cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
VAR flow control for grid capacity optimization

Increase or decrease in the reactive power (VAR) load requirements on any bus leads to voltage fluctuations at that bus. Therefore, VAR flow control is very crucial for the integrity of power systems as it may lead to voltage instability or severe circulating current. The circulating current in the power systems will cause system stresses and will reduce the generator's capacity. Therefore, a quick automated control system is needed to continually regulate the VAR flow. This can be done through the VAR control system in either the generator or the transformer; however, a very sophisticated control system is needed for coordination between them. In this paper we will share our experience in deploying an advanced technique to coordinate between all VAR systems to stabilize the voltage and minimize the circuiting current. We utilized the existing Distributed Control System (DCS) infrastructure, in one of the local industrial plants, to automate the VAR regulation without adding any additional components. The new logic detects any voltage instability or any circulating current and selects the most appropriate VAR system, whether it is a generator VAR or a transformer VAR, to correct the VAR flow. At the end, the voltage will be fixed. In this paper we will describe how this package works, the system logics, and the system operations.
A whiter shade of male: Color background matching as a function of size and sex in the yellow shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis (Dana, 1851)

Juveniles of the shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis are highly variable in color, ranging from the typical yellowishgreen of adults to pure white and myriad patterns of white mottling and other disruptive markings, but large individuals with white coloration appear to be very rare. Using image analysis to quantify the relative “whiteness” of beaches, we sampled crabs from nine locations in Washington State that varied widely in their amount of shell fragments and other light-colored material. The total proportion of white individuals in the different locations was strongly correlated to the proportion of white material on the beaches, but there was a striking difference between sexes. Although white specimens of both sexes declined significantly at sizes above 10 mm carapace width, white females generally persisted throughout the entire female size range on lighter-colored beaches while white males larger than 10 mm were virtually absent from all of the sampled populations. Pure white males held on dark backgrounds in captivity remained white, as they lack the dark chromatophores in their hypodermis needed to change color; off-white males became darker and in some cases lightened up again when transferred back to a white background. Behavioral differences between the sexes may result in differential mortality of white individuals by visual predators.
Parallel Architectures and Compilers

The ever increasing demand for computational power in many areas of science and engineering is an undeniable fact. In the first few generations of computer systems, increased computational speed was primarily obtained through advances in technology that allowed higher degree of integration and faster circuits. As technology approaches certain physical limitations, parallelism seems to be the most promising alternative for satisfying the ever-increasing demand for computational speed. Through the replication of computational elements that are interconnected in some regular structure, programs can execute on multiple processors and access multiple memory banks. In other words computations (and memory transfers) can be performed in parallel. Parallelism is an old concept and was applied to a limited degree in some of the early computer systems. First in the form of I/O channels that allowed overlapped computation and I/O, and later in the form of multiple functional units that could operate in parallel. Technology constraints and software limitations however did not make it feasible to design and build parallel machines until later in the 70’s.
Neuroendocrine functions, mood and quality of life

The neuroendocrine system and the distribution of hormones through the brain and their modulatory role and influence in behaviour and mood have been studied for a long time. The most evident changes associated with mood disorders are in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA), the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT), the hypothalamic-pituitary-GH (HPGH) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPGn) axes. Hypotheses referring to the psychophysiological meaning and the development of these alterations are discussed. In order to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from mood disorders, it would be important to define which specific hormonal axes contribute to mood symptoms and which medications that normalize neuroendocrine function are conditioning the impact of mood symptoms. The identification and detailed characterization of these pathways will ultimately lead to the development of novel neuropharmacological intervention strategies. Future directions for research are described.
Athens, Constantinople, “Istambol”: Urban Paradigms and Nineteenth-Century Greek National Identity

Your nostalgia has createdA nonexistent country, with lawsAlien to earth and man.George Seferis, The Return of the Exile (Keeley and Sherrard, 1981, pp. 224-25)The history of Greece's first century as an independent nation-state is in many ways a history of the interplay among urban space, nationalism, and identity. It is also a history of nostalgia: Western European nostalgia for one specific past, Greek nostalgia for another, and the tension between the two.
The Role of Geoblocking in the Internet Legal Landscape

