZnSe layers grow indeed epitaxially. The ZnSe layers grown on GaAs(100) contain a large density of faulted loops which are extrinsic in nature, whereas the prevailing defects in ZnSe layers grown on GaAs(111)B substrates are microtwins and stacking faults parallel to the filmsubstrate interface. A possible connection between the observed defect structure and the reported photoluminescence and electrical transport properties of ZnSe layers grown by organometallic CVD is also discussed.
Gesture connect: facilitating tangible interaction with a flick of the wrist

The Gesture Connect system streamlines the process of connecting to and/or controlling objects from a user's personal mobile device. Typically, in order to connect two devices together they users must follow a two-step process that consists of first selecting which devices should be connected, and then specifying what the devices should do once they are connected. By combining contact-based connections with gesture-based selection, the Gesture Connect system combines these two steps into a single physical action for simple actions, greatly simplifying the common case. In order to demonstrate and test the underlying concept, a hardware extension comprising Near Field Communication (NFC) and accelerometer capability has been developed for standard commercial mobile phone devices, along with the associated tagging and gesture recognition software. This system greatly reduces overall interaction time for common-case interaction, enhancing the overall user experience.
Childhood Maltreatment, Psychological Dysregulation, and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Female Adolescents

Objective Maltreated female adolescents are at risk for engaging in sexual behaviors consistent with HIV infection and teen pregnancy. The current study applied a model positing the key role of psychological dysregulation in the development of adolescent females’ sexual behavior. Methods The sample consisted of adolescent females aged 14–17 years who had experienced substantiated childhood maltreatment (n ¼ 275) and a demographically matched, non-maltreated comparison group (n ¼ 210). Results Multiple mediator analysis revealed that, when in company with a host of plausible mechanisms, sexual preoccupation mediated the relationship between psychological dysregulation and risky sexual behaviors. Conclusion Maltreated females may have difficulty regulating emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, which, when coupled with a propensity to entertain sexual thoughts and consume sexually explicit materials, may increase the likelihood that they act on sexual impulses and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors.
Treatment of hypertension associated with renal arterial occlusive disease.

Abstract Renal artery stenosis is a common cause of diastolic hypertension. Recent development of arterial reconstructive technics provides the opportunity to cure most patients with renovascular hypertension and to salvage the involved kidney or kidneys. Resectional therapy provides a second type of treatment when definitive arterial reconstruction is impossible. Patch graft angioplasty and renal artery bypass are the two most satisfactory technical means of renal revascularization. Selection of patients with renal artery stenosis for revascularization is primarily a matter of exclusion. Specific contraindications include cerebrovascular insufficiency and coronary artery disease. Eighty per cent of 140 patients having renal revascularization procedures were cured of hypertension.
Unsupervised Joint Alignment of Complex Images

Many recognition algorithms depend on careful positioning of an object into a canonical pose, so the position of features relative to a fixed coordinate system can be examined. Currently, this positioning is done either manually or by training a class-specialized learning algorithm with samples of the class that have been hand-labeled with parts or poses. In this paper, we describe a novel method to achieve this positioning using poorly aligned examples of a class with no additional labeling. Given a set of unaligned examplars of a class, such as faces, we automatically build an alignment mechanism, without any additional labeling of parts or poses in the data set. Using this alignment mechanism, new members of the class, such as faces resulting from a face detector, can be precisely aligned for the recognition process. Our alignment method improves performance on a face recognition task, both over unaligned images and over images aligned with a face alignment algorithm specifically developed for and trained on hand-labeled face images. We also demonstrate its use on an entirely different class of objects (cars), again without providing any information about parts or pose to the learning algorithm.
THE EFFECT OF HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION ON THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE BY BACILLUS BUTYRICUS AND BACILLUS SUBTILIS.

