cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On a control algorithm for time-varying processor availability

We consider an anytime control algorithm for the situation when the processor resource availability is time-varying. The basic idea is to calculate the components of the control input vector sequentially to maximally utilize the processing resources available at every time step. Thus, the system evolves as a discrete time hybrid system with the particular mode active at any time step being dictated by the processor availability. We extend our earlier work to consider the sequence in which the control inputs are calculated as a variable. In particular, we propose stochastic decision rules in which the inputs are chosen according to a Markov chain. For the LQG case, we present a Markovian jump linear system based formulation that provides analytical performance and stability expressions. For more general cases, we present a receding horizon control based implementation and illustrate the increase in performance through simulations.
GLSVLSI 2008 invited/keynote talk

CMOS at the 45 nm node is in production now, and if everything goes according to plan CMOS at the 15 nm node should be in production in fewer than ten years. However, every technology has its limits and CMOS is no exception. While there will be billions of CMOS devices on a chip, and "mobility engineering" will continue to enable ever faster CMOS devices, band-to-band tunneling will push up the standby currents and severely cap the speed of any transistor requiring low standby power dissipation. Nonetheless, the glass for continuing the rapid progress in silicon technology appears half full because system designers need a lot more than fast transistors. These needs include increasingly large memory capacity and increasingly large memory bandwidth, huge amounts of data storage especially storage that can be accessed at much larger bandwidth than traditional magnetic disk storage, system-on-chip (SoC) integration and volumetrically dense system-level packaging. And, of course, the power dissipation must be consistent with the thermal and power dissipation requirements of the systems. In this talk, the fundamentals that could limit the scaling of CMOS at or beyond the 15 nm node will be discussed, and the silicon opportunities for meeting the system needs of "besides faster CMOS transistors" will be described. The emphases will be on opportunities in memory technologies and in exploiting SOI CMOS as a SoC platform.
Retroperitoneal granular cell tumor computed tomography findings with 5-year follow-up

We describe the computed tomography (CT) appearance of an unusual, large retroperitoneal granular cell tumor and provide a 5-year follow-up. The tumor occurred in association with multiple, smaller, subcutaneous granular cell tumors. The CT findings were nonspecific, but the scans delineated the extent of the lesion and its relationship to adjacent vessels well. To our knowledge, this report is the first description of the CT appearance of retroperitoneal granular cell tumor in the medical literature.
Direct Observation of Surface Chemistry Using Ultrafast Soft-X-Ray Pulses

We present the first demonstration of the use of ultrafast extreme-ultraviolet pulses to directly monitor a surface chemical reaction on femtosecond time scales. By adsorbing molecular oxygen onto a platinum surface and exciting it with an ultrafast laser pulse, changes in the oxygen-platinum chemical bond on a subpicosecond time scale were observed through changes in the photoelectron spectra. This work demonstrates a powerful new technique for studying reactions of interest in catalysis and for probing changes of local order on surfaces on their fundamental time scales.
Rb-Sr Chronology of Precambrian Schist and Pegmatite, La Madera Quadrangle, Northern New Mexico

Scattered exposures of Precambrian quartzite, gneiss, and a siliceous volcanic rock that has been metasomatized into quartz-feldspar-muscovite schist are found in La Madera quadrangle in the Tusas Mountains of north-central New Mexico. These rocks have been multiply deformed and invaded by swarms of pegmatite bodies. Complexly zoned pegmatites probably originated during a period of folding; later pegmatites are undeformed, sharply transecting dikes. Rb-Sr isotopic data from whole rocks, metamorphic muscovite, and pegmatite “book” muscovite plot on isochrons that indicate an age of 1,425 m.y. Thus igneous intrusion and final stages of metamorphism appear to have ceased within a time interval too short to be resolved by the Rb-Sr method. Initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios from schist at two localities (0.720 and 0.716) are exceptionally high, suggesting that a lengthy crustal history took place earlier than the regional metamorphism. Results of a qualitative calculation indicate a primary age of the rocks of about 1,600 m.y. or older. The ages noted here are similar to those of Precambrian rocks over a wide area of Colorado and New Mexico.
The Yeast Actin Cytoskeleton: from Cellular Function to Biochemical Mechanism