El geobloqueig, o bloqueig geografic a Internet, ha estat presentat alhora com un mal perpetrat contra la xarxa i com la salvacio per als continguts d’Internet. La Comissio Europea considera el geobloqueig com una eina indesitjable i preten eliminar-lo, en la mesura que sigui possible, dins de la Unio Europea. Si be la normativa sobre portabilitat transfronterera proposada per la Comissio el 2015 i la seva proposta de normativa de 2016 contra el geobloqueig no suposarien la seva eliminacio completa, la veritat es que totes dues limitarien notablement els casos en els quals el geobloqueig es consideraria legal. Alguns creadors de continguts, com els estudis cinematografics, adopten una posicio diferent respecte a aquest fenomen: consideren que el geobloqueig es un metode util per a dividir els mercats, mantenir els seus calendaris de distribucio i garantir el financament basant-se en una distribucio definida territorialment. Per a proveidors de continguts, com les petites emissores de radio en linia, el geobloqueig podria ser l’unica manera de fer negoci si aquestes emissores depenen d’obtenir llicencies assequibles, pero tambe limitades territorialment. Aquest article revisa les novetats juridiques mes recents en relacio amb el geobloqueig i es planteja si el futur d’Internet pot incloure, o ho ha de fer, aquest tipus de bloqueig. Segons els ultims esdeveniments, sembla que el geobloqueig esta adquirint un paper cada vegada mes rellevant en el context legal: legisladors, tribunals i reguladors el consideren un mitja efectiu i necessari per a limitar territorialment a Internet els efectes de les seves lleis, sentencies i decisions. Com que no hi ha una legislacio global i uniforme que reguli les activitats a Internet sense importar en quin lloc del mon es produeixin aquestes activitats, podria ser necessari cert tipus de bloqueig territorial per a abordar determinades circumstancies.
Bayesian Integration of In Vitro Biomarker to Analysis of In Vivo Safety Assessment

Prolongation of the QT interval of electrocardiogram (ECG) is a critical safety concern in drug development. To enhance prediction of QT prolongation risks of a drug in human, it has been proposed to better integrate in vitro and in vivo models for preclinical QT prolongation assessment (Hanson et al., J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 54:116–129, 2006). By evaluation of the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI/HESI) data set, Chiang and Wang (Stat Biopharm Res 7:66–75, 2015) proposed a Bayesian approach to incorporation of in-vivo information in in-vitro animal QT analysis. The approach has been shown to increase predictive power, improve decision making, and reduce unnecessary exposure in animal studies. In this chapter, we extend on the previous work by Chiang and Wang (Stat Biopharm Res 7:66–75, 2015) to further investigate how in vitro data can be integrated by the proposed approach and how decisions concerning QT prolongation can be more informatively made for drugs moving from pre-clinical to clinical evaluation.
Association between consistent weight gain tracking and gestational weight gain: Secondary analysis of a randomized trial

Objective The effective components of interventions for reducing excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) remain to be identified. This study investigated the sociodemographic, physical, psychosocial, and environmental correlates of online GWG tracking and its independent association with GWG outcomes. Methods Eight hundred ninety-eight women in the intervention arms of a randomized trial assessing the effectiveness of an integrated online and mobile phone behavioral intervention to decrease the prevalence of excessive GWG were included in this secondary analysis. Data were analyzed using χ2 analysis and modified Poisson and linear regression approaches. Results Only 16.5% of low-income (Medicaid-eligible) women consistently tracked GWG, as did 34.2% of not-low-income women. More highly educated, older, and white women were more likely to be consistent GWG trackers. Among not-low-income women, consistent GWG tracking was associated with 2.35 kg less GWG (95% CI: −3.23 to −1.46 kg; P < 0.0001) and a reduced risk of excessive GWG (RR 0.73; 95% CI: 0.59 to 0.89; P = 0.002). Conclusions Electronic tracking of GWG is an effective component of electronic and mobile health interventions aiming to decrease the prevalence of excessive GWG in not-low-income women. Income group-specific motivators are needed to increase the prevalence of GWG tracking.
Towards a Better Forecasting Model for Economic Indices.

This paper presents a study of neural network forecasting construction system. Forecasting, especially financial forecasting has been attracting researchers and practitioners for many years. Many experiments suggest that neural networks can outperform conventional models in most cases. However, due to the tedious and time consuming of neural networks training, some of models reported in literature did not go through comprehensive experiments. We propose a neural network forecasting construction system based on the study of manual training procedures. We hope that the system will free human beings from the tedious trialand-error procedures and thus more progress can be achieved for neural networks in financial applications.
Bohm’s Metaphysics and Biology

This paper was written in response to discussions at the second of C. H. Waddington’s symposia on Theoretical Biology (1967), which I had the pleasure of attending. The uniqueness of the occasion, for me, lay in the opportunity to hear David Bohm present his ontological views — in effect, a transposition into a modern coordinate system of Spinozistic metaphysics. I would by now be inclined to separate more sharply than I did then the scope and conceptual structure of evolutionary theory from the general metaphysical framework in which it may — and perhaps ought to be — imbedded.
Organ-level right ventricular dysfunction with preserved Frank-Starling mechanism in a mouse model of pulmonary arterial hypertension

A multiscale investigation of pulmonary artery pressure overload in mice showed time-dependent organ-level right ventricular (RV) dysfunction with preserved Frank-Starling relations in myofilaments...
Properties and Behavior of Materials and Some Design Considerations Too