1. The maximum rate of CO2 production of Bacillus butyricus was found to be at a pH value of 7; of Bacillus subtilis at pH 6.8. If the pH value be raised or lowered there is a progressive decrease in the rate of production of CO2. 2. Spontaneous recovery follows the addition of alkali to either organism, while addition of acid is followed by recovery only upon addition of an equivalent amount of alkali, and is not complete except when the amount of acid is very small.
Nodal signaling recruits the histone demethylase Jmjd3 to counteract polycomb-mediated repression at target genes

Both intercellular signaling and epigenetic mechanisms regulate embryonic development, but it is unclear how they are integrated to establish and maintain lineage-specific gene expression programs. Here, we show that a key function of the developmentally essential Nodal-Smads2/3 (Smad2 and Smad3) signaling pathway is to recruit the histone demethylase Jmjd3 to target genes, thereby counteracting repression by Polycomb. Smads2/3 bound to Jmjd3 and recruited it to chromatin in a manner that was dependent on active Nodal signaling. Knockdown of Jmjd3 alone substantially reduced Nodal target gene expression, whereas in the absence of Polycomb, target loci were expressed independently of Nodal signaling. These data establish a role for Polycomb in imposing a dependency on Nodal signaling for the expression of target genes and reveal how developmental signaling integrates with epigenetic processes to control gene expression.
Renal secretion of purine nucleosides and their analogs in mice

Abstract Previous results have indicated that 2′-deoxyadenosine (dAdo) and 2′-deoxytubercidin (dTub) are secreted by the mouse kidney. Secretion of dTub appeared to occur via the organic cation carrier [J. F. Kuttesch, Jr. et al. , Biochem Pharmac. 31 , 3387 (1982)]. In the current study, the structural specificity of the secretory system for dTub was probed by evaluating the renal clearance of several sugar-modified dTub analogs. The following sugar-modified derivatives also underwent apparent secretion: 3′-deoxy, arabinosyl, and xylosyl. These results suggest a lack of structural specificity of the secretory system for dTub. Tubercidin was apparently reabsorbed, analogous to the observation in mice that adenosine clearance is less than that of inulin. In related experiments, a transport maximum for dAdo could not be demonstrated due to the marked pharmacologie activity of dAdo. Cimetidine was found to selectively inhibit the organic cation secretory system since it blocked the renal secretion of tetraethylammonium but not that of p -amminohippurate in mice. Correspondingly, cimetidine prevented the renal secretion of dTub; however, cimetidine did not inhibit the renal secretion of dAdo nor the renal reabsorption of Ado. These results suggest that renal secretion of dTub occurs via the organic cation carrier. The mechanisms for the renal secretion of dAdo and for the renal reabsorption of Ado may be unique and independent of the organic cation system.
Tncs' Technology Linkages with Domestic Firms: An Investigation of the Ict Industry in Suzhou, China:

On the basis of a comprehensive survey in the information and communication technology industry in China's Suzhou municipality, we examine the determinants of the technology linkages that transnational corporations (TNCs) make with domestic firms. We found that TNCs' domestic supply and client linkages and their decentralization of decision making had a significant and positive effect on technological interactions between domestic firms and TNCs. However, such linkages were constrained by the technology gap between TNCs and domestic firms and they are focused on new product developments for the domestic Chinese market. The results highlight the challenges that domestic Chinese firms face in establishing ‘global pipelines’ of knowledge exchange. The implications of the findings on technology and foreign direct investment policies in China are also assessed, and we argue that China has potential to pave a new way of technology development by taking advantage of its indigenous capacity and sizable domestic m...
A Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance Evaluation of Weekend Backpack Food Assistance Programs.

