cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synchronous and symmetric migration of Drosophila caudal visceral mesoderm cells requires dual input by two FGF ligands

Caudal visceral mesoderm (CVM) cells migrate synchronously towards the anterior of the Drosophila embryo as two distinct groups located on each side of the body, in order to specify longitudinal muscles that ensheath the gut. Little is known about the molecular cues that guide cells along this path, the longest migration of embryogenesis, except that they closely associate with trunk visceral mesoderm (TVM). The expression of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) heartless and its ligands, pyramus (pyr) and thisbe (ths), within CVM and TVM cells, respectively, suggested FGF signaling may influence CVM cell guidance. In FGF mutants, CVM cells die before reaching the anterior region of the TVM. However, an earlier phenotype observed was that the two cell clusters lose direction and converge at the midline. Live in vivo imaging and tracking analyses identified that the movements of CVM cells were slower and no longer synchronous. Moreover, CVM cells were found to cross over from one group to the other, disrupting bilateral symmetry, whereas such mixing was never observed in wild-type embryos. Ectopic expression of either Pyr or Ths was sufficient to redirect CVM cell movement, but only when the endogenous source of these ligands was absent. Collectively, our results show that FGF signaling regulates directional movement of CVM cells and that native presentation of both FGF ligands together is most effective at attracting cells. This study also has general implications, as it suggests that the activity supported by two FGF ligands in concert differs from their activities in isolation.
Partial correction of the single-strand break repair defect in the CHO mutant EM9 by electroporated recombinant XRCC1 protein.

The CHO mutant EM9 is hypersentitive to simple alkylating agents and is unable to rejoin efficiently the DNA single-strand breaks that arise during base excision repair. In addition, EM9 exhibits a reduced frequency of homologous recombination and a 10-fold increase in sister chromatid exchange, similar to that observed in cells from individuals afflicted with Bloom`s syndrome. The human gene that fully corrects EM9 has been cloned and is denoted XRCC1, and fully functional XRCC1 cDNA minigenes have been constructed. To further examine the biochemical role of XRCC1, the human XRCCq ORF was inserted into the E. coli expression vector pMAL-cRI (New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA) to generate pMAL-cRIX, which encodes a fusion protein.
Theory and implementation of a Raman active fiber delay line

In an optical delay line made of a single-mode reentrant fiber loop, Raman amplification is used to compensate for recirculating signal losses. Concurrent Stokes noise amplification limits the system performances. A theoretical model shows that the signal-to-noise ratio decays as the reciprocal of the number of signal recirculations. Experimental results obtained with a 760-m-long fiber loop operated at \lambda = 1.12 \mu m are presented. A new pump modulation technique resulting in improved output signal stability is reported whereupon optical delays up to 3 ms were achieved.
A PENETROMETER TEST TO MEASURE MEAT TENDERNESS

SUMMARY Attempts to relate mechanical measures of raw meat tenderness to cooked meat tenderness have generally been unsuccessful. Therefore, a study was designed to evaluate the use of a simple penetration test to predict cooked meat tenderness from the force required to penetrate the raw meat sample. An Allo-Kramer Shear Press was modified to function as a penetrometer by replacing the Standard Shear-Compression cell and shearing blades with a plate containing 5 needles. The needles were made from 1/8-in.-diameter drill rod and were semiblunt, having 0.007-in.-diameter land and 0.472/1.0-in.-taper. Using slices from the longissimus dorsi muscle of pork, various factors of the time-force curve were analyzed to determine which would give the best indication of tenderness. It was found that the maximum force value gave the best results. Regression analysis showed correlations significant at the 1% level between the force necessary to penetrate the raw sample versus both force necessary to penetrate the cooked sample and trained technological panel evaluations.
Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes contamination on produce – A quantitative analysis of common liquid fresh produce wash compounds

Abstract Contaminated produce has been identified as the cause of several listeriosis outbreaks in recent years. Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment and complete prevention of produce contamination is therefore challenging. Mitigation options that reduce contamination on produce are valuable, especially for produce commodities that are commonly consumed fresh or minimally processed. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available peer-reviewed literature to evaluate the efficacy of liquid fresh produce wash compounds in reducing produce contamination with L. monocytogenes, and derive quantitative estimates of treatment efficacy for a variety of common liquid fresh produce wash compounds. Treatment efficacy differed considerably across produce commodities, with liquid fresh produce wash compounds generally showing considerably greater efficacy for some tested commodities than for other commodities. Most but not all of the evaluated liquid fresh produce wash compounds were significantly more effective in reducing L. monocytogenes contamination than water alone, with mean reductions in L. monocytogenes levels ranging from less than 1 log10 cfu to more than 5 log10 cfu. Liquid fresh produce wash compounds are therefore a possible tool for reducing contamination with L. monocytogenes, for certain produce commodities.
FPGA based trustworthy authentication technique using Physically Unclonable Functions and artificial intelligence