It is not always immediately appreciated that the human body and whatever devices are used to treat its diseases are made from materials. And therefore, a study and an understanding of the behavior and characteristics of materials can provide insights into failures of the body’s tissues, as well as clues regarding the desirable properties of materials used for tissue replacement.
Calf measurements screening for deep vein thrombosis in acute inpatient cancer rehabilitation

Background/Aims: Cancer patients have a fourfold increase in the frequency of thrombosis and it is a common cause of death. The purpose of this study was to review the impact of calf measurements d...
2012 TAU power grid simulation contest: benchmark suite and results

Although power grid analysis has been an active research area for a number of years, increasing chip size has exposed new challenges in this traditional topic. The simulation of these large scale networks is becoming a dominant step in the design verification flow and it often requires the very largest computer available to the design team. To spur academic research in this vital verification step, the IBM Austin Research Laboratory, with support from the ACM TAU Workshop, has successfully organized two annual TAU Power Grid Simulation Contests, and over twenty university teams across the world have participated. For 2012, the contest is focused on dynamic analysis and parallel implementation. In this paper, the organizers review the TAU 2012 Power Grid Simulation Contest. This contest was held to seek new efficient methods with parallel implementation for performing dynamic (i.e. time domain) analysis for large power grid networks. Accuracy, run-time and memory consumption were used as metrics to evaluate the various contestants, and prizes were accordingly awarded to the top three teams. The benchmarks in [1] were expanded to be suitable for dynamic analysis. These are made public, along with the scores from various teams that participated in the contest, in order to further encourage their use in future research on this important topic.
Toward a Sexual Ethics Curriculum: Bringing Philosophy and Society to Bear on Individual Development

For over a decade, battles have raged between conservative Abstinence Only Until Marriage (AOUM) sexuality education advocates and liberal Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) advocates. While these battles have focused on the inclusion of health information about contraception and whether or not a curriculum must advocate abstinence as the best and only method to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, these debates have often ignored other important values about sex. In this article, Sharon Lamb reviews the recent history of these sexuality education battles, criticizes both AOUM and CSE curricula, and discusses how, in CSE's accommodation to AOUM objections, ethical dimensions of sex education may have been neglected in favor of evidence-based practice. She then suggests ways in which the current curricula could teach ethical reasoning and make sex education a form of citizenship education, focusing on justice, equity, and caring for the other person as well as the self.
Impact of a Same-Day Breast Biopsy Program on Disparities in Time to Biopsy

Abstract Background Disparities in breast cancer diagnosis are established. In usual practice, biopsies are performed days or weeks after recommendation. Our aim was to measure the impact of a same-day biopsy program on disparities in time from biopsy recommendation to performance. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, we identified all diagnostic examinations leading to biopsy pre- (September 2016 to March 2017) and post- (September 2017 to March 2018) implementation of our same-day biopsy program. We compared demographic characteristics (age, race, language, and insurance) and biopsy information (days from biopsy recommendation to biopsy, and proportion of same-day biopsies in all biopsies) in pre- versus postimplementation groups. Multivariable linear and logistic models in pre- and postimplementation groups assessed if days from biopsy recommendation to biopsy and having a same-day biopsy were associated with patient subgroups. Results In all, 663 and 482 patients underwent biopsy during pre- and postimplementation periods, respectively. Patient subgroups were similar between periods. For all patients, the same-day biopsy program decreased median time from diagnostic examination to biopsy from 8 (interquartile range: 4-13) to 0 (interquartile range: 0-4) days (P .05). Conclusion There was no evidence of racial/ethnic or insurance disparities in time from biopsy recommendation to performance after implementation of a same-day biopsy program.
Adaptive Objective Functions and Distance Metrics for Recommendation Systems

We describe, develop, and implement different models for the standard matrix completion problem from the field of recommendation systems. We benchmark these models against the publicly available Netflix Prize challenge dataset, consisting of users’ ratings of movies on a 1–5 scale. While the original competition concentrated only on RMSE, we experiment with different objective functions for model training, ensemble construction, and model/ensemble testing.
Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair in women: Trends, disparities, and postoperative outcomes

Abstract Introduction This study analyzed trends in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair over time, rates of laparoscopic repair in women, and subsequent postoperative outcomes. Methods Data for 237,503 patients undergoing repair of an initial, reducible inguinal hernia were analyzed using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for years 2006–2017. Data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results Since 2006, there was an increased proportion of laparoscopic inguinal hernia surgeries, from 20.49% in 2006 to 36.36% in 2017 (p Conclusion A greater proportion of inguinal hernia repairs are performed laparoscopically. Women with bilateral inguinal hernias are more likely than men to undergo open rather than laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.
Immigrants’ occupational segregation in France: “brown-collar” jobs or a Sub-Saharan African disadvantage?

