cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reproducing the Imprint of Power: Framing the “Creative Class” in Putin’s Russia

This textual analysis traces the framing of the 2011–2012 anti-Kremlin protests in Russia by the nation’s most popular tabloid, Komsomol’skaya Pravda . The findings show that the otherwise agnostic newspaper came to adopt Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric challenging the protesters, who represented the emerging, Internet-savvy, professional “creative class.” As this tug-of-war over Putin’s political prerogative to define the creative class in contemporary Russia developed in print, the newspaper was transformed from an apolitical, commercial tabloid operating beyond the scope of Putin’s media control into a quasi pro-government organ that would adopt Putin’s framing to marginalize social dissent long after the rallies declined. By examining the newspaper’s development of its pro-Putin interpretive package, this study provides insight into the expansion of neo-Soviet, state–media tensions affecting the ostensibly apolitical sector of commercialized, privately owned press in post-Soviet Russia.
Association between lung ultrasound findings and invasive exercise haemodynamics in patients with undifferentiated dyspnoea.

Aims Dyspnoea is common in heart failure (HF) but non-specific. Lung ultrasound (LUS) could represent a non-invasive tool to detect subclinical pulmonary congestion in patients with undifferentiated dyspnoea. Methods and results We assessed the feasibility of an abbreviated LUS protocol (eight and two zones) in a prospective pilot study of 25 ambulatory patients with undifferentiated dyspnoea undergoing clinically indicated invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET) at rest (LUS 1) and after peak exercise (LUS 2). We also related LUS findings (B-lines) to invasive haemodynamics stratified by supine pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) (Congestion, >15 mmHg; Control, ≤15 mmHg). All enrolled patients (median age 68, 60% women, 32% prior HF, median ejection fraction 59%) had interpretable LUS 1 images in eight zones, and 20 (80%) had adequate LUS 2 images. LUS images were adequate in two posterior zones in 24 patients (96%) for LUS 1 and 18 (72%) for LUS 2. Although B-line number was numerically higher in the Congestion group at rest and after peak exercise, this difference did not reach statistical significance. In the entire cohort, there was an association between B-lines and rest systolic pulmonary artery pressure (r = 0.46, P = 0.02) and PCWP (r = 0.54, P = 0.005). There was an inverse relationship between B-lines and peak VO2 (r = -0.65, P = 0.002). Conclusions Among ambulatory patients with undifferentiated dyspnoea, an abbreviated LUS protocol before and after iCPET is feasible in the majority of patients. B-line number at rest was associated with invasively measured markers of haemodynamic congestion and was inversely related with peak VO2 .
Subjective morbidity following radial free flap reconstruction in head and neck tumour patients.

ObjectiveEvaluation of post-operative donor site disability remains unaddressed in radial forearm free flap cases. This study aimed to assess donor site dysfunction following radial forearm free flap harvest using validated general, disease-specific and site-specific disability questionnaires.MethodsIn this retrospective case series of 24 patients at a tertiary academic medical centre, patients were assessed using the Short Form 36 Health Survey, Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire. One-sample z-tests were performed, comparing means of the cohort to controls.ResultsCompared to population controls, the cohort had higher mean scores for the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (18.22 vs 10.1, p < 0.01), and Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment questionnaire bothersome index (21.44 vs 13.77, p = 0.04), and a lower mean score for the Short Form 36 Health Survey physical component (38.88 vs 50, p < 0.01), indicating a greater disability for the cohort compared to controls.ConclusionRadial forearm free flap harvest causes significant long-term donor site disability in head and neck tumour patients. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire is a concise tool for measuring this dysfunction.
A Distributed Orchestration Algorithm for Edge Computing Resources with Guarantees

Edge Computing brings flexibility and scalability of virtualization technologies at the edge of the network, enabling service providers to deploy new applications over a richer network infrastructure. However, the coexistence of such variety of applications on the same infrastructure exacerbates the already challenging problem of coordinating resource allocation while preserving the resource assignment optimality. In fact, (i) each application can potentially require different optimization criteria due to their heterogeneous requirements, and (ii) we may not count on a centralized orchestrator due to the highly dynamic nature of edge networks. To solve this problem, we present DRAGON, a Distributed Resource AssiGnment and OrchestratioN algorithm that seeks optimal partitioning of shared resources between different applications running over a common edge infrastructure. We designed DRAGON to guarantee both a bound on convergence time and an optimal (1-1/e)-approximation with respect to the Pareto optimal resource assignment. We evaluate convergence and performance of DRAGON on a prototype implementation, assessing the benefits compared to traditional orchestration approaches.
Efficient learning in computer-aided diagnosis through label propagation

Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CADx) systems can be used to provide second opinions in the medical diagnostic process. These CADx systems are expensive to build as they require a large amount of correctly labeled example data. In order to ensure the accuracy of a training label, a radiograph may be assessed by multiple radiologists, increasing the time and money necessary to build these diagnostic systems. In this paper, we minimize the cost necessary to train CADx systems while accounting for unreliable labels by reducing label uncertainty. We introduce a method which reduces the cost required to build a CADx system while improving the overall accuracy and demonstrate it on the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) database. We exploit similarities between images by clustering image features of lung nodule CT scans and propagating a single label throughout the cluster. By informatively choosing better labels through clustering, this method achieves a stronger accuracy (5.2% increase) while using fewer labels (29% less) compared to a state of the art label saving technique designed for this medical dataset.
Systematic Modeling of a Class of Microgrids and Its Application to Impact Analysis of Cross-Coupling Droop Terms

This paper presents an approach for systematically modeling a class of microgrid (MG) systems. The derived model accommodates grid-connected and islanded operation of the MG simultaneously, and allows modeling of converter-based as well as directly interfaced resources. Full modeling of virtual synchronous machines and actual synchronous generators is addressed. The originally nonlinear model is then converted to a linear model whose eigenvalues determine local stability of the MG. The model is used to analyze impacts of cross-coupling droop terms on the MG stability. The conclusions of this analysis are as follows. Addition of cross-coupling droop terms reduces the losses, compromises the stability in the grid-connected mode, and improves the stability in standalone mode. Therefore, for an MG that is intended to continuously operate at grid-connected and standalone mode, only a modest amount of cross-coupling terms is recommended to increase the efficiency without compromising the grid-connected stability. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the derivations.
Unplanned Heavy Episodic and High-Intensity Drinking: Daily-Level Associations With Mood, Context, and Negative Consequences.

Objective:Underestimating how much one will drink has been associated with greater alcohol-related consequences. Elevated mood or drinking context may relate to drinking more than planned (or inten...
Foreign Fighters After the Conflict Ends

Once a conflict is over, most foreign fighters return home. Most of them demobilize and resume regular lives, never to be heard from again. However, some foreign fighters never disengage. They continue participating in militancy in many different ways: Some engage in subversive activities in host communities; others relocate to new conflict zones; while yet others return home to strike against home targets. This chapter reviews the previous experiences with foreign fighter veterans. It analyzes the post-conflict trends from the past conflicts that involved Islamist foreign fighters. It examines the types of threats that have been associated with foreign fighter veterans in the past.
Ranking the Academic Impact of 100 American Law Schools

U.S. News & World Report and rankings-minded scholars have constructed several measures of faculty impact at U.S. law schools, but each has been limited in a variety of ways. For instance, the U.S. News “peer assessment” rankings rely on the qualitative opinions of a small group of professors and administrators and largely mirror the overall rankings (correlations of 0.96 in 2016). While the scholarly rankings improve upon U.S. News by using the quantitative measure of citation counts, they have relied on the Westlaw database, which has notable limitations. Additionally, these rankings have failed to capture the component of scholarly impact on the broader legal community. We overcome these limitations by offering citation-based rankings using the more comprehensive Hein database and impact rankings based on Social Science Research Network (SSRN) download counts, as well as a combination of the two metrics. Notably, we find a high correlation with the previous scholarly rankings (about 0.88), but a significantly lower correlation with the U.S. News peer assessment rankings (about 0.63). Specifically, we find that many law schools in dense urban areas with large numbers of other law schools that are highly ranked in the U.S. News survey are underrated in the U.S. News peer assessment rankings relative to our faculty impact metrics. Given the relatively low correlation between our rankings and the U.S. News peer assessment rankings—and the fact the U.S. News peer assessment rankings largely track its overall rankings—we strongly support U.S. News’s plans to rank schools on the basis of citation counts and recommend that U.S. News adopt a quantitative-based metric as a faculty reputation component of its overall rankings.
Bus Clustering for Distribution Grid Topology Identification

Recovering the distribution grid topology is essential to perform several distribution system operator functions. Many algorithms that address the topology recovery problem have already been proposed in the literature. Most are based on a priori information regarding which buses are fed by which substation; however, this information might not be available because frequent grid reconfigurations change the distribution grid portion connected to each substation. This paper addresses the problem of assigning every substation the set of buses that it is feeding, given field data. First, the aforementioned task is cast as a nonconvex optimization problem. Second, a relaxed version of the optimization problem is solved via the alternating direction method of multipliers. Finally, the performance of our approach is validated through numerical simulations of realistic scenarios using a standard IEEE benchmark feeder.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Clinical Decision Making From a Motor-Based Perspective

Purpose This article uses two case studies to illustrate clinical decision making using the best available evidence to approach the assessment and intervention for children with childhood apraxia o...
Relations between plasma microRNAs, echocardiographic markers of atrial remodeling, and atrial fibrillation: Data from the Framingham Offspring study.