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) need built-in security not only to prevent reverse engineering, but also to prevent hacking and cloning while reconfiguring or partially reconfiguring the devices. To counter such threats, methodologies for preventing IC piracy have been developed that require a unique signature key for every fabricated chip. Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) can be used for such signature generation. This paper presents a design for cryptographic applications that can be implemented on an FPGA taking advantage of its unique architecture. The research is divided into three parts: The first part of the research involves development of techniques for the generation of uniquely distinguishable responses from Ring Oscillator PUFs. The second part involves development of error correction technique using Artificial Neural Networks. The third part involves a hashing function to redress the response bits. The proposed design is implemented on several Xilinx Spartan FPGAs and the Hamming distances for the responses are computed and analyzed. The uniqueness of the responses is found to be 49.0625%. It is also found that the results of the proposed error correction code are computationally efficient as compared to the conventional BCH codes.
Endlessly Single Mode Vertical Cavity Lasers

Universal designs of photonic crystal vertical cavity lasers that yield single mode operation for all wavelengths (780, 850, and 980 nm) with output power > 1.5 mW and side-mode suppression ratio > 45 dB are reported.
Rate quantization and the speedup required to achieve 100% throughput for multicast over crossbar switches

The problem of providing quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees for multicast traffic over crossbar switches has received limited attention despite the popularity of its counterpart for unicast traffic. Providing a 100% throughput to all admissible multicast traffic has been shown to be a very difficult task, and it requires a very high speedup in the switching fabric. In this paper, we introduce the concept of rate quantization and use rate quantization to show an analogy between packet scheduling in crossbar switches and circuit switching in three-stage Clos networks. We exploit the analogy to adopt circuit-switching algorithms in wide-sense and strict-sense nonblocking Clos networks in order to construct nonblocking packet schedulers for unicast and multicast traffic. We illustrate a simple multicast nonblocking packet scheduler, for which a speedup of 6 log n/log log n is sufficient to support 100% throughput for any admissible multicast traffic in an n x n crossbar switch. Moreover, we revisit some problems in unicast switch scheduling. We illustrate that the analogy provides useful perspectives, and we give a simple proof for a well-known result.
Use of spanking for 3-year-old children and associated intimate partner aggression or violence.

The objective of this study was to examine associations between maternal and paternal use of corporal punishment (CP) for 3-year-old children and intimate partner aggression or violence (IPAV) in a population-based sample. METHODS: The study sample (N 1997) was derived from wave 3 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Mother and father re- ports regarding their use of CP and their IPAV victimization were ana- lyzed. IPAV included coercion and nonphysical and physical aggression. RESULTS: Approximately 65% of the children were spanked at least once in the previous month by 1 or both parents. Of couples who reported any family aggression (87%), 54% reported that both CP and IPAV occurred. The most prevalent patterns of co-occurrence involved both parents as aggressors either toward each other (ie, bilateral IPAV) or toward the child. The presence of bilateral IPAV essentially doubled the odds that 1 or both parents would use CP, even after controlling for potential confounders such as parenting stress, de- pression, and alcohol or other drug use. Of the 5 patterns of co- occurring family aggression assessed, the "single aggressor" model, in which only 1 parent aggressed in the family, received the least amount of empirical support. CONCLUSIONS: Despite American Academy of Pediatrics' recommen- dations against the use of CP, CP use remains common in the United States. CP prevention efforts should carefully consider assumptions made about patterns of co-occurring aggression in families, given that adult victims of IPAV, including even minor, nonphysical aggression between parents, have increased odds of using CP with their children. Pediatrics 2010;126:415-424
Empirical investigation of the benefits of partial lamarckianism

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are very efficient at exploring the entire search space; however, they are relatively poor at finding the precise local optimal solution in the region in which the algorithm converges. Hybrid GAs are the combination of improvement procedures, which are good at finding local optima, and GAs. There are two basic strategies for using hybrid GAs. In the first, Lamarckian learning, the genetic representation is updated to match the solution found by the improvement procedure. In the second, Baldwinian learning, improvement procedures are used to change the fitness landscape, but the solution that is found is not encoded back into the genetic string. This paper examines the issue of using partial Lamarckianism (i.e., the updating of the genetic representation for only a percentage of the individuals), as compared to pure Lamarckian and pure Baldwinian learning in hybrid GAs. Multiple instances of five bounded nonlinear problems, the location-allocation problem, and the cell formation problem were used as test problems in an empirical investigation. Neither a pure Lamarckian nor a pure Baldwinian search strategy was found to consistently lead to quicker convergence of the GA to the best known solution for the series of test problems. Based on a minimax criterion (i.e., minimizing the worst case performance across all test problem instances), the 20% and 40% partial Lamarckianism search strategies yielded the best mixture of solution quality and computational efficiency.
Effect of minocycline and doxycycline on IgE responses.