Abstract Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an ongoing statewide weekend backpack program through the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Design. Mixed-methods inquiry was used to explore the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of backpack programs within Montana. Setting. Study participants completed audio-recorded one-on-one phone interviews. Participants. Key informants (e.g., managers at food banks, staff at participating schools, policy makers) were purposively sampled (N = 20). Method. Semistructured interviews were conducted to gather data to describe each RE-AIM dimension. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and deductively (i.e., using RE-AIM as themes) coded for meaning units, placed into higher-order categories, and summarized in narrative. Supporting quantitative data (e.g., the proportion of eligible students that joined the program, rate of school-level adoption) were calculated using descriptive sta...
Skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats

Ad libitum access to a high-fat (HF) diet produces a wide range of weight gain in rats. Rats most susceptible to weight gain on such a diet (obesity prone; OP) are more insulin resistant after 4-5 wk of diet exposure than are those most resistant (obesity resistant; OR) to weight gain. To investigate whether skeletal muscle glucose metabolism contributes to insulin resistance in this model, insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism was assessed in the perfused hindquarter of rats exposed to either a low-fat (LF, n = 6) or HF diet for 5 wk. Delineation of OP (n = 6) and OR (n = 6) rats was based on body weight gain. OP rats gained 60% more body weight while eating only 10% more energy than OR rats. Single-pass perfusions were carried out for 2 h in the presence of glucose, insulin, and [U-14C]glucose. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was 14.2 +/- 0.9 in LF, 11.1 +/- 0.8 in OR, and 6.2 +/- 0.6 in OP. Glucose oxidation (mumol.100 g-1.min-1) was 1.7 +/- 0.3 and 1.2 +/- 0.3 in LF and OR, respectively, but was 0.2 +/- 0.1 in OP. Net glycogen synthesis was significantly reduced in OP compared with OR and LF despite similar glycogen synthase I activity. Muscle triglyceride concentration was not significantly different in OR and OP rats. These results demonstrate significant defects in skeletal muscle glucose uptake and disposal in rats most susceptible to HF diet-induced obesity. Clearly, the heterogeneous response to a HF diet involves not only body weight gain but also skeletal muscle fuel metabolism.
Puzzled: Uncommon divisors

Welcome to three new puzzles. Solutions to the first two will be published next month; the third is (as yet) unsolved. In fact, this time it's a famously unsolved problem.
Immunocyte Abnormalities in Multiple Sclerosis

The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, but there is reason to believe that the immune system has a role in its pathogenesis. Several lines of evidence support this postulate.
Distributed Attribute Based Access Control of Aggregated Data in Sensor Clouds

Sensor clouds are large scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs), built by connecting a number of smaller WSNs together. Each of these smaller individual WSNs may be owned by different owners. Sensor clouds are dynamic in nature, where wireless sensors can be provisioned and de-provisioned for the users on demand. In such a multi-user, multi-owner system, user access control is a significant problem. Previous user access control schemes have been centralized and designed for standalone sensors or smaller networks and do not take large networks into consideration. In large networks, data is generally aggregated in-network during data collection. In this paper, we present a user access control scheme, which unlike other schemes, is distributed and works on aggregated data within a sensor network. Our scheme which is based on attribute based encryption is also able to differentiate between users who require data with the same set of attributes, which would be a necessity in a commercial sensor cloud system. Our scheme gives the flexibility to sensor network owners to control user access of data from their sensors. Finally, we compare our scheme with other closely related schemes in terms of attack resilience and computation and communication overhead to show its effectiveness.
The Stability of Inorganic Selenium in Premixes

Abstract Quantitative chemical analyses and biological potency testing of stored premixes of selenite or selenate salts with a variety of carriers was performed. The results suggest that the selenium was quite stable in glucose monohydrate, wheat bran, corn, linseed meal, soybean meal or soybean protein premixes kept reasonably dry and stored at temperatures below 40°C.
Pagetoid adenocarcinoma in situ of the cervix with pagetoid spread into the vagina

Background Pagetoid spread of adenocarcinoma in situ of the cervix into vaginal epithelium is a rare phenomenon, mimicking Paget's disease of the vulva. Case We report a case of in situ squamous cell and in situ adenocarcinoma of the cervix in a 44-year-old woman who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and upper vaginectomy. Pathologic evaluation showed pagetoid endocervical adenocarcinoma in situ spreading into the vagina with positive margins. Malignant cells were positive for mucin, P16, CK-7, and carcinoembryonic antigen. Conclusion The asymptomatic occult finding of pagetoid changes in the vagina should raise the suspicion of vaginal extension of pagetoid genital or urothelial carcinoma in situ; however, it can be mistaken as vaginal dysplasia or primary Paget's disease. Immunohistochemical profiling may help in the differential diagnosis.
Strong-Field Ionization of Flash Pyrolysis Reaction Products