BACKGROUND Circulating microRNAs may reflect or influence pathological cardiac remodeling and contribute to atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to identify candidate plasma microRNAs that are associated with echocardiographic phenotypes of atrial remodeling, and incident and prevalent AF in a community-based cohort. METHODS We analyzed left atrial function index (LAFI) of 1788 Framingham Offspring 8 participants. We quantified expression of 339 plasma microRNAs. We examined associations between microRNA levels with LAFI and prevalent and incident AF. We constructed pathway analysis of microRNAs' predicted gene targets to identify molecular processes involved in adverse atrial remodeling in AF. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 66 ± 9 years, and 54% were women. Five percent of participants had prevalent AF at the initial examination and 9% (n = 157) developed AF over a median 8.6 years of follow-up (IQR 8.1-9.2 years). Plasma microRNAs were associated with LAFI (N = 73, p<0.0001). Six of these plasma microRNAs were significantly associated with incident AF, including 4 also associated with prevalent AF (microRNAs 106b, 26a-5p, 484, 20a-5p). These microRNAs are predicted to regulate genes involved in cardiac hypertrophy, inflammation, and myocardial fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS Circulating microRNAs 106b, 26a-5p, 484, 20a-5p are associated with atrial remodeling and AF.
Primary Care for the Multiple Sclerosis Patient

Multiple sclerosis is the commonest non-traumatic disabling disease that affects young adults. The presenting signs and symptoms include several common symptoms seen in primary care. It therefore behooves primary care practitioners to recognize the disease’s presentation, mimicking diagnoses and initial workup. Management of many of the symptoms of disease exacerbations are within the purview of the primary care provider. Co-management of the patient with multiple sclerosis with a neurologist improves patient care and provides a context for management of co-morbidities. The patient-centered medical home provides many services and resources that can be of use to a multiple sclerosis patient. Vaccinations and other preventative care are important in the care of the multiple sclerosis patient, particularly those on immunosuppression therapy for their disease.
An Above Threshold Model for Short-Channel DG MOSFETs

An above-threshold I–V model is developed for short-channel double-gate (DG) MOSFETs. It is a non-gradual channel approximation (non-GCA) model that takes into account the contribution to carrier density from the encroachment of source–drain bands into the channel. At low-drain bias voltages, the effect appears as a gate-voltage-dependent reduction of channel resistance, with stronger effects at low gate overdrives. At high-drain biases, the intersection of source band encroachment with the gate-controlled channel potential leads to a point of virtual cathode a small distance from the source. By incorporating the depletion of carriers in the source and drain regions into the boundary conditions, the ${I}_{\text {ds}}-{V}_{\text {ds}}$ and ${I}_{\text {ds}}-{V}_{\text {gs}}$ characteristics generated by the model are shown to be consistent with TCAD simulations.
Mechanics-coupled stability of metal-halide perovskites

Summary Metal-halide perovskites (MHPs) possess enormous potential in optoelectronic and semiconductor devices. In these applications, MHPs are often subjected to mechanical stress, resulting in distorted lattice, severe degradation, and catastrophic failure in MHPs and their interfaces. Understanding these mechanics-coupled stability issues is crucial to the durability and, thus, commercial viability of MHP-based devices. Here, we review the impact of mechanical stress on the integrity and robustness of MHP devices to provide insights into mitigating the mechanics-coupled stability issues. We start with an overview of the structure-elastic-property relationship of MHPs, after which we discuss the current understanding of the cohesive and adhesive failures within MHPs and at MHP interfaces forced by mechanical stress, respectively. We further review the chemical stability issues of MHPs and interfaces induced by the mechanical strain. Finally, we summarize the existing strategies to mitigate the mechanics-coupled stability issues and conclude with an outlook of future research directions.
Upper bounds on the sizes of finitely generated algebras

We present an upper bound for the cardinality of any n-generated algebra in a locally finite variety V of algebras. This upper bound depends only on some fundamental numerical invariants of the n-generated subdirectly irreducible algebras in V. A theorem characterizing those varieties that contain algebras whose cardinalities achieve the upper bound is proved. Several explicit methods for computing the exact values of these invariants are described. The final section contains detailed concrete examples illustrating applications of the characterization theorem and of the various methods for computing the upper bound.
Violations to the Principle of Non-Refoulement Under the Asylum Policy of the United States

This paper provides a critical analysis of the ongoing asylum policy of the United States, as the largest receptor of asylum claims in the industrialized world, to explain how it violates the principle of Non- Refoulement established in Article 33 of the 1951 Convention of Relating to the Status of Refugees and the1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. The study will focus on the context of the treatment the United States gives to asylum seekers who arrive by sea or other means, expedited removal proceedings, the anti-terrorism measures as exception to the Principle of Non-Refoulement, and the restrictive interpretation of the Refugee concept.
Work in progress: ethics and the development professional identities of engineering students