ABSTRACTLarge-scale labour migration is considered a recent phenomenon in most European countries; however, immigrants have been an integral part of the French labour-force nearly as long as in the...
Preference-Based Image Generation

Deep generative models are a set of promising methods, that are able to model complex data and generate new samples. In principle, they learn to map a random latent code sampled from a prior distribution into a high dimensional data space, such as image space. However, these models have limited utilities as the user has minimal control over what the network produces. Despite the success of some recent work in learning an interpretable latent code, the field still lacks a coherent framework to learn a fully interpretable latent code, without any random part for sample diversity. Consequently, it is generally hard, if not impossible, for a non-expert user to produce a desired image by tuning the random and interpretable parts of the latent code. In this paper, we introduce the Preference-Based Image Generation (PbIG), a new method to retrieve the corresponding latent code of the user’s mental image. We propose to adopt preference-based reinforcement learning, which learns from a user’s judgment of the generated images by a pre-trained generative model. Since the proposed method is completely decoupled from the training stage of the underlying generative models, it can easily be adopted by any method, such as GANs and VAEs. We evaluate the effectiveness of PbIG framework using a set of experiments on baseline datasets using a pretraind StackGAN++.
Blindness from age-related macular degeneration in Changning District of Shanghai from 2003 to 2008

Total 1049 new cases of blindness were detected by visual acuity survey in a population aged 68 or above in Changning District of Shanghai from 2003 to 2008. Among all eases 21.5% were age-related macular degeneration (AMD) blindness, with a trend of ascending from 17.7% in 2003 to 29. 9% in 2008. Most of the cases were classified as grade 3 (56. 9% ) or grade 4 (41.3%) of blindness. AMD has become one of the leading causes of blindness at present and should be the key eye disease for prevention of blindness. Key words: Macular degeneration; Blindness
Extended-release naltrexone versus buprenorphine-naloxone to treat opioid use disorder among black adults

Abstract Few studies examine the effectiveness of treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) among Black individuals despite recent evidence suggesting opioid overdose death rates are, in some cases, highest and increasing at a faster rate among Black people compared to other racial/ethnic groups. This secondary analysis study investigated treatment preference, retention, and relapse rates amongst a subgroup of 73 Black participants with OUD (81% male, mean age 39.05, SD = 11.80) participating in a 24-week multisite randomized clinical trial (“X:BOT”) comparing the effectiveness of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) and sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone (BUP-NX) between 2014 and 2017. Chi-square analyses were used to investigate treatment preference assessed at baseline, and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate differences in the odds of retention and relapse assessed over the 24-week course of treatment between treatment groups. Our findings suggest no differences in preference for XR-NTX versus BUP-NX. However, similar to the parent trial, there was an induction hurdle such that only 59.5% of those randomized to XR-NTX successfully initiated medication compared to 91.6% of those randomized to BUP-NX (OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.04, 0.52). No significant differences were found in treatment retention (intention-to-treat: OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.43, 3.28; per-protocol [i.e., those who initiated medication]: OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.20, 1.82) or relapse rates between treatment groups (intention-to-treat: OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.57, 4.13; per-protocol: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.23, 2.06). Although there is a significant initiation hurdle with XR-NTX, once inducted, both medications appear similar in effectiveness, but as in the main study, dropout rates were high. Future research is needed on how to improve adherence.
Special Educators in a Regional Induction Program

Over a 4-year period, eleven first-year special educators participated with 93 other first-year teachers in a regional induction program, Project Launch. District and campus administrators in a 13-...
Pediatric ingestions with gummy formulated medications: a retrospective study

Gummy formulations are widely available with estimated 65% marketed for children. Currently, there are few studies describing children ingesting gummy formulated medications. The aim of this study ...
Discovery of an essential mycobacterial polar growth factor involved in cell envelope integrity and lipomannan and lipoarabinomannan transport