All cells undergo rapid remodeling of their actin networks to regulate such critical processes as endocytosis, cytokinesis, cell polarity, and cell morphogenesis. These events are driven by the coordinated activities of a set of 20 to 30 highly conserved actin-associated proteins, in addition to many cell-specific actin-associated proteins and numerous upstream signaling molecules. The combined activities of these factors control with exquisite precision the spatial and temporal assembly of actin structures and ensure dynamic turnover of actin structures such that cells can rapidly alter their cytoskeletons in response to internal and external cues. One of the most exciting principles to emerge from the last decade of research on actin is that the assembly of architecturally diverse actin structures is governed by highly conserved machinery and mechanisms. With this realization, it has become apparent that pioneering efforts in budding yeast have contributed substantially to defining the universal mechanisms regulating actin dynamics in eukaryotes. In this review, we first describe the filamentous actin structures found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (patches, cables, and rings) and their physiological functions, and then we discuss in detail the specific roles of actin-associated proteins and their biochemical mechanisms of action.
Spectral Characteristics of Greenland Lichens

Spectral reflectance measurements conducted during two field campaigns in west Greenland, and in the laboratory using samples collected during those campaigns, are discussed to evaluate the spectral signature of lichens. Given the diversity in lichen species, colors, and appearance — ranging from crust-like (crustose) to almost like mini shrubs (fructicose) — it is not surprising that no single signature was found. Some of the brighter fructicose lichens have reflectance characteristics very similar to those of green vegetation, with a pronounced rise in reflectivity around 750 nm. However, the most abundant lichen species covering rocks in the ice-marginal zone of west Greenland are dark grey to black crustose and foliose ephilithic (rock-growing) lichens and the shape of the reflectance spectrum for these lichens is generally very different from that of other surface types and landcovers, with near-zero reflectance at visible wavelengths, and a maximum around 1 600 nm. This characteristic allows rock-covered lichen to be identified on multispectral satellite imagery.
LOGISTICS SALIENCE IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

The primary purpose of this paper was to empirically explore some of the reasons that logistics has become more important, or salient, in comparison to other functions within the firm. A survey of 296 managers across multiple industries in the U.S. found logistics becomes more important within the firm when the industry increases in uncertainty, when there is an emphasis on time-based competition, when there is greater adoption of information technology, and when there is an emphasis on cross-functional integration.
EFFECTS OF STIMULUS REVERSALS ON LATERAL DOMINANCE IN WORD RECOGNITION.

in the nervous system. The hypothesized dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other has been offered as an explanation for the phenomenon of right-left reversal in the perception of visual symbols. The present paper examines in this connection the concept of hemispheric dominance, which we operationally define by the visual hemifield of greater perceptual accuracy because of the primary projection to the contralateral cerebral hemispheres. If hemispheric dominance is related to the phenomenon of reversal in perception, its basis is functional rather than structural, since reversals tend to disappear as the child makes progress in learning to read (Fernald, 1943). If reversals are corrected by experience, and if reversals are caused by lateral dominance, then the dominance must have been modified by the experience. Of course, as Harcum and Dyer ( 1962) suggest, a structural basis for the original dominance of one side may be masked or overcome by the new learning. Another line of evidence for n functional mechanism of cerebral dominance is the relation of lateral dominance in the perception of certain directional visual patterns to 0's experience with a written language having similar directional attributes. For example, left-right differences which appear for letterpatterns presented co the left and right of fixation do not occur for single visual forms similarly presented, but not having the intrinsic left-right directionality of letter-groups (Heron, 1957; Terrace, 1959; Bryden, 1960). Terrace (1959) found superior performance for letters to che left of fixation but equal performance for geometrical forms on both sides of fixation, even though 0s did not know which type of stimulus was to appear. He concluded that the direction of the perceptual process was affected by characteristics of the exposed stimulus, and not by differential sets to perceive the different materials prior to exposure.
An introduction to context and its role in evaluation practice

Evaluators have written about the need to consider context in conducting evaluations, but most such admonitions are broad. Context is not developed fully. This chapter reviews the evaluation literature on context and discusses the two areas in which context has been more carefully considered by evaluators: the culture of program participants when their culture is different from the predominant one and the cultural norms of program participants in countries outside the West. We have learned much about how the culture of participants or communities can affect evaluation and should continue our learning there. Evaluators also need to expand their consideration of context to consider the program itself and its setting and the political norms of audiences, decision makers, and other stakeholders of the program. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
The Inflammatory Response to Cell Death