Background We have recently found that the tetracycline minocycline suppresses inflammatory responses in serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E-positive asthmatic patients, and that IgE levels can decrease in these patients. The mechanism by which minocycline suppresses these responses is unknown. Objective We have now investigated the ability of the tetracyclines, minocycline and doxycycline, to regulate IgE responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from serum IgE-positive asthmatic patients. Methods The distributions of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+ lymphocytes in peripheral blood of serum IgE-positive asthmatic patients and IgE-negative nonasthmatic controls, and cytokine-specific mRNA expression by their PBMC were determined by flow cytometry (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction). Serum Ig levels also were determined (nephelometry, fluoroenzymeimmunoassay, enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay; n=7/group). PBMC (1.5 × 10 6 /mL) were cultured with anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody and recombinant human interleukin-4 in the presence/absence of minocycline or doxycycline (0.1 to 10 μg/mL), and IgE levels in supernatants determined on days 0, 3, and 10 (enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay). Results Asthmatic and nonasthmatic subjects had similar numbers of blood CD4+ T cells (779/mm 3 ± 73 and 766 ± 115, respectively) and CD19+ B-cells (239/mm 3 ± 35 and 379 ± 95, respectively); however, CD8+ T cell numbers were decreased in asthmatic compared with nonasthmatic subjects (378/mm 3 ± 66 and 568 ± 53, respectively; P = 0.045). High IgE levels were detected in supernatants of asthmatic PBMC on day 10 (28 ng/mL ± 12), whereas control IgE levels did not change ( 80% with10 μg/mL); control IgE did not change ( Conclusions The results are consistent with the idea that the therapeutic benefits obtained by asthmatic patients from minocycline may, in part, result from IgE suppression.
Single step aerosol synthesis of nanocomposites by aerosol routes: γ-Fe 2 O 3 /SiO 2 and their functionalization

A single step gas phase method was developed to synthesize silica-coated iron oxide nanocomposite materials in a furnace aerosol reactor (FuAR) using premixed precursors. Synthesis of single component silica and magnetic iron oxide was studied to understand the decomposition mechanism of the precursors, identify the product crystal phase, and optimize the viable operating conditions for the controlled synthesis of nanocomposite material with desirable crystal phase, size, and morphology. The single component decomposition results are further extended to synthesize silica-coated magnetic iron oxide nanocomposite material using premixed precursor. A mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of SiO2-coated γ-Fe2O3 nanocomposite in a single step in a FuAR based on chemical kinetics and was verified by supporting characterization results. The synthesized magnetic γ-Fe2O3/SiO2 nanocomposite material was further tested for suspension stability, magnetic properties, and surface reactivity and was compared with uncoated γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles to demonstrate improved surface properties.
AN AB INITIO STUDY OF HETERODIENOPHILES ADDITION TO 2,3-DIAZA-1,3-BUTADIENE : AN EXAMPLE OF ENDO-LONE-PAIR EFFECT ON THE REACTION ENERGY BARRIER

Transition states for the Diels-Alder reactions of 2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene with ethylene, formaldehyde, formaldimine, cis- and trans- diazene, and nitrosyl hydride were located by ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The bond orders of the new forming bonds have been used to determine the asynchronicity of the reactions. Ab initio calculations show that the energy barrier for the hetero-Diels-Alder reactions is relatively high. The highest energy barrier of 34.76 kcal/mol calculated at the MP4/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G* level was found for the exo-cis-diazene addition to 2,3-diaza-1,3-butadiene. In all cases, when two diastereomeric transition structures are possible, the one with the endo hydrogen, exo lone pair was predicted to have a lower activation barrier. This behavior can be explained by the n-π and n-n loan pair repulsion interaction between the dienophile and diene heteroatoms in the corresponding transition state. The barrier is higher for those reactions which in the transition state have more lone electron pairs. Also, the barrier is higher when the lone pairs are endo oriented than when they are exo oriented in the transition state. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effects of povidone-iodine chemical preparation and saline irrigation on the perilimbal flora.

Purpose: To analyze the effects of 5% povidone-iodine preparation and saline irrigation on the species composition of perilimbal flora. Methods: Cultures were taken from the perilimbal conjunctiva in 100 eyes before preparation for ophthalmic surgery, after instillation of povidone-iodine solution, and after saline irrigation. Results: Bacteria were isolated in 75% of eyes before preparation, in 28% after povidone-iodine instillation, and in 24% after saline irrigation. Fifty-one culture-positive eyes became negative with povidone-iodine, while only four culture-negative eyes became culture-positive ( P P > 0.25). Conclusion: Povidone-iodine solution is effective in reducing bacterial recovery from the perilimbal conjunctiva, where most incisions for intraocular surgery occur. Saline irrigation after povidone-iodine preparation has no significant effect. Ophthalmology 1992;99:1569-1574
The Cosmic Evolution Survey - COSMOS