ABSTRACT Mycobacteria grow and divide differently compared to well-studied model bacteria. They insert new cell envelope at their poles instead of along their side walls; and, they lack obvious homologs of many well-conserved cell growth and division proteins. Furthermore, while mycobacteria share several similarities to Gram-positive bacteria, unlike these organisms they possess an outer membrane, which is abundant in long-chain fatty acids and several glycolipids and lipoglycans. A better understanding of the unique factors that make this unusual structure could lead to therapeutic targets for pathogenic mycobacteria. Here, we study a gene of previously unknown function – msmeg_0317 - predicted to be essential and associated with mycobacterial cell growth and division proteins. We find that transcriptional depletion of msmeg_0317 leads to loss of polar growth, disruption of the mycobacterial outer membrane, and cell death. Surprisingly, we also observe that depletion results in the accumulation of cell-associated lipoglycans lipomannan and lipoarabinomannan (LM/LAM), while overexpression of CwdA leads to increased shedding of LM/LAM. LM/LAM have been extensively studied in relation to infection but their role in bacterial physiology is less clear. Altogether, our data suggest that MSMEG_0317, renamed CwdA, is involved in the transport of LM/LAM to the mycobacterial outer membrane, and reveal unexpected connections between the correct localization of LM/LAM, polar growth, and the structural integrity of the mycobacterial cell envelope. IMPORTANCE Some of the most successful antibiotics target bacterial cell envelope synthesis. However, the cell envelope of mycobacteria is significantly different from that of other, more well-studied, bacteria. Its core structure consists of a covalently-linked network of peptides, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Additionally, there are several lipids non-covalently interspersed throughout. Many of the enzymes which synthesize these lipids are known, but how they are transported remains largely unclear. Here, we discover that an essential protein, CwdA, is involved in the transport of LM/LAM, abundant lipoglycans in the mycobacterial cell envelope. Depletion of CwdA leads to the loss of polar growth and the disintegration of the mycobacterial outer membrane. These results suggest that the proteins which transport molecules across the mycobacterial cell envelope may represent an abundant source of novel drug targets for the treatment of mycobacterial infections, like tuberculosis.
Ionizing Radiation Exposure in Pediatric Patients With Intestinal Failure.

BackgroundChildren with intestinal failure (IF) are frequently exposed to imaging studies using ionizing radiation. Due to many advancements in care of pediatric patients with IF, the number of pat...
Stability and Release Behavior of Bioactive Compounds (with Antioxidant Activity) Encapsulated by Pickering Emulsion

Colloidal based delivery systems are gaining tremendous attentions in the food and pharmaceutical industries to encapsulate, safeguard and deliver a wide range of bioactive compounds. These formulations predominantly include nano, micro or particle stabilized Pickering emulsions (PEs). Among them, PEs which are emulsions stabilized by solid particles instead of surfactants are regarded as better choices due to their long term and non-toxic nature. The current chapter is mainly focused on the formulation of these PEs using different kinds of stabilizers (to stabilize the oil/water interfaces) derived from inorganic and organic (e.g. polymers, proteins, fats, etc.) sources. Thereafter, different factors relating to the formation and influencing the stability and hence the quality of the PEs were discussed. Finally, the vital roles of PEs as a delivery vehicle for various bioactive compounds with potential antioxidant activity have been highlighted in details.
Dominance shifts increase the likelihood of soft selective sweeps

Genetic models of adaptation to a new environment have typically assumed that the alleles involved maintain a constant fitness dominance across the old and new environments. However, theories of dominance suggest that this should often not be the case. Instead, the alleles involved should frequently shift from recessive deleterious in the old environment to dominant beneficial in the new environment. Here, we study the consequences of these expected dominance shifts for the genetics of adaptation to a new environment. We find that dominance shifts increase the likelihood that adaptation occurs from the standing variation, and that multiple alleles from the standing variation are involved (a soft selective sweep). Furthermore, we find that expected dominance shifts increase the haplotypic diversity of selective sweeps, rendering soft sweeps more detectable in small genomic samples. In cases where an environmental change threatens the viability of the population, we show that expected dominance shifts of newly beneficial alleles increase the likelihood of evolutionary rescue and the number of alleles involved. Finally, we apply our results to a well-studied case of adaptation to a new environment: the evolution of pesticide resistance at the Ace locus in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that, under reasonable demographic assumptions, the expected dominance shift of resistant alleles causes soft sweeps to be the most frequent outcome in this case, with the primary source of these soft sweeps being the standing variation at the onset of pesticide use, rather than recurrent mutation thereafter.
A Robust Vanadium(V) Tris(2-pyridyl)borate Catalyst for Long-Lived High-Temperature Ethylene Polymerization

Soluble vanadium catalysts are highly coveted for their selectivity in olefin polymerization. However, their utility is limited by rapid deactivation, especially at scalable temperatures under whic...
Metabolic syndrome, age‐associated neuroendocrine disorders, and dysregulation of tryptophan—kynurenine metabolism