We report the coupling of a flash pyrolysis molecular beam source with nonresonant strong-field ionization in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The saturation laser intensities at which ionization occurs for the various product species are generally found to correlate closely with the ionization energies, as has been seen for closed-shell molecules. It is then possible to use this correlation to identify the product and quantify isomers from among several candidate species whose ionization energies are known. The approach is analogous to using tunable vacuum ultraviolet ionization to identify reaction products.
Structural Transitivity of Trust in Academic Social Networks Using Agent-Based Simulation.

Research interest in social networks area can be explained mainly because this type of network: (i) promotes the interpersonal relationship; (ii) has a natural tendency for knowledge emergence; (iii) generates large volumes of information. This interest is reinforced due to the fact that since the 90's Web Social Networks, e.g. Facebook or Orkut, have millions of users around the world. Our proposal in this paper is to analyze the physical structure of three computer networks topologies centralized, decentralized and distributed – in a real academic social network, the Lattes Curriculum. The main question is how the network structure could influence the flow of the trust transitivity between the members of the network. Firstly, we conducted a survey with researchers about their trust in Lattes Curriculum and later we developed an agent-based model and simulated it to analyze the resulting data.
Ceftizoxime in the Treatment of Urinary Tract-Infections

AbstractCeftizoxime, a new beta-lactamase-resistant, semisynthetic antibiotic, was compared to cefamandole in a prospective randomized trial to determine its efficacy and safety in 21 patients with acute, complicated urinary tract infections. Four patients randomized initially to receive cefamandole were found to have resistant organisms and were treated with ceftizoxime. Dosage for ceftizoxime was 1 gm. administered par enter ally every 12 hours, while 1 gm. cefamandole was given every 6 hours. Urine cultures were obtained before the initiation of therapy, on day 4, after completion of therapy and 4 to 6 weeks after therapy. Specified laboratory tests were obtained. Of 14 patients receiving ceftizoxime 11 (79 per cent) and of 7 patients receiving cefamandole 7 (100 per cent) had negative cultures at the completion of therapy and 4 to 6 weeks later. No patient had any adverse reaction to ceftizoxime.Ceftizoxime is a safe and effective antibiotic agent when used as a single agent for complicated urinary tr...
Assigning Common Law Claims for Fraud

A man buys a membership in a beach club. The salesman who sells him the membership states that the company will build a clubhouse building to certain specifications. The sale, however, is a scam, and the clubhouse "building" turns out to be a hut. The membership is virtually without value. The man wants to sue.' He consults an attorney, who investigates his case and informs him that he probably has a winning common law tort claim of deceit for fraud.2 In the attorney's estimation, however, the claim is not worth enough to take on a contingency fee basis. Realizing that if he pays the attorney on an hourly basis he will not recover enough to make pursuing the claim worthwhile, the man considers contacting other people who purchased memberships in the club and offering to pay them to assign their claims to him. He calculates that, if he purchases enough claims, the potential damage award will be large enough to make his investment in the case worthwhile. It is not clear, however, whether the law permits other victims of this beach club fraud to assign-essentially to sell-their claims to the would-be plaintiff. Nor is it clear whether a third party, an individual who had never owned a membership in the beach club, could purchase the claims. While fourteen states do not limit the assignment of common law claims for fraud, seven states forbid such assignments. The remaining states lack a bright line rule; their courts often determine the validity of an as-
Coda: The Angel and the Algorithm

Though by the early eighteenth century it had largely become the province of charlatans and mountebanks, magic—according to Daniel Defoe—once signified great wisdom. Its earliest practitioners, he writes, were “Men of Knowledge” who observed the motions of the stars, searched into the Arcana of Nature, and seemed to possess a greater understanding of the universe than those around them. “A Magician,” he claims, “was no more or less in the ancient Chaldean Times, than a Mathematician, a Man of Science, who stor’d with Knowledge and Learning, as Learning went in those Days, was a kind of walking Dictionary to other People, and instructed the rest of Mankind in any Niceties and Difficulties which occur’d to them.”1
Evidence-Based Practice and Psychological Treatments.