The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) is designed to probe the correlated evolution of galaxies, star formation, active galactic nuclei (AGN) and dark matter (DM) with large-scale structure (LSS) over the redshift range z >0.5 to 3. The survey includes multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopy from X-ray to radio wavelengths covering a 2 square degree area, including HST imaging of the entire field. Given the very high sensitivity and resolution of these datasets, COSMOS will also provide unprecedented samples of objects at z >3. Here I provide a brief overview of the survey strategy, the characteristics of the major COSMOS datasets, and summarize the science goals.
Participation in Roller Derby, the Influence on Body Image:

Women's flat track roller derby consists of two teams vying for points played on an oval track, and wearing quad skates. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact participation in roller derby has on body image. An online survey was used to gather data from members of roller derby leagues (n = 1597) in the United States. The survey contained quantitative questions from the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) along with qualitative questions. Based upon the data, a typical respondent was Caucasian, 20 to 40 years of age, heterosexual, married/domestic partnership, and has a post-secondary degree. The null hypothesis was rejected as there was a significant difference when comparing means of the MBSRQ prior to joining and currently. Certain MBSRQ scales indicated a negative correlation with BMI.
Bicultural Social Development

The conditions that result in bicultural social development among Latino children and adolescents represent the central focus of this article. The literature surrounding bicultural development is reviewed from four perspectives: (a) immigrant children and adolescents, (b) second generation Latinos or the offspring of immigrants, (c) later generation ethnic children and adolescents, and (d) mixed ethnic and racial heritage individuals. Each of these situations presents different socialization contexts and challenges for parents and children in the transmission of culture across generations and for the development of bicultural competence. The concepts of acculturation, marginality, and biculturalism are examined for the assumptions inherent in each of these constructs. An important assumption in the analysis is that maintenance of ethnic identity and bicultural orientation may be imposed on Latinos depending on their phenotype, which marks them as ”outsiders” to the dominant social group. Thus, ethnic loya...
An asynchronous algorithm for scattering information between the active nodes of a multicomputer system

In this paper we present an asynchronous algorithm for scattering information between the active nodes of a multicomputer system, having a large number of independent computers and workstations that are interconnected by a local area communication network. This algorithm is useful when it is desired to reduce the number of messages and the time delay necessary to transmit information from any node to all the active nodes of the system. The algorithm that we develop is based on one-way messages which are sent by each node, every unit of time, to a randomly selected node. The main advantage of this routing is that it overcomes inactive or faulty machines. We show that for an N node multicomputer in which n nodes are active, it is possible to scatter information to all the active nodes in approximately (1.693 + 1.414(1 - n/N))log* n steps. 0 1986 Academic press, hc.
Managing security of virtual machine images in a cloud environment

Cloud computing is revolutionizing how information technology resources and services are used and managed but the revolution comes with new security problems. Among these is the problem of securely managing the virtual-machine images that encapsulate each application of the cloud. These images must have high integrity because the initial state of every virtual machine in the cloud is determined by some image. However, as some of the enefits of the cloud depend on users employing images built by third parties, users must also be able to share images safely.This paper explains the new risks that face administrators and users (both image publishers and image retrievers) of a cloud's image repository. To address those risks, we propose an image management system that controls access to images, tracks the provenance of images, and provides users and administrators with efficient image filters and scanners that detect and repair security violations. Filters and scanners achieve efficiency by exploiting redundancy among images; an early implementation of the system shows that this approach scales better than a naive approach that treats each image independently.
Computer Simulation As A Method For Selecting Nurse Staffing Levels In Hospitals

Efficient utilization of staff resources is perhaps the most critical issue facing nursing department administrators today, and has been a matter of concern to nursing service administrators since at least the early 1940's. This study used computer simulation to examine the effect on wage costs and staffing adequacy of varying nurse staffing levels. Three Psychiatric care units in a large VA hospital served as models for the simulation study. The staffing patterns tested were 40%, 50%, 60%, and 80% of maximum workload. Due to a quirk in rounding, the 40% and 50% staffing levels were exactly the same for these nursing units. The 80% staffing level produced direct wage costs 8% higher than the 50% level and 6.7% higher than the 60% level. It also produced 11.6% overstaffing as compared with 1.7% for the 60% staffing level and .2% for the 50% level. The 50% staffing level produced .9% understaffing as compared with .4% for the 60% level and .3% for the 80% level. It was concluded that both the 50% and 60% staffing levels performance was acceptable. Graphical representation of the data demonstrated that the optimal staffing level fell at approximately the 55% staffing level.
Lattice Point Problems: Crossroads of Number Theory, Probability Theory and Fourier Analysis