When cells die in vivo, they trigger an inflammatory response. The ensuing hyperemia, leak of plasma proteins, and recruitment of leukocytes serve a number of useful functions in host defense and tissue repair. However, this response can also cause tissue damage and contribute to the pathogenesis of a number of diseases. Given the key role of inflammation in these processes, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms that drive this response. Injured cells release danger signals that alert the host to cell death. Some of these molecules are recognized by cellular receptors that stimulate the generation of proinflammatory mediators. Other molecules released by dead cells stimulate the generation of mediators from extracellular sources. The resulting mediators then orchestrate the inflammatory response, eliciting its various vascular and cellular components. Dead cells also release danger signals that activate dendritic cells and promote the generation of immune responses to antigens. Here we review what is presently known about the sterile inflammatory response and its underlying mechanisms.
Counseling: a new priority in Latin America

Despite burgeoning enthusiasm in Latin American countries for educational guidance and vocational counseling, Latin American efforts in these areas are not often mentioned in the U.S. professional literature. This brief survey with an annotated bibliography is an effort to inform counselors about some of the recent developments in Latin America that relate to their profession. The article explains some of the underlying social, cultural, and educational conditions that have helped shape recent trends, and the authors sketch the increasing use of innovative apprenticeship training and student loan programs, which have greatly increased demands for the provision of guidance services in recent years. Despite the problem of underprofessionalization, the field of vocational guidance and counseling is growing in importance in the Latin American countries.
Privatising the public: marketisation as a strategy in public university transformation

In this study, the transformation of a Kenyan public university through marketisation and privatisation was investigated qualitatively. By focusing on senior university administrators, deans, department heads, union leaders, student leaders and senior scholars at Kenyatta University the study identified the reasons for, and strategies used to achieve, marketisation and the consequences. External factors – pressure by multilateral financial institutions and global trends in favour of the market place and private finance in higher education – and internal factors, including social demand for higher education alongside the government's budget rationalisation agenda, were the impetus for the transformation. Strategies used in marketisation included the corporatisation of university management through the de‐politicisation of the university chancellorship, competitive recruitment of the vice‐chancellor, administrative reconfigurations involving mergers and downsizing, registration of unions and revitalisation ...
Alternate encryption scheme for VoIP traffic

Voice over IP is fast emerging as a strong contender to the traditional circuit-switched PSTN networks. Unlike the PSTN network, which requires dedicated lines, VoIP can share the network that is laid out to carry data traffic as well as other traffic categories. Securing VoIP and other real-time traffic is necessary considering the easy ways of hacking communication over internet. Most of the existing security solutions for VoIP such as IPSec, Secure Real Time Protocol (SRTP) and ZRTP use the standard symmetric encryption algorithms for encrypting voice traffic. In this paper, the authors propose an alternate encryption scheme that uses PKI architecture for the initial authentication and key exchange, and encrypts the real-time traffic with a symmetric algorithm using a unique key for each packet. The proposed algorithm expected to be less complex compared to the traditional encryption schemes in addition to enhancing the security of the communication. Initial analysis carried out by the authors indicates that the proposed scheme helps in improving the voice quality to a certain extent while maintaining the security of the communication.
Nonossifying Fibroma in the Mandible of a Goat

An 8-year-old male Nubian goat was presented with a peracute history of straining to urinate and unilateral mandibular swelling. At necropsy, the rostral half body of the left mandible was distorted by fusiform swelling that, on sagittal section, had marked medullary bone loss and replacement with a well-demarcated fibrous mass. Histologically, the mass comprised streaming spindloid cells with whorls and storiform patterns, interspersed with numerous multinucleated giant cells. Bone formation was not present in the neoplasm. The mandibular mass was diagnosed as nonossifying fibroma, a relatively common tumor in children but seldom reported in domestic animals.
Fermentation of the Great Northern Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Rice Blends