A revolution in health care is occurring around the world. Health care strategies that have been the community standard for decades have been brought into question by research evidence, which has led to rapidly changing health care practices (see Barlow, 2004). Psychology has declared itself a health care profession (American Psychological Association [APA], 2001), and the diverse and heterogeneous practice of psychotherapy and related assessment procedures are being influenced by these changes. This chapter outlines historical developments leading to the emergence of the evidencebased practice (EBP) of psychology and summarizes related research and issues. We describe the psychological treatments, their efficacy and effectiveness. Then scientific evidence related to advances in clinical psychology that support the notion of EBP are discussed. These advances include the progress in psychological research informing treatment selection, the specificity of treatments for individual disorders or problems, recent findings suggesting that specific techniques interact with therapist factors, data suggesting that positive therapy characteristics should be complemented with effective techniques, and the development of treatment manuals to assist in the dissemination of psychological treatments and principles. Following the
The Honey Badger of BFT Protocols

The surprising success of cryptocurrencies has led to a surge of interest in deploying large scale, highly robust, Byzantine fault tolerant (BFT) protocols for mission-critical applications, such as financial transactions. Although the conventional wisdom is to build atop a (weakly) synchronous protocol such as PBFT (or a variation thereof), such protocols rely critically on network timing assumptions, and only guarantee liveness when the network behaves as expected. We argue these protocols are ill-suited for this deployment scenario. We present an alternative, HoneyBadgerBFT, the first practical asynchronous BFT protocol, which guarantees liveness without making any timing assumptions. We base our solution on a novel atomic broadcast protocol that achieves optimal asymptotic efficiency. We present an implementation and experimental results to show our system can achieve throughput of tens of thousands of transactions per second, and scales to over a hundred nodes on a wide area network. We even conduct BFT experiments over Tor, without needing to tune any parameters. Unlike the alternatives, HoneyBadgerBFT simply does not care about the underlying network.
Nonhomologous DNA end-joining for repair of DNA double-strand breaks

Nonhomologous DNA end-joining (NHEJ) is the predominant double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway throughout the cell cycle and accounts for nearly all DSB repair outside of the S and G2 phases. NHEJ relies on Ku to thread onto DNA termini and thereby improve the affinity of the NHEJ enzymatic components consisting of polymerases (Pol μ and Pol λ), a nuclease (the Artemis·DNA-PKcs complex), and a ligase (XLF·XRCC4·Lig4 complex). Each of the enzymatic components is distinctive for its versatility in acting on diverse incompatible DNA end configurations coupled with a flexibility in loading order, resulting in many possible junctional outcomes from one DSB. DNA ends can either be directly ligated or, if the ends are incompatible, processed until a ligatable configuration is achieved that is often stabilized by up to 4 bp of terminal microhomology. Processing of DNA ends results in nucleotide loss or addition, explaining why DSBs repaired by NHEJ are rarely restored to their original DNA sequence. Thus, NHEJ is a single pathway with multiple enzymes at its disposal to repair DSBs, resulting in a diversity of repair outcomes.
Biomass of Shrub-Dominated Wetlands in Minnesota