Diophantine approximation is a natural source of “lattice point counting” prob-lems. We count the number of lattice points in some “nice” shapes like tilted hyperbola seg-ments, tilted rectangles and axis-parallel right-angled triangles. The discrepancy from the “area” (i.e., expected value) depends heavily on the number-theoretic properties of the slope- in fact, it mainly depends on the continued fraction “digits” (called partial quotients) of the slope. Quadratic irrationals have the simplest (periodic) continued fractions, and this leads to quadratic fields, involving deep number theory. In the first two sections of this survey paper we study these kinds of topics. A key tool is Fourier analysis, and the big surprise is the un-expected appearance of probability theory which provides both deep insights and necessary tools. In the third section we switch from special shapes to arbitrary convex regions. In the fourth section we extend our investigations from the periodic set of lattice points to more gen-eral point distributions. Finally, the Appendix contains the proof of a lemma (which plays a key role in the third section).
Cytokine effects on CNS cells: implications for the pathogenesis and prevention of stroke

After a stroke, cytokines in the brain mediate a variety of injury responses, some of which may be beneficial and some detrimental to clinical outcome. This suggests that it may be possible to enhance functional outcome through therapeutic intervention with specific cytokine agonists and/or antagonists. Further, knowledge of cytokine actions in the nervous system is essential for the design of therapeutic strategies for actually repairing brains damaged by stroke.
GROWTH PATTERNS OF CAROLINA WOLFBERRY (LYCIUM CAROLINIANUM L.) IN THE SALT MARSHES OF ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, TEXAS, USA

The coastal salt marshes of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Texas, USA support a wintering population of the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana). Although the bulk of their winter diet is comprised of blue crabs, berries from the Carolina wolfberry (Lycium carolinianum) can contribute 21-52% of crane energy intake early in the wintering period. Monthly, from November 2003 to February 2005, we tracked L. carolinianum growth in nine 1-m 2 permanent macrophyte plots along the estuarine gradient to understand the spatial and temporal variability of this perennial halophyte. Lycium carolinianum showed strong seasonal growth patterns, with leaf production peaks in late winter and again in late summer, just prior to flowering, but little significant spatial variation. Flowering of L. carolinianum occurred in October and November, and peak berry abundance coincided with the arrival of the cranes in late October and early November. During this period, the total number of flowers per plant and total number of leaves per plant across all sites were positively related to surface- water depth and pore-water salinity. The numbers of flowers and berries per plant were significantly higher at our lowest elevation site during the 2004 fruiting season. Berries were rarely observed in the marshes for the remainder of each calendar year. Stem diameter was the best estimator of L. carolinianum aboveground biomass in ANWR marshes, accounting for approximately 94% of the variability (p , 0.001). Monthly changes in estimated aboveground biomass at each site revealed no distinguishable spatio-temporal trends. This is likely a result of L. carolinianum's woody stem, which accounts for much of the total plant biomass but is much less dynamic than photosynthetic and reproductive tissues.
Salt-Zeolite Ion-Exchange Equilibrium Studies for a Complete Set of Fission Products in Molten LiCl-KCl

This paper presents results of experiments and modeling for ion exchange of LiCl-KCl-based molten salts with zeolite-A. The experiments examined the equilibrium distributions of various nuclear fuel fission products between the molten salt and zeolite phases. In addition to data that were collected in previous studies, new experiments were run using ternary salts (LiCl-KCl-YCl 3 , LiCl-KCl-LaCl 3 , and LiCl-KCl-PrCl 3 ) and quaternary salts (LiCl-KCl-CsCl-NdCl 3 and LiCl-KCl-CsCl-SrCl 2 ). All contacting experiments were conducted at 500°C with a salt-zeolite contacting period of 24 h to allow for equilibrium to be reached. The developed equilibrium model assumes that there are ion-exchange and occlusion sites, both of which are in equilibrium with the molten salt phase. A systematic approach in estimating the total occlusion capacity of the zeolite-A was developed. The parameters of the model, including the total occlusion capacity of the zeolite-A, were determined from fitting the entire set of experimental data available between previous studies and the current one. Experiments involving ternary salts were used to estimate the parameters of the model, while those involving quaternary salts were used to validate the model.
Circuit Models for Ferroelectrics—Part I: Physics of Polarization Switching

We present a physical circuit model of ferroelectric (FE) polarization switching for the analysis and design of hybrid FE-CMOS circuits. Stochastic geometry is applied to domain nucleation, growth, and coalescence under arbitrary voltage and current input signals. The circuit model is first constructed for ideal FE capacitors and then extended to the realistic effects of lateral scaling, anisotropic growth, and disorder in polycrystalline films. Reliability degradation by imprint and fatigue is also incorporated. The interaction of model parameters and circuit design for three different nonvolatile latch topologies is presented in Part II.
Li-Ion Batteries and Beyond: Future Design Challenges

This volume provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamentals and recent advances in the science and technology of the lightest metals.
Quantifying Differences Between Native and Introduced Species