How do undergraduate students in engineering conceive of themselves as professionals? How does a course on engineering ethics affect the development of a student's professional identity and potential for moral courage? In this project, students responded to questions about the characteristics and responsibilities of professional engineers. They identified people and experiences that shaped their understandings of these characteristics and responsibilities. They reflected on their own development of these characteristics and preparation for these responsibilities.
Enhanced Polyphone Decision Tree Adaptation for Accented Speech Recognition

State-of-the-art Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models struggle to handle accented speech, particularly if the target accent is under-represented in the training data. The acoustic variations presented by an unfamiliar accent, render the ASR polyphone decision tree (PDT) and its associated Gaussian mixture models (GMM) misfit to the test data. In this paper, we improve on the previous work of adapting the polyphone decision tree, using a semi-continuous model based approach to address the problem of data sparsity. We extend the existing PDT to introduce additional states with shared parameters, corresponding to the new contextual variations identified in the adaptation data, while still robustly estimating the state-specific parameters on a relatively small dataset. We conduct ASR experiments on Arabic and English accents and show that our technique performs better than Maximum A-Posteriori (MAP) adaptation and a previous implementation of polyphone decision tree specialization (PDTS). Compared to MAP adapted system, we obtain 7% relative improvement in Word Error Rate (WER) for Arabic and 13.9% relative improvement for English accent adaptation.
CST models of spherical antenna structures

This paper details some of the modeling aspects required for the computational simulation of spherical antennas using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) 3D electromagnetic software. This particular type of antenna has a radiating structure that is placed over a conducting sphere. The construction of the antenna is such that the inside of the sphere is isolated leaving the volume inside the sphere devoid of any electromagnetic fields. Simulations and some preliminary measurements show potential for antenna size reductions.
Topical administration of psychotropic medications in pluronic lecithin organogel to treat patients with dementia: A retrospective observational study

Objective: Treatment of mood and behavioral symptoms in geriatric patients with advanced dementia may be impeded by poor compliance with oral medications. Pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) is a compounding substrate that can be used for the topical administration of psychotropic medications. Methods: Charts of patients treated with psychotropic medications compounded with PLO cream were reviewed for treatment outcomes. All patients were treated by a nursing home outreach service. Results: Records from twenty-four patients, mean age 86.8 + 5.9, were reviewed. Common psychiatric symptoms included agitation, aggressive behavior, and depression. Medications most commonly administered as a PLO cream included quetiapine and venlafaxine. All patients had mild to marked improvement in psychiatric symptoms. Conclusions: Pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) may be an effective option for the topical administration of psychiatric medications in geriatric patients with dementia who are not compliant with oral medications.
Issues in agricultural and environmental biotechnology: identifying and comparing biotechnology issues from public opinion surveys, the popular press and technical/regulatory sources

The formation of public perceptions of science is a very complex and problematic process, but a major factor is the information that is available and presented most frequently to the public. Issues of public concern over agricultural and environmental biotechnology were identified from opinion surveys, the popular press and technical/regulatory sources. A frequency index based on content analysis was used to rank issues within categories of genetically engineered foods, plants, animals and microorganisms; and the social/legal, risk assessment/regulation, science education and international aspects. These issues were compared to those similarly identified from scientific/regulatory sources. Results revealed that the scientific/regulatory communities have dealt primarily with one subset of issues (research oriented), while the public is largely concerned with a different subset (issues of ethics, safety and value). This paper describes each issue in detail, and the implications of the two subsets of issues ...
Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Low Explosives

It is extremely important to be able to characterize a wide variety of organic and inorganic materials which may be of potential use in improvised explosives manufacture. As a result our research group has become increasingly interested in the development of mass spectrometric methods for the analysis of various classes of low explosives. We present in this document, the development of ion chromatographic/mass spectrometric methods for the analysis of inorganic explosives and HPLC-ESI-MS for the analysis of smokeless powders.
A Meta-analysis of Outcome Rating Scales in Foot and Ankle Surgery: Is There a Valid, Reliable, and Responsive System?