The neuroendocrine theory of aging identified a cluster of conditions (hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes type 2, menopause, late onset depression, vascular cognitive impairment, impairment of immune defense, and some forms of cancer, e.g., breast and prostate) as age-associated neuroendocrine disorders (AAND). Obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes were later described as metabolic syndromes (MetS). Chronic inflammation is currently considered as a common feature of MetS/AAND. One of the mechanisms by which chronic inflammation might trigger and/or maintain the development of MetS/AAND is transcriptional induction of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), rate-limiting enzyme of tryptophan (TRY)-kynurenine (KYN) pathway, by pro-inflammatory cytokines (PIC). Activation of IDO shifts TRY metabolism from serotonin synthesis to formation of "kynurenines." Diminished serotonin production is associated with mental depression while increased formation of kynurenines might contribute to development of MetS/AAND via their apoptotic, neurotoxic, and pro-oxidative effects, and upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase, phospholipase A2, arachidonic acid, prostaglandin, 5-lipoxygenase, and leukotriene cascade. The combined presence of high producers of alleles of polymorphic PIC genes (e.g., interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha) might account for the genetic predisposition to high levels of PIC production, leading to "superinduction" of IDO. The other rate-limiting enzyme of the TRY-KYN pathway, TRY 2,3-dioxygenase, is activated by substrate (TRY) and cortisol. Therefore, KYN-TRY metabolism might be the meeting point for gene-environment interaction and a new target for prevention and treatment of MetS/AAND.
Rodac Plate-Holding Device for Sampling Surfaces During Surgery

A Rodac plate-holding device has been developed to facilitate microbial surface sampling of supposedly sterile items in the operating room during surgery.
Locally Determined Logic Programs

In general, the set of stable models of a recursive propositional logic program can be quite complex. For example, it follows from results of Marek, Nerode, and Remmel [8] that there exists finite predicate logic programs and recursive propositional logic programs which have stable models but no hyperarithmetic stable models. In this paper, we shall define several conditions which ensure that recursive logic program has a stable model which is recursive.
Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Objectives: To estimate the incidence and prevalence of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD) in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) cohort. Design: Longitudinal cohort study using prospectively and retrospectively collected data to evaluate dementia. Setting: Four U.S. communities. Participants: There were 3,602 CHS participants, including 2,865 white and 492 African-American participants free of dementia, who completed a cranial magnetic resonance image between 1992 and 1994 and were followed for an average of 5.4 years. Measurements: Dementia was classified by neurologist/psychiatrist committee review using neuropsychological tests, neurological examinations, medical records, physician questionnaires, and proxy/informant interviews. Demographics and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype were collected at baseline. Incidence by type of dementia was determined using National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for AD and Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Center's State of California criteria for VaD. Results: Classification resulted in 227 persons with prevalent dementia at entry into the study and 480 incident cases during follow-up. Incidence rates of dementia scaled to age 80 were 34.7 per 1,000 person-years for white women, 35.3 for white men, 58.8 for African-American women, and 53.0 for African-American men. Sex differences were not significant within race. Adjusted for age and education, racial differences were only of borderline significance and may have been influenced by ascertainment methodology. Rates differed substantially by educational attainment but were only significant for whites. Those with the APOE ɛ4 allele had an incidence rate at age 80 of 56.4, compared with 29.6 for those without this allele (P<.001). In whites, type-specific incidence at age 80 was 19.2 for AD versus 14.6 for VaD. These rates were 34.7 and 27.2 for African Americans. At termination of observation, women had only a slightly higher prevalence of dementia (16.0%) than men (14.7%). Conclusion: Sex and racial differences were not found, and VaD was higher than reported in other studies. These data provide new estimates of dementia incidence in a community sample for projection of future burden.
Polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting: an efficient implementation of carry-free arithmetic

The carry-free addition and borrow-free subtraction on the redundant binary number is adopted for the lensless polarization-encoded optical shadow-casting (POSC). First, a new recoding truth-table which has a symmetrical complemented relationship between the input minterms (entries that produce an output of 1 or -1) and their corresponding output bits is developed for the redundant signed-digit numbers. Then, the carry-free POSC adder/subtracter is designed by determining the encodings of the redundant bits for generating the sum/difference output bit and the source LEDs pattern. Two design methods are presented: direct implementation and truth-table partitioning. It is shown that the design of the POSC carry-free adder/subtracter has much less pixel subcell (six) in the coding pattern of the POSC system than the previously designed carry-free adder (twelve). >
The scientific contributions of Paul D. MacLean (1913-2007).

It is widely recognized that stigmatization of depression leads individuals with depression to avoid treatment and discontinue treatment prematurely. However, this research has been conducted with predominantly White samples and there is limited research on stigma of depression and how it relates to previous treatment seeking among African Americans. The current study examined stigma of depression and related constructs in a predominantly low income African American sample with elevated depressive symptoms. Specifically, general self-stigma, secrecy, public stigma, treatment stigma, and stigmatizing experiences, as well as depression severity, and whether these factors predicted previous treatment seeking for depression were explored. Previous treatment seeking significantly predicted decreased public stigma and increased self-stigma. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Interactions between nuclear factors and the hepatitis B virus enhancer.