Introduced species have historically been presumed to be evolutionarily novel and 'different' from native species. Recent studies question these assumptions, however, as the traits and factors promoting successful introduced and native species can be similar. We advocate a novel statistical framework utilizing quantifiable metrics of evolutionary and ecological differences among species to test whether different forces govern the success of native versus introduced species. In two case studies, we show that native and introduced species appear to follow the same 'rules' for becoming abundant. We propose that incorporating quantitative differences in traits and evolutionary history among species might largely account for many perceived effects of geographic origin, leading to more rigorous and general tests of the factors promoting organism success.
IGA-DOMINANT POST-INFECTIOUS GLOMERULONEPHRITIS; MAKING ANOTHER CASE IN SUPPORT OF RENAL BIOPSY IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY

Background: Approximately one-third of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus will eventually develop diabetic nephropathy (DN). Impaired renal function in type 2 diabetics may also be secondary to non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD). NDRD in type 2 diabetics may occur alone in the absence of DN or may be superimposed on DN. Renal biopsy maybe indicated to establish the correct diagnosis and to ascertain the severity of glomerular and tubulointerstitial pathology. Case: We report a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic renal insufficiency who developed worsening of renal function in the setting of staphylococcal infection and antibiotic use. Conclusion: Renal biopsy revealed IgA-dominant post-infectious glomerulonephritis and acute interstitial nephritis superimposed on diabetic glomerulosclerosis. Accumulating evidence indicates that, NDRD accounts for impaired renal function in a significant number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The presence of clinical, biochemical, and radiological features that suggest NDRD should prompt pathological evaluation of the kidney.
Efficient Virtual Network Embedding With Backtrack Avoidance for Dynamic Wireless Networks

We develop an efficient virtual network embedding (VNE) algorithm, termed B ird -VNE, for mobile wireless networks. B ird -VNE is an approximation algorithm that ensures a close to optimal virtual embedding profit and acceptance rate while minimizing the number of virtual network migrations resulting from the mobility of wireless nodes. B ird -VNE employs a constraint satisfaction framework by which we analyze the constraint propagation properties of the VNE problem and design constraint processing algorithms that efficiently narrow the solution space and avoid backtracking as much as possible without compromising the solution quality. Our evaluation results show that the likelihood that B ird -VNE results in backtracking is small, thus demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing the search space. We analytically and empirically verify that B ird -VNE outperforms existing VNE algorithms with respect to computational efficiency, closeness to optimality, and its ability to avoid potential migrations in mobile wireless networks.
In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western Intelligence. By Rhodri Jeffreys‐Jones. (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. 297. $29.95.)

Intelligence history generally falls into one of two categories: racy exposes by journalists aimed at a popular readership or more specialist monographs by academic historians intended for an audie...
Childhood Abuse Is Associated With Worse Survival Following Lung Transplantation.

CONTEXT: Psychosocial factors can impact lung transplant outcomes. However, it is currently unknown whether abuse survivorship influences lung transplant survival. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the abuse history of adult lung transplant patients and determine whether such history is associated with mortality. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Adult lung transplant recipients evaluated from 2000 to 2004. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was post-lung transplantation survival. The secondary outcomes included demographic, transplantation, or psychological assessment differences between those with a history of abuse survivorship and those without. RESULTS: Thirty-three lung transplant recipients (35.5% male, median age: 55 years) were included. A history of abuse survivorship was common (24.2%) and was associated with decreased survival following lung transplantation (P =.003). There was no difference in sex, marital status, or smoking history between abuse survivors and those who denied being the victim of abuse. Abuse survivors had a higher Personality Assessment Screener total score, a measure of maladaptive personality traits (P =.02). CONCLUSION: Abuse survivorship is common in lung transplant patients and associated with increased posttransplant mortality and increased maladaptive personality traits. This preliminary evidence suggests that lung transplant patients should be screened for abuse history and provided with appropriate treatment of survivorship issues to potentially improve their health outcomes from transplantation.© 2016, NATCO. Language: en
Management of atelectasis and pneumonia.

Although many of the authors in this book discuss the pathogenesis of lung dysfunction, the review by Demling deserves particular scrutiny. He stretches the pertinent literature over a framework of pulmonary physiology in a fashion that is uniquely readable and understandable. With the breadth of background provided by this article, the reader is ready tor Lewis’ scholarly review of atelectasis and pneumonia and the parallel piece by Weinstein and Skillman on the overall management of respiratory failure. There is no chapter on "acute respiratory distress syndrome" (ARDS) in this book because the term is too vague and ill-defined to be helpful to the clinician. However, for those who recognize a syndrome of diffuse atelectasis combined with interstitial edema at normal hydrostatic pressure, (that is, ARDS) that disorder is discussed in these three articles. Protocols for management of respiratory failure on the surgical service at the Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, and San Francisco General Hospital are presented in this section. A Serious student of respiratory care would do well to compare the similarities and differences of the various protocols presented in this book. Good respiratory care assumes expert management of the other nonpulmonary organ systems. Waxman and Shoemaker present a protocol for such care, with reference to their own methods.
HyRAM: A methodology and toolkit for quantitative risk assessment of hydrogen systems