Background: Rating scales that are valid, reliable, and responsive communicate the severity of a functional problem, facilitate the accurate study of treatment modalities, and provide a common language for those involved in research. The purpose of this study was to determine which outcome rating scales are currently used in the foot and ankle literature and to identify rating scales with proven reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Method: A meta-analysis of the foot and ankle literature from 1990 to 2001 was done. All referenced rating scales were reviewed to determine if any had proven to be reliable, valid, or responsive. Results: Forty-nine different rating scales were identified. The most frequently referenced scales were the subscales of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS). No rating scale was identified that demonstrated reliability, validity, and responsiveness in patients with a variety of foot and ankle conditions. Conclusions: The development of a reliable, valid, and ...
Estrogenic activity of a dieldrin/toxaphene mixture in the mouse uterus, MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and yeast-based estrogen receptor assays: No apparent synergism

The estrogenic activity of dieldrin, toxaphene, and an equimolar mixture of both compounds (dieldrin/toxaphene) was investigated in the 21-day-old B6C3F1 mouse uterus, MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, and in yeast-based reporter gene assays. Treatment of the animals with 17β-estradiol (E2) (0.0053 kg/day ×3) resulted in a 3.1-, 4.8-, and 7.8-fold increase in uterine wet weight, peroxidase activity, and progesterone receptor binding, respectively. In contrast, treatment with 2.5, 15 and 60 μmol/kg (×3) doses of toxaphene, dieldrin, or dieldrin/toxaphene (equimolar) did not significantly induce a dose-dependent increase in any of the E2-induced responses. The organochlorine pesticides alone and the binary mixture did not bind to the mouse uterine estrogen receptor (ER) in a competitive binding assay using [3H]E2 as the radioligand. In parallel studies, estrogenic activities were determined in MCF-7 cells by using a cell proliferation assay and by determining induction of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (...
STIMULANT ACTION OF BARIUM ON THE ADRENAL MEDULLA.

BARIUM has been reported to release catecholamines from the adrenal gland in intact animals, and this action has been attributed to its setting up discharges in the splanchnic nerves1. A re-examination of the action of barium seemed to be called for in the light of more recent evidence that calcium, a closely related alkali earth, is intimately involved in the secretory process within the adrenal chromaffin cells. This evidence has suggested that the chemical transmitter liberated by the splanchnic nerves, acetylcholine, stimulates the chromaffin cells to secrete by increasing the permeability of their membranes so that there is an inward movement of calcium. In this view the appearance of an excess of calcium ions at some site in the chromaffin cell provides the immediate physiological stimulus for the release of the stored catecholamines2–4.
Placental transfer and developmental toxicity of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl in B6C3F1 mice.

Abstract The 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′ congener of hexabromobiphenyl (HBB) is the major constituent (55%) of a polybrominated biphenyl mixture that accidentally entered the human food chain through livestock feed. The embryotoxicity of HBB in B6C3F1 conceptuses was examined by adding 0, 100, 300, 500, 750, or 1000 ppm of HBB to the diet of pregnant C57BL 6J mice impregnated by C3H males. The females consumed HBB feed from Gestation Day (gd) 6 through 15. Pregnancy rates of plug-positive mice were adversely affected at >300 ppm HBB (0 ppm = 77%, 100 = 73%, 300 = 55%, 500 = 49%, 750 = 42%, 1000 = 33%). Some pregnant dams died at dosages of 750 ppm (2 of 8). Body weight gain among the 300-ppm dams was reduced only on gd 15, indicating maternal toxicity, but it was indistinguishable from controls on gd 17. In the conceptuses HBB caused cleft palate and a cystic lesion in the region of the cerebellum at concentrations ≥ 300 ppm. The nature of the cystic abnormality observed grossly could not be accurately defined, but it was probably in the meninges and was not associated with the brain ventricular system. In some HBB-exposed fetuses there were minor abnormalities of brain development, which were probably indicative of developmental delay rather than direct toxic effects on differentiation of specific regions of the brain. Thus, HBB affected embryonal development adversely only at exposure concentrations which caused toxicity in dams.
High-speed two-dimensional laser scanner based on Bragg gratings stored in photothermorefractive glass

A high-speed free-space wavelength-multiplexed optical scanner with high-speed wavelength selection coupled with narrowband volume Bragg gratings stored in photothermorefractive (PTR) glass is reported. The proposed scanner with no moving parts has a modular design with a wide angular scan range, accurate beam pointing, low scanner insertion loss, and two-dimensional beam scan capabilities. We present a complete analysis and design procedure for storing multiple tilted Bragg-grating structures in a single PTR glass volume (for normal incidence) in an optimal fashion. Because the scanner design is modular, many PTR glass volumes (each having multiple tilted Bragg-grating structures) can be stacked together, providing an efficient throughput with operations in both the visible and the infrared (IR) regions. A proof-of-concept experimental study is conducted with four Bragg gratings in independent PTR glass plates, and both visible and IR region scanner operations are demonstrated.
Size dependence, facilitation, and microhabitats mediate space competition between coral and crustose coralline algae in a spatially explicit model