Aboveground-shrub biomass was estimated in 34 shrub-dominated wetlands in northern Minnesota, representing a range of stocking. Salix was dominant in most wetlands, although a few were dominated by Alnus rugosa and Betula pumila. Shrub biomass ranged from 0.5 to 71.5 Mg/ha with an arithmetic mean of 11.2 Mg/ha. Biomass was distributed lognormally among the wetlands, with a geometric mean of 6.9 Mg/ha. Biomass estimates within wetlands had high uncertainty (10 to 85 percent of the mean) because of both clumpy distribution and large differences in size of shrubs. Eighty percent of the stands were on organic soils (Histosols), with two-thirds on minerotrophic and the remainder on weakly minerotrophic peatlands. Relationships of biomass to basal area and age were statistically significant. Differences in biomass were compared among wetlands grouped by soil or water chemistry. Stand age was a statistically significant covariate, but almost no significant differences in biomass were found among groups based on either criteria. Biomass of the shrubs in these wetlands was about four-fold greater than shrub biomass in mature forests in the area, but only slightly more than 5 percent of total biomass in those forests. These natural stands can be considered to set minimum boundary conditions formore » biomass production from wetlands. 20 references.« less
Plotting c- and u-Charts

(1969). Plotting c- and u-Charts. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 285-288.
Making It All Work: Functional Genomics and Reporter Gene Assays

Functional genomics is the study of the function of genes on a genome-wide level. Reporter gene assays can be utilized in this context to dissect signaling cascades, find new drug targets, or decipher the function of gene expression. The genome-wide scale of these experiments necessitates a different approach toward science than traditional single hypothesis driven research. High-throughput experimentation requires large project teams, automation, and discrete validation of each step in the automation and assay process. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a general outline of a standard functional genomics project with a reporter gene assay as readout, give an overview of the methodologies employed and familiarize the reader with the subsequent data analysis. The advantages of such high throughput experimentation are speed, quantitative results, and insights into biology on a genome-wide scale all of which enable a more rapid progress of science.
A Recipe for Consumer Insight.

Consumer insights are all around us. Yet it can be difficult for students to examine everyday consumption practices and see how this understanding has application. Using the simple premise of a fav...
Prospective Randomized Biomarker Study of Metformin and Lifestyle Intervention for Prevention in Obese Women at Increased Risk for Endometrial Cancer

Obesity increases risk of endometrial cancer through dysregulation of estrogen and insulin signaling. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of metformin or lifestyle intervention on endometrial proliferation in postmenopausal obese women. Secondary aims included evaluating obesity-related biomarkers and adverse events experienced. Obese, postmenopausal women with prediabetes were randomized into four groups for a 16-week intervention using a 2 (metformin 1700 mg/day vs. placebo) × 2 (lifestyle intervention vs. no lifestyle intervention) factorial design. Pre- and postintervention endometrial proliferation, anthropometrics, body composition, and serum biomarkers (sex hormones, sex hormone binding globulin, IGF-I, adiponectin, omentin, insulin, glucose, and others) were assessed. Data were analyzed with linear regression models and false-discovery rate correction. Of 576 women approached for the study, 52 attended initial screening, 29 were eligible and randomized, and 26 completed the study. Lifestyle intervention resulted in significant loss of weight (-4.23 kg, P = 0.006) and total fat mass (-3.23 kg, P < 0.001). Participants receiving metformin lost 3.43 kg of weight (P = 0.023), but this was not statistically significant after multiple comparisons adjustment controlling false-discovery rate to 10%. Endometrial proliferation was low at baseline (mean 7.1%) and remained unchanged by 16 weeks, but included substantial variability. Metformin and lifestyle intervention produced minor changes to serum biomarkers. Lifestyle intervention produced the most significant changes in weight and body composition. While it is known that obese postmenopausal women are at increased risk for endometrial cancer, improved biomarkers are needed to stratify risk and test prevention strategies, particularly at the endometrial tissue level. Cancer Prev Res; 11(8); 477-90. ©2018 AACR.
Evolutionary trade-offs between unicellularity and multicellularity in budding yeast