Abstract HyRAM is a methodology and accompanying software toolkit being developed to provide a platform for integration of state-of-the-art, validated science and engineering models and data relevant to hydrogen safety. The HyRAM software toolkit establishes a standard methodology for conducting quantitative risk assessment (QRA) and consequence analysis relevant to assessing the safety of hydrogen fueling and storage infrastructure. The HyRAM toolkit integrates fast-running deterministic and probabilistic models for quantifying risk of accident scenarios, for predicting physical effects, and for characterizing the impact of hydrogen hazards (thermal effects from jet fires, thermal and pressure effects from deflagrations and detonations in enclosures). HyRAM 1.0 incorporates generic probabilities for equipment failures for nine types of hydrogen system components, generic probabilities for hydrogen ignition, and probabilistic models for the impact of heat flux and pressure on humans and structures. These are combined with fast-running, computationally and experimentally validated models of hydrogen release and flame behavior. HyRAM can be extended in scope via user-contributed models and data. The QRA approach in HyRAM can be used for multiple types of analyses, including codes and standards development, code compliance, safety basis development, and facility safety planning. This manuscript discusses the current status and vision for HyRAM.
Semantic Interaction for Visual Analytics: Inferring Analytical Reasoning for Model Steering

This book discusses semantic interaction, a user interaction methodology for visual analytic applications that more closely couples the visual reasoning processes of people with the computation. This methodology affords user interaction on visual data representations that are native to the domain of the data. User interaction in visual analytics systems is critical to enabling visual data exploration. Interaction transforms people from mere viewers to active participants in the process of analyzing and understanding data. This discourse between people and data enables people to understand aspects of their data, such as structure, patterns, trends, outliers, and other properties that ultimately result in insight. Through interacting with visualizations, users engage in sensemaking, a process of developing and understanding relationships within datasets through foraging and synthesis. The book provides a description of the principles of semantic interaction, providing design guidelines for the integration of semantic interaction into visual analytics, examples of existing technologies that leverage semantic interaction, and a discussion of how to evaluate these technologies. Semantic interaction has the potential to increase the effectiveness of visual analytic technologies and opens possibilities for a fundamentally new design space for user interaction in visual analytics systems.
High Performance Photonic-Plasmonic Optical Router: A Non-blocking WDM Routing Device for Optical Networks

Here we show the first hybrid photonic-plasmonic, non-blocking, broadband router with 250 μm2 footprints, 480 GHz response time and 82 fJ/bit energy efficiency. The router supports multi-wavelengths over 200 nm at 70 Tbps data capacity.
Main functions, recent updates, and applications of Synchrotron Radiation Workshop code

The paper presents an overview of the main functions and new application examples of the “Synchrotron Radiation Workshop” (SRW) code. SRW supports high-accuracy calculations of different types of synchrotron radiation, and simulations of propagation of fully-coherent radiation wavefronts, partially-coherent radiation from a finite-emittance electron beam of a storage ring source, and time-/frequency-dependent radiation pulses of a free-electron laser, through X-ray optical elements of a beamline. An extended library of physical-optics “propagators” for different types of reflective, refractive and diffractive X-ray optics with its typical imperfections, implemented in SRW, enable simulation of practically any X-ray beamline in a modern light source facility. The high accuracy of calculation methods used in SRW allows for multiple applications of this code, not only in the area of development of instruments and beamlines for new light source facilities, but also in areas such as electron beam diagnostics, commissioning and performance benchmarking of insertion devices and individual X-ray optical elements of beamlines. Applications of SRW in these areas, facilitating development and advanced commissioning of beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), are described.
Hunters’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards wildlife diseases in Ohio

ABSTRACTThis article used ethnographic methods to examine how Ohio hunters’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices affect risk exposure to infectious disease. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with hunters from Southeast Ohio, and an online survey was distributed to a random sample of licensed Ohio hunters. Data analyses indicated that Ohio hunters learn about wildlife disease through word-of-mouth, hunting publications, and online sources. They perceived low-to-no risk of exposure to infectious diseases. Although hunters were generally knowledgeable about infectious wildlife diseases, they were more concerned about the impact on wildlife populations than their own health. The results contribute to a better understanding of the role of hunter behavior in response to disease events, the identification of future interventions that would most effectively inform hunters about wildlife diseases, and how to minimize their risk of exposure.
EEG-controlled functional electrical stimulation for hand opening and closing in chronic complete cervical spinal cord injury