Coral interacts both positively and negatively with different types of crustose coralline algae (CCA) throughout the coral life cycle. These interactions range from settlement cues and facilitation by “promoter” CCA species to settlement inhibition, preemptive competition for space, and overgrowth of smaller coral colonies by “inhibitor” CCA species. Corals coexist with CCA in healthy coral reefs despite appearing to be weaker space competitors than inhibitor CCA. We use spatially explicit stochastic simulations of size dependent interactions between individual coral colonies and CCA patches to explore how CCA affects the recovery of corals after disturbance in homogenous and heterogeneous habitat. Specifically, we look at whether positive or negative interactions have a larger effect on coral growth and survival and whether events during recruitment or interactions between CCA and established colonies have larger impacts on coral cover and persistence. We find that competition for space through preemption and overgrowth is the primary factor driving coral dynamics, overshadowing settlement processes. Coexistence of coral and CCA is difficult if not impossible to achieve in homogenous landscapes unless corals are more effective than CCA at preempting space. Microhabitats that protect coral settlers from overgrowth allow vulnerable coral to persist and replace refuge coral that has died, but additional mechanisms such as competitive reversals or patchy CCA mortality are required for coral persistence outside of protected microhabitats. Through these models we identify mechanisms that have been rarely studied but are potentially critical for the survival of coral in areas where CCA is a dominant competitor.
Current Concepts Relative to the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in the Elderly

Antipsychotics are widely prescribed in the elderly population. Despite concern for their use, they remain frequently prescribed for psychotic symptoms and behavioral symptoms of dementia. However, the FDA has not approved any drug for treating the behavioral symptoms of dementia. There is increase in mortality risk in dementia patients with both conventional and atypical antipsychotics. In this article, we review the current evidence relative to appropriate antipsychotic use in elderly for various psychiatric disorders. Given the degree of medical comorbidity in this population, appropriate use with lowest effective dose and ongoing clinical and medical monitoring is essential in this population. If an antipsychotic is felt to be appropriate, its use should be limited to the period when the potential benefits are felt to be greater than the potential risks, and use should be restricted to the shortest time possible.
DESORPTION KINETIC MODEL FOR SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION OF SPEARMINT LEAF OIL

To characterize the dynamic behavior in supercritical CO2 extraction of essential oil components (carvone and limonene) from spearmint leaves under pressures of 69.0 bar (near-critical), 84.5 bar (supercritical), and 103.4 bar (supercritical) and temperatures of 39 and 49°C, a simplified desorption kinetic model was developed. In the desorption model, a linear irreversible desorption kinetics was assumed, and the releasing rate of oil components from the leaf particle matrix was defined by a desorption rate constant as a model fitting parameter. Despite the simplicity of the desorption kinetic model, the experimental data and the predicted values by the desorption kinetic model were in good agreement. In the present study, the desorption rate constant mostly increased as the CO2 flow rate and pressure were increased and as the temperature and leaf particle size were decreased.
Assessing spiradoline-like discriminative effects of DuP 747: Influence of route of administration

DuP 747, trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl]benzeacetamide methanesufonate, is a recently synthesized analgesic drug that binds with high affinity and selectivity to the κ-opioid receptor. In order to determine if DuP 747 has κ-like discriminative effects it was tested for stimulus generalization in rats trained to discriminate between SC injections of saline and 3.0 mg/kg of spiradoline, a potent κ-opioid agonist. A range of drug doses was administered by each of several routes 30 min before a test session. Spiradoline occasioned orderly dose-dependent increases in spiradoline-appropriate lever selection after SC or IP administration, with ED50s of 0.65 and 1.75 mg/kg, respectively. In contrast, DuP 747 (1.0–30 mg/kg) occasioned little spiradoline-appropriate lever selection when administered SC, but was generalized from spiradoline partially when administered IP (ED50 = 5.9 mg/kg) or PO (ED50 = 59 mg/kg). The 5-hydroxy-desmethoxy metabolite of DuP 747, administered SC (0.3–10 mg/kg), occasioned selection of the saline-appropriate lever only. That DuP 747 had little spiradoline-like activity after SC administration suggests that a metabolite of DuP 747 was responsible for the spiradoline-appropriate responding that followed IP and PO administration of the drug, apparently a metabolite other than 5-hydroxy-desmethoxy-DuP 747.
Abstract 5093: Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin secretion is stimulated by aldolase A from human malignant melanoma cells