Multicellular organisms appeared on Earth through several independent major evolutionary transitions. Are such transitions reversible? Addressing this fundamental question entails understanding the benefits and costs of multicellularity versus unicellularity. For example, some wild yeast strains form multicellular clumps, which might be beneficial in stressful conditions, but this has been untested. Here we show that unicellular yeast evolves from clump-forming ancestors by propagating samples from suspension after larger clumps have settled. Unicellular yeast strains differed from their clumping ancestors mainly by mutations in the AMN1 (Antagonist of Mitotic exit Network) gene. Ancestral yeast clumps were more resistant to freeze/thaw, hydrogen peroxide, and ethanol stressors than their unicellular counterparts, while unicellularity was advantageous without stress. These findings inform mathematical models, jointly suggesting a trade-off between the benefits and downsides of multicellularity, causing bet-hedging by regulated phenotype switching as a survival strategy in unexpected stress.
Interaction between parallel transport systems examined with tryptophan and related amino acids.

Most of the neutral amino acids are transported across the plasma membrane by two or more parallel transport systems. In this study, we have limited transport interactions to System A and L by studying amino acids not transported by System ASC. Results are presented to emphasize that such amino acids as leucine, phenylalanine and tryptophan do enter the Ehrlich cell to substantial degrees by System A. We show how the phenomenon of competitive stimulation presents a strong argument that these systems operate between the same two compartments, extracellular and cellular. To discover what is needed to bring two amino acids into the transport relation shown by tryptophan and methionine, we arbitrarily set up two classes of amino acids: (1) those whose steady-state gradients will be increased when System L is deleted; (2) those whose gradients will instead be decreased. On blockading System L with 2-aminonorbornane-2-carboxylic acid applied in symmetry to the two sides of the plasma membrane, we show as predicted that the gradient maintained for methionine is strongly increased, that for tryptophan decreased. The initial rate of uptake of all the amino acids mentioned is highly sensitive to the nature of the cellular amino acid pool. A high influx by exchange, relative to net influx, appears to characterize the amino acids that respond to competitive stimulation. Albumin-bound tryptophan appears not directly accessible to the tested carriers.
Dexamethasone pretreatment impairs the thymidylate synthase inhibition mediated flare in thymidine salvage pathway activity in non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction Successful inhibition of thymidylate synthase (TS) by pemetrexed, a TS inhibitor, results in a reproducible transient burst or "flare" in thymidine salvage pathway activity at 2 hrs. of therapy which can be measurable with FLT-PET ([18F]fluorothymidine-positron emission tomography) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Routine administration of dexamethasone with pemetrexed-based therapy could potentially confound this imaging approach since dexamethasone is known to inhibit expression of thymidine kinase 1, a key enzyme in the thymidine salvage pathway. Here we examine the potential impact of dexamethasone on the TS inhibition-mediated thymidine salvage pathway "flare" in NSCLC. Materials and methods In order to determine NSCLC cell line sensitivity to dexamethasone and pemetrexed, IC50 studies were performed on NSCLC cell lines H23, H1975, H460, H1299. TS inhibition-mediated "flare" in thymidine salvage pathway activity was then measured at 2hrs. of exposure to pemetrexed and cisplatin in NSCLC cells lines following using 3H-thymidine incorporation assays under the following conditions: control (no chemotherapy or dexamethasone), or treated with pemetrexed and cisplatin without dexamethasone, with 24 hrs. pre-treatment of dexamethasone or with dexamethasone administered together with chemotherapy. These conditions were chosen to model the delivery of pemetrexed-based therapy in the clinic. Results The IC50 of H23, H1975, H460, H1299 for dexamethasone and pemetrexed were 40, 5.9, 718, 362 μM and 0.22, 0.73, 0.14 and 0.66 μM respectively. Significant blunting of the thymidine salvage pathway "flare" is observed at 2hrs. of pemetrexed-based therapy when dexamethasone sensitive cell lines H23 and H1975 were pretreated with dexamethasone but not when dexamethasone was given together with pemetrexed therapy or in the setting of dexamethasone resistance (H460 and H1299). Conclusion 24 hr. pretreatment with dexamethasone, but not same day co-administration of dexamethasone with therapy, impairs the TS inhibition-mediated "flare" in thymidine salvage pathway activity in NSCLC.