Black gram (Phaseolus mungo) cotyledons could be substituted by the Great Northern bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) whole seeds in preparation of idli. The products prepared from conventional blend (black gram:rice :: 1:1 w/w) and the Great Northern bean-rice blend (1:2 w/w) were comparable. The latter had somewhat different flavor and a sticky top surface. Physicochemical changes in the Great Northern bean-rice blends (1:l and 1:2 w/w) paralleled each other while those in the fermentation of the beans alone differed from both the blends. No significant hydrolysis was observed in the major proteins in all the batters studied in 45 hr fermentation. Scanning electron microscopic observations indicated that starch granules were resistant to both, the fermentation and steaming.
Broadband impedance matching for inductive interconnect in VLSI packages

Noise induced by impedance discontinuities from VLSI packaging is one of the leading challenges facing system level designers in the next decade. The performance of IC cores far exceeds that of current packaging technology. The risetimes of IC signals require that the interconnect of the package be treated as transmission lines. As a result, impedance discontinuities in the package cause reflections which may result in intermittent switching of digital signals and edge time degradation, both of which limit system performance. The major cause of the impedance discontinuity in the package is the high inductance of the wire bond interconnects. To compensate for this problem, capacitance can be placed near the wire bond to reduce its effective impedance over a given frequency range. This paper presents the application of this impedance matching technique for use in broadband digital signals that are prevalent in modern VLSI designs. Both static and dynamic compensation approaches are presented. The static compensator places pre-defined capacitances on the package and on the IC to surround the wire bond inductance. The dynamic compensator places a switchable capacitance on the IC that can be programmed to a desired value, thereby enabling the designer to overcome design and manufacturing variations in the Mire bond. Both techniques presented are shown to bound the reflections of the wire bond to less than 5% (down from 20% for an uncompensated structure) for wire bonds up to 5mm in length, and for frequencies up to 3GHz. In addition, both circuits utilizes less area than a typical wire bond pad, making them ideal for placement directly beneath the wire bond pads.
Spatial Patterns in Biofilm Diversity across Hierarchical Levels of River-Floodplain Landscapes

River-floodplain systems are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems, but the effects of biophysical complexity at multiple scales on microbial biodiversity have not been studied. Here, we investigated how the hierarchical organization of river systems (i.e., region, floodplain, zone, habitats, and microhabitats) influences epilithic biofilm community assemblage patterns by characterizing microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequence data and analyzing bacterial species distribution across local and regional scales. Results indicate that regional and local environmental filters concurrently sort bacterial species, suggesting that spatial configuration of epilithic biofilms resembles patterns of larger organisms in floodplain ecosystems. Along the hierarchical organization of fluvial systems, floodplains constitute a vector of maximum environmental heterogeneity and consequently act as a major landscape filter for biofilm species. Thus, river basins and associated floodplains may simply reflect very large scale ‘patches’ within which environmental conditions select for community composition of epilithic biofilms.
Promoting Teaching Excellence in Professional Education of Behavior Analysts

The preparation of behavior analysts for high level work in autism should be constructed in the context of current views of higher education. Behavior analysis contributes useful ideas to higher education practice, but some possibilities for development of more complex and varied repertoires have not yet been realized. The need for broad and flexible skills in behavioral autism professionals is a good example of the challenge facing behavioral approaches to higher education in general, and it represents an opportunity for behavior analysts to step up and make an important public contribution to a broader educational conversation. After summarizing the history of behavior analytic contributions and noting an international conversation on higher education, we examine some complex repertoires an autism specialist should perform. We end by suggesting what kinds of educational experiences would be appropriate in preparation for such a career, and we urge behavior analysts to make their educational work visible...
Governing Academic Civic Engagement: Lessons and Challenges from Four Engaged Campuses

This article explores the art of governing academic civic engagement. Due to the diversity in institutional missions, locations, faculty cultures, and capacities, civic engagement projects are shaped in different ways and in accordance with context-specific possibilities. While recognizing that diversity, the article highlights central lessons, in leadership and organizational design, emerging from the practices of four highly engaged campuses. It also explores the relationship between academic civic engagement, faculty workload configurations, and the criteria for faculty promotion (and, where granted, tenure). The article concludes by pointing to the leadership imperative in finding and maximizing a genuine link from the mission to academic civic engagement opportunities and the need to build boundary-spanning capacities into campus coordinating bodies. While there are clear operational elements to faculty governance, it is nonetheless an art to getting it right and being a reflective participant in the national debate on the role academic civic engagement in 21 st century higher education.
Survey of Illinois Law: An Annotated Bibliography of Current Illinois Practice Aids