Recent reports have shown that Pseudomonas aeruginosa secrete increased levels of a redox protein, azurin, when co-cultured with human cancer cells. Previous data have demonstrated that azurin preferentially enters and induces cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines; this same entry and cytotoxicity were not observed with normal cells. In the present study, P. aeruginosa, human malignant melanoma cells (Mel-2), and non-malignant melanocytes (CMN) were used as a model system to determine how P. aeruginosa distinguishes a cancer cell from a normal cell. P. aeruginosa were directly co-incubated with Mel-2 and CMN, and Western blot analyses were used to analyze levels of azurin secretion. A dose-dependent increase in azurin secretion was demonstrated upon co-incubation of P. aeruginosa and Mel-2, and azurin secretion was increased greater than 10-fold in the presence of Mel-2 compared to CMN. Also, real-time PCR assessment of azurin transcription demonstrated a 2-fold increase in azurin transcripts when P. aeruginosa were co-incubated with Mel-2. Next, a Transwell system was used in which P. aeruginosa and Mel-2 were co-incubated to allow secretion exchange but prevent physical contact. Using this system, it was demonstrated that azurin release is stimulated by soluble extracellular factors secreted by Mel-2 but not CMN. Using Coomassie staining and mass spectrometry techniques, aldolase A, a glycolytic enzyme upregulated in many cancer cells, was identified as a stimulating factor for azurin secretion. Cancer and normal cell line pairs of varying histogenesis were examined for basal aldolase A levels, and aldolase A was generally found to be elevated in cancer cell lines compared to their normal counterparts. These same cell line pairs were co-incubated with P. aeruginosa and azurin secretion directly correlated with aldolase A levels. The results suggest that secretion of azurin is, at least in part, mediated by aldolase A. In close proximity, P. aeruginosa may detect aldolase A in cancer cells and secrete azurin as a defense mechanism to induce cytotoxicity in Mel-2. Using P. aeruginosa, Mel-2 cells, and CMN cells as a model system, it was demonstrated that inherent differences between cancer cells and normal cells can be detected by bacteria and subsequently lead to a preferential interaction. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5093.
Provisioning for large scale loss network systems with applications in cloud computing

Provisioning for large loss networks is a classic problem in performance, due to the fat that loss network is an important mathematical model for many applications, notably those in telephony. Lately, loss network models are utilized and extended to provide performance analysis and control for exciting new applications in statistical physics [3], workforce management [9] and cloud computing [4]. In these new studies, a loss network often serves as a crucial element in characterizing system dynamics and producing calculation for vital performance metrics. This can be seen from the application in resource provision for cloud computing. Cloud computing is rapidly gaining momentum as a new paradigm for offering computing as services via the Internet. Service provider usually offers a menu of service instances, which require the commitment of distinct resources(CPU, Memory,etc) at various amounts. Along with purchase of these instances, service level agreements (SLA) will specify the desired targets on various performance metrics that the service provider should meet. A common performance metric is service availability, defined as the percentage of time at which new service requests can be admitted into the system with their desired amount of resources fulfilled. Violation of the SLAs typically results in significant penalty. The objective of resource provisioning is to seek the balance between the resource costs and SLA penalty so that service availability can be guaranteed efficiently. We develop an integrated optimization framework to search for the optimal resource provision with SLA constraints. First, we develop a Markovian model to capture users’ flexibility on upgrade/downgrade services on demand and characterize the steady-state behavior of the offered load. Then, the multi-class multi-resource provisioning problem can be naturally mapped to a stochastic loss network model, and SLA constraints are mapped to constraints on loss probabilities. Based on Kelly’s approach for capacity planning in a loss network [6, 7, 8], we propose an optimization framework to determine resource levels that minimize the combined costs of resource and violation penalty. Since computing the exact loss probabilities is a ]P complete problem thus prohibitive for large service loads, we consider the Erlang fixed-point approximation for the blocking probabilities that has been proven to be asymptotically exact in the limiting regime as the traffic intensities and the resource capacities grow together in proportion [10, 6, 7]. We further
Synthesis of the inner cell wall layer of the chlamydomonad flagellate, Gloeomonas kupfferi

An antibody to the inner wall layer ofGloeomonas kupfferi was isolated and used in a developmental analysis of cell wall processing, secretion and extracellular assembly. The focus of the processing of this matrix layer is the endomembrane system, in particular the Golgi apparatus (GA) and contractile vacuole (CV). During interphase, inner wall materials are processed in the GA, packaged in trans face vesicles and transported to the CV, the final internal depository of wall precursors until release to the cell surface. During cell division, significant changes occur in the inner wall layer processing. Early on in cytokinesis, the GA does not label with our antibody, suggesting that other wall layers are being processed. In later stages of cytokinesis, the GA changes in morphology and begins to produce inner wall layer materials. These wall precursors are shuttled to the CV where they are released around the daughter cell protoplasts. The first wall layer that is formed around daughter cells is the crystalline median wall layer. Once assembled, the inner wall layer condenses upon the crystalline layer and grows in size.
Using Total Quality Principles in Business Courses: The Effect on Student Evaluations

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an approach that encourages employees at all levels of an organization to make suggestions about how work should be done and to take an active role in improving processes. Although business organizations have applied TQM principles with considerable success, its use in higher education has been largely limited to administrative processes. Many teaching faculty in schools of business are uncomfortable with applying TQM principles to the class room, often because the idea of empowering students requires thinking differently about their potential for participation in planning processes for the learning envi ronment. Yet a survey of students and faculty suggests that a TQM approach can increase students' learning in a class, help students support one another in a coop erative learning environment, and foster positive feelings toward the instructor, even one who maintains the necessary high standards.
Effect of calcium on the pellet height response of Tetrahymena cilia