Abstract We have previously established that the tissue-specific activity of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) enhancer is mediated by trans-acting cellular factors. Here we have studied in vitro the interactions between the HBV enhancer DNA and cellular factors present in nuclear extracts from both liver and nonliver cell types. The results presented in this study imply the involvement of several distinct, ubiquitous, and liver-specific cellular factors with the HBV enhancer. Sequence analysis of the binding sites for these proteins on HBV DNA showed homologies to sequence motifs known to bind other previously characterized and purified transcription factors including CAAT/enhancer-binding protein. Thus, all of these binding sites may function in concert to activate liver-specific transcription of HBV genes from their respective promoters.
The Politics of Citizenship in Europe

A review of the book "The Politics of Citizenship in Europe," by Marc Morje Howard is presented.
Aluminum Bromide‐1‐Methyl‐3‐Ethylimidazolium Bromide Ionic Liquids I . Densities, Viscosities, Electrical Conductivities, and Phase Transitions

The solid‐liquid phase diagram, experimental glass transition points, densities, viscosities, and electrical conductivities of the aluminum bromide‐1‐methyl‐3‐ethylimidazolium bromide ionic liquid are reported. Certain compositions of this two‐component molten salt are liquid at room temperature. Density, viscosity, and conductivity data were collected over the range of aluminum bromide mole fractions from ca. 0.35 to 0.75 and over the range of temperatures from ca. 25° to 100°C. Equations are presented that describe both the composition and temperature dependence of the densities and transport properties. Both the viscosities and the conductivities display the non‐Arrhenius temperature dependence typically associated with glass forming ionic liquids. Temperature‐dependent activation energies are derived for these transport processes by using the Vogel‐Tammann‐Fulcher equation.
Hydrogeomorphic Processes in Temperate and Tropical Forests: Effects of Land Use and Scale

The science of hydrogeomorphology has evolved during the past few decades to include not only the coupling of hydrologic and geomorphic processes but also the spatial and temporal interactions of these processes. Bioclimatic factors play an important role in determining which hydrologic and geomorphic processes dominate in various environments and how these processes evolve and distribute in time and space. Herein, sediment production and transport are discussed as examples of important hydrogeomorphic phenomena at different spatial and temporal scales in the context of climate, forest cover, hydrology, and geomorphic setting. Examples are presented that illustrate the dominant hydrogeomorphic processes in steep (typical slope gradients >30°) humid tropical and temperate forests. Landslides contribute substantial sediment loads to streams, particularly in steep temperate forest terrain; however, the timing between the mass wasting event on the hillslope and the delivery and mobilization of the sediment in the channel can be highly variable. Linkages between surface erosion on hillslopes and sediment response in streams are more direct if connected pathways exist. The connectivity of sediment sources with flow pathways in catchments can be greatly enhanced by land uses (particularly unpaved roads and trails) that compact and disturb soils and redistribute water onto susceptible landforms.
Sliding-mode controller design of a single-link flexible manipulator under gravity

This is follow-up research of the regulator design for a single-link flexible manipulator using the sliding-mode technique (Yeung and Chen 1989). In this paper, we have extended the controller design for the regulation problem to that for the tracking problem when the single-link manipulator is moving on a horizontal plane. In addition, by placing strain gauges along the flexible arm (Hastings and Book 1985) we can substitute strain measurements for the need to estimate modal functions, which is a step close to implementational reality. Extension of the controller design is also carried out to the regulation of a flexible arm under gravity. A PID compensation is needed to compensate for the steady-state offset due to gravity. The controller design presented is simple and requires no inertia matrix inversion, no modal estimation and no payload forecast. Simulation studies demonstrate the robustness of the control against input disturbance and payload variations
Effects of Tobacco Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) Populations on Flue-Cured Tobacco Production

Yield, price, and gross economic returns of flue-cured tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L., were described as a function of the seasonal abundance of tobacco aphids, MYZU8 nicotianae Blackman. Aphid populations were sampled and tobacco plants were harvested, cured, and graded on an individual plant basis. A wide range in aphid population pressure was obtained by selecting individual plants according to the time of aphid colonization. Pirimicarb, a selective aphicide, was applied to other plants to ensure that they would have less than naturally occurring aphid population levels. Yield, price, and gross economic returns responded as a nonlinear function of cumulative aphid-days. The per aphid effects on production variables decreased with increasing aphid population severity. Above a certain population level, additional losses became increasingly negligible. The type of response observed in this study with flue-cured tobacco has been described as a desensitization response. In total, tobacco aphid populations reduced the yield up to 22 and 28% in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Reductions in the price of cured leaves were as great as 7 and 9% in corresponding years; the combined effects on both yield and price resulted in observed losses in gross economic returns of 27% in 1988 and 30% in 1989. Tobacco aphid populations develop most heavily on the actively growing leaves of the upper portion of tobacco plants, but the effect of aphids on production was most prevalent on leaves from other regions of the plant. The greatest effect was measured on the yield of leaves from the middle portion of the plant. However, cured leaves from the bottom of the plant had significantly greater reductions in price than leaves from elsewhere on the plant.
Habituation of the GSR component of the orienting reflex during paired-associate learning before and after learning has taken place