Practice aids are important resources that every attorney should know about and value. They facilitate the day to day practice of law by providing access to tools and information not generally available as part of other sets of legal research materials. Packaged in varying combinations, practice aids often include step-by-step procedural guidance, drafting suggestions and model language, sample litigation or transactional forms, tips on strategic and practical considerations, checklists, and practice-oriented discussion of the legal issues and governing law in one or more subject areas. Focusing here on the needs of attorneys practicing in Illinois, the author provides information about the most up-to-date practice aids available at the time of publication, summarizing the scope of coverage of the more than one hundred and eighty titles included.
A dynamic intron retention program enriched in RNA processing genes regulates gene expression during terminal erythropoiesis

Differentiating erythroblasts execute a dynamic alternative splicing program shown here to include extensive and diverse intron retention (IR) events. Cluster analysis revealed hundreds of developmentally-dynamic introns that exhibit increased IR in mature erythroblasts, and are enriched in functions related to RNA processing such as SF3B1 spliceosomal factor. Distinct, developmentally-stable IR clusters are enriched in metal-ion binding functions and include mitoferrin genes SLC25A37 and SLC25A28 that are critical for iron homeostasis. Some IR transcripts are abundant, e.g. comprising ∼50% of highly-expressed SLC25A37 and SF3B1 transcripts in late erythroblasts, and thereby limiting functional mRNA levels. IR transcripts tested were predominantly nuclear-localized. Splice site strength correlated with IR among stable but not dynamic intron clusters, indicating distinct regulation of dynamically-increased IR in late erythroblasts. Retained introns were preferentially associated with alternative exons with premature termination codons (PTCs). High IR was observed in disease-causing genes including SF3B1 and the RNA binding protein FUS. Comparative studies demonstrated that the intron retention program in erythroblasts shares features with other tissues but ultimately is unique to erythropoiesis. We conclude that IR is a multi-dimensional set of processes that post-transcriptionally regulate diverse gene groups during normal erythropoiesis, misregulation of which could be responsible for human disease.
Local Probe Methods

This lecture summarizes the essence, illustrates the capabilities and outlines the possibilities of local probe methods. Of the still increasing variety of methods, I have chosen approaches related to tunneling and to forces. They are at present the most and best implemented ones. The choice of the examples is a matter of convenience. Some topical STM and related areas are treated in more detail in the folio wing contributions of this issue. For a broader coverage see recent proceedings1-3 and reviews.4
COMPOSITENESS CRITERION ON AN UNPHYSICAL SHEET.

The renormalization of a quantized field for which there exists no corresponding particlelike excitation is discussed in general terms. Since the absence of a single-particle term in the Lehmann representation of the propagator is associated with the passage of the pole which represents the discrete-state contribution through the elastic thereshold, one can continue to carry out mass and wave function renormalization in the usual way by following the motion of the relevant pole to an unphysical sheet. It is shown that this leads to a definition ofZ3 for virtual states which allows it to be negative and unbounded, a circumstance which is in sharp contrast to the corresponding result for physical particles. TheZ=0 limit is diseussed, it being demonstrated that an «elementary virtual partiele» becomes a «composite virtual particle» in that limit.
Therapeutic effect analysis of MSM after highly active antiretroviral therapy in Chongqing

Objective To know basic characteristics of MSM infected with HIV treated by highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART),and evaluate therapeutic effect based on the level of CD4+T cell counts.Methods Basic database of patients were collected from the national AIDS comprehensive data information system,patients were observed by the retrospective cohort study,and effect indicators were analyzed based on the level of CD4+T cell counts.The data was analyzed by SPSS18.0software.Results A total of 1 758 cases were recruited in this study and the average age was(33.5±11.1)years.The component ratio of the CD4+T cell counts50/μL,50 to 199/μL,200 to 350/μL,350/μL were 7.7%,27.6%,54.9%,9.7%,respectively.The CD4+T counts increased and kept among 150 to 250/μL,250 to 350/μL,350 to 450/μL,450 to 550/μL,respectively after 12 months,treatment.The rates of viral inhibition were 70.2%,81.7%,84.2%,83.3%,respectively after 6months′treatment.And the cumulative survival rates were 0.81,0.93,0.98,1.0after 36,months treatment,respectively.Conclusion HAART on MSM achieves remarkable results.And the early treatment was more beneficial to