The pellet height response (a measure of the increase in height of the pellet of cilia obtained by brief centrifugation in the presence of ATP as compared to the absence of ATP) of Tetrahymena cilia prepared by deciliation in the presence of Ca2+ is sensitive to the concentration of free Ca2+ during the pellet height assay. The magnitude of the increase in pellet height and the sharpness of the pellet boundary both increase markedly with increasing [Ca2+]. The half-maximal effect is attained at a free [Ca2+] of about 1.5 x 10(-7) M. The pellet height assay thus measures a Ca2+-sensitive component of the ciliary motile system. The possibility that this is the Ca2+-sensitive orientation system is discussed.
State territorial restructuring and the production of spatial scale

Abstract The concept of the ‘nation-state’ is too often deployed both as a generic term for central state apparatuses and as a reference to the distinct spalial scales on which nation-state power is organized. One problematic consequence of this conceptual slippage among state theorists has been a failure to distinguish adequately shifts in the regulatory capacities of the central state from more general reconfigurations of state territorial organization on divergent spatial scales. This essay argues that currently unfolding transformations of state form are associated above all with shifts along the latter axis, that of the socio-spatial organization of state power. After a brief theoretical discussion of the spatial dimensions of the modern nation-state based on Henri Lefebvre's theory of ‘state space’ (l'espace etatique). this argument is developed through an examination of post-war regional and urban planning policies in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). A major concern of this study is to explore and concretize Lefebvre's thesis that the capitalist state is constantly engaged in the ‘production of space’. Shifts in regional and urban planning policy in the FRG since the mid-1970s, it is argued, are systematically linked to a reconfiguration of the spatial form of the nation-state under global capitalism, embodied above all in a transformation of the spatial scale on which state power is deployed. The growing importance of regional and local states as both agents and sites of capitalist restructuring is linked to structural shifts in the spatial scale of stale territorial organization. This approach to the production of spatial scale entails a critique of ‘phase models’ of capitalist development (such as regulation theory and world-system analysis) which fail to specify the spatial scale to which each periodization corresponds. The territorial scale ot capitalist socio-spatial organization has been reconfigured at various junctures during the history of global capitalist development: spatial scale is socially produced.
Development of an acoustic emission test for aircraft fire extinguisher bottles

An acoustic emission tester for aircraft Halon bottles has been developed. The necessary load is applied by heating the bottles. Acoustic emission is monitored during the heating by six sensors held in position by a special fixture. This fixture was designed to fit spheres with diameters between 5 and 16 inches. A prototype has been undergoing testing in two commercial Halon bottle repair and test facilities. Results to date indicate that about 97 percent of the bottles tested show no indications of any flaws. The other three percent have had indications of flaws in non-critical areas of the bottles. All bottles tested to date have passed the hydrostatic test required by the DOT.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design of linkages: A conceptual exercise in designing for concept

Abstract The Decision Support Problem (DSP) Technique for unified design, manufacturing and maintenance is being developed at the Systems Design Laboratory of the University of Houston. This involves the development of a domain-independent method (and the associated software) that can be used to process domain-dependent information and thereby provide support for human judgment. In a computer-assisted environment this support, at present, is provided in the form of optimal solutions to selection, compromise, hierarchical and conditional DSPs. Typically, the design of linkages is carried out in three stages: type selection, parameter specification and evaluation. In this paper, we introduce the notion of designing for concept and show how it could apply to the designs of linkages. We provide a conceptual representation, using DSPs, for the implementation of designing for concept in the case of linkages. We give the word forms of compromise DSPs for kinematic and dynamic synthesis of four-bar linkages and show how our approach allows the evolution of two related compromise formulations into a superior, integrated formulation. Specifically, we present the word form of an integrated compromise DSP that makes provision for simultaneous kinematic and dynamic synthesis.
Modified differential approximation for radiative transfer in general three-dimensional media

The modified differential approximation first proposed hy Olfe for one-dimensional non-scattering media hounded by black walls is exknded t o bhe most general case of a three-dimensional, absorhing/emitting and anisotropically scattering medium bounded by non-black walls. The modcl reduces to the correct optically-thin and optically-thick limits for all situations. Some oneand twodimensional solutions are presented, comparing the present method with exact solutions obtained from Monte Carlo calculations, as well as with approximate solutions obtained from the P-1 or ordinary differential approximation. Unlike the P-f approximation thc present method is seen to give results of excellent accuracy for all optical conditions, a t the price of a very moderate increme in computational effort. v C surface emissivity, 0 angle between surface normal r optical coordinate, Eq. ( 5 ) , cp scattering phase function, * azimuthal angle, w solid angle, w. single scattering albedo.