Background. There are over 33 000 people in the US living with complete tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury (SCI). People with complete tetraplegia rank restoration of hand and arm function as their highest priority, as it would offer greater independence and improved quality of life. In this study, we show that subjects with chronic (>1-year post-injury) C5 or C6 level, motor-complete SCI are able to control a brain computer interface-functional electrical stimulation (BCI-FES) system to enable hand opening and closing. Methods: 8 subjects with C5 or C6 motor-level SCI and 6 uninjured, control subjects participated in 6 sessions of BCI-FES sessions. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were acquired using a wireless EEG system and subjects were asked to 'imagine moving their right hand' for motor imagery. Average power was extracted in 5 Hz bins (6–35 Hz) from C3, C1, Cz, C2, and C4 electrodes and input as features to a support vector machine classification algorithm. When 'movement intention' was classified correctly from the motor imagery period, a custom-designed stimulation sequence was delivered to the forearm muscles via surface electrodes to enable opening and closing of the hand. Results: Average online decoding accuracy during the closed-loop BCI-FES sessions was similar for the SCI (74.8% ± 17.76) and the control (75.5% ± 11.94) group. Online decoding accuracies were validated using Monte Carlo simulations that used 30%, 50%, and 70% training data to validate the decoded online accuracy and Wilcoxon rank sum test found no significant differences between the SCI and Control subjects. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that subjects with motor complete, cervical SCI were able to control a BCI-FES system with decoding accuracies similar to healthy controls after minimal BCI-training. Non-invasive BCI-FES systems may have the potential to restore hand function in people with motor-complete SCI to improve their quality of life.
Comparison of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube Interferon Gamma Release Assays in Patients at Risk for Tuberculosis and in Health Care Workers

The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus; Qiagen, Germantown, MD) interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) received FDA clearance in 2017 and will replace the prior version of the assay, the QFT-Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). Here, we compared performances of the QFT-Plus assay and the QFT-GIT version in a diverse patient population, including patients undergoing evaluation for or follow-up of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI; n = 39) or active TB infection (n = 3), and in health care workers (HCWs; n = 119) at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). Compared to the QFT-GIT, the QFT-Plus assay showed 91.2% (31/34) positive, 98.4% (124/126) negative, and 96.6% (156/161) overall qualitative agreement among the 161 enrolled subjects, with a Cohen's kappa value of 0.91 (excellent interrater agreement). Among the 28 patients diagnosed with LTBI at the time of enrollment, the QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays agreed in 24 (85.7%) patients; in all four discordant patients, the positivity of the QFT-GIT or QFT-Plus IGRA was associated with low-level interferon gamma (IFN-γ) reactivity, ranging from 0.36 IU/ml to 0.66 IU/ml. Additionally, we document a high degree of correlation between IFN-γ levels in the QFT-GIT TB antigen tube and each of the two QFT-Plus TB antigen tubes, as well as between the QFT-Plus TB1 and TB2 tubes (Pearson's correlation coefficients [R] > 0.95). Overall, we show comparable results between the QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays in our study population composed of subjects presenting with a diverse spectrum of TB infections. Our findings suggest that the necessary transition to the QFT-Plus assay will be associated with a minimal difference in assay performance characteristics.
Grating Polarizers at 170 GHz for ECRH Systems: Low Power Tests and Simulations

The elliptical polarization produced by a pair of sinusoidally profiled miter-bend grating polarizers has been measured experimentally and found to be in excellent agreement with theory. The polarizers were designed to be used at 170 GHz in the miter bends of a 63.5 mm corrugated metallic waveguide for creating the arbitrary elliptically polarized microwave beam needed for electron cyclotron resonance heating of plasma. Using a vector network analyzer to generate a linearly polarized HE11 incident mode, each polarizer was individually tested to measure the rotation $\alpha $ and ellipticity $\beta $ of the elliptically polarized reflected microwave beam as a function of the grating rotation angle. The grating polarizers were then tested together to measure the elliptical polarization as a function of the angles of the combination of the two polarizers arranged sequentially on the transmission line. The map of the ellipticity versus grating angles agreed very well with numerical simulations using high-frequency structure simulator. Numerical simulations show that up to eight combinations of rotation angles of the two grating polarizers can provide the same ellipticity but with the varying ohmic loss, thus allowing the choice of settings to minimize the ohmic loss, a necessary consideration to minimize heating effects in megawatt power level systems.
Smoking in the workplace: review of critical issues.

Abstract The relationship among various occupations, smoking, and disease has been studied extensively, but few investigators have looked closely at smoking in the workplace, particularly among blue-collar workers. The authors discuss the phenomenon of smoking in work settings and suggest reasons why tobacco use has been accepted on the job. The fate of heavy smokers in the wake of workplace smoking bans is considered. The authors discuss the relationship between smoking and work-related stress, particularly among blue-collar workers. The influences of job tasks, workflow, and employee social networks on smoking are examined. The authors suggest that, until recently, work settings have provided little support for cutting back and many opportunities that reinforced smoking habits. Worksite cessation is reviewed briefly, followed by suggestions for improving present worksite-based cessation strategies. The authors pose an agenda for future descriptive and applied research on smoking in the workplace.