Abstract The magnitude of the GSR was used as a measure of the strength of the orienting response during paired-associate learning. The momentary resistance changes which occurred whenever an item was presented were recorded. In Experiment I 32 subjects learned to associate nonsense syllables with the responses 1 and 2. The learning data could be described by a two-state Markov model. The GSR increased in magnitude up to the trial of the last error. After that the response began to habituate. Similar results were obtained for response latencies. Experiment II was a conventional pairedassociate task with nonsense syllables as responses. Thirty subjects were run. A threestate Markov model was used to describe the learning data. The GSR was again correlated with the states of the model: it tended to increase in the initial state, remained at its peak during intermediate trials, and habituated after learning was completed.
Turbulent heat transfer and the periodic viscous sublayer

Abstract Heat transfer calculations based on the fluctuating viscous sublayer model of turbulent flow are presented which incorporate two essential but heretofore neglected features of the real flow situation; namely, that the sublayer fluctuations impose wall temperature fluctuations and that on average the sublayer does not decay completely to the wall but rather there exists a maximum turbulence penetration thickness. The resulting temperature distributions and heat transfer coefficients are in agreement with empirical correlations of the experimental data for Prandtl numbers greater than one. Heat transfer to liquid metals is also considered (Prandtl number much less than one) and computed heat transfer coefficients are 25–50 per cent higher than published correlations of empirical data. The computations indicate that for liquid metals the Nusselt number is not a single valued function of the Peclet number.
Hybrid ion-electron resonance frequencies in finite plasmas

Abstract The shifts of the hybrid ion-electron resonance frequency to values above the geometrical mean of ion and electron cyclotron frequencies due to the finite length of plasmas are computed and corroborated by observations.
Reflections on Linguistic Fieldwork in Two Native American Communities.

This article sketches the background of my linguistic fieldwork among the Otoe-Missouria and Ioway tribes of north-central Oklahoma, whose language, Chiwere (Siouan) currently has less than a dozen speakers. One theme which emerges is an emphasis upon personal involvement, in the traditional sense of participant-observation as the hallmark of the ethnographic method, and in the human emotional sense as well. In particular, developing culturally appropriate means of conducting one's research is critical for maintaining cooperation, and for increasing the depth of one's data as well.
The Influence of Grooves on the Fully Wetted and Aerated Flow Between Open Clutch Plates

In a disengaged or open clutch mode, one plate rotates while the other is stationary. This speed difference between the two plates (on the order of 1000 rpm) and the small clearance between them (on the order of 100 μm) results in large velocity gradients. Transmission fluid is passed between clutches since during reengagement; this oil provides lubrication and carries heat away. However, during the disengaged mode the shearing of this oil as it passes between the plates results in viscous drag that wastes power. Introduction of air between the two plates during the disengaged mode, referred to as aeration, is the most significant way of reducing this friction drag due to low viscosity of air compared with oil. Open clutch drag reduction is enhanced by providing grooves on one of the plates since they are known to promote aeration. Yet, a continuous supply of lubrication oil is necessary, even during disengagement. This study examines the underlying processes responsible for the oil flow between grooved disks and possible aeration through a combination of experiments and numerical computations. A two-dimensional model of the three-dimensional, single-phase flow between a stationary and a rotating clutch plate is presented, which is capable of describing pressures and shear stress distribution for plates with radial grooved geometries. The computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT ® is used to examine the single-phase and aerated flows between the plates. These results are compared with accompanying experimental observations. We also examine new groove designs to study their efficiency in promoting aeration. Finally, we propose reasons for grooves promoting aeration in clutches.
Evaluation of the Chagas Stat-Paktm Assay for Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi Antibodies in Wildlife Reservoirs

Abstract An immunochromatographic assay (Chagas Stat-Pak™) was evaluated for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in 4 species of wildlife reservoirs. Antibodies to T. cruzi were detected in raccoons (Procyon lotor) (naturally and experimentally infected) and degus (Octodon degu) (experimentally-infected) using the Chagas Stat-Pak. In naturally exposed wild raccoons, the Chagas Stat-Pak had a sensitivity and specificity of 66.7–80.0% and 96.3%, respectively. Compared with indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay results, seroconversion as determined by Chagas Stat-Pak was delayed for experimentally infected raccoons, but occurred sooner in experimentally infected degus. The Chagas Stat-Pak did not detect antibodies in naturally or experimentally infected Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) or in experimentally infected short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica). These data suggest that the Chagas Stat-Pak might be useful in field studies of raccoons and degus when samples would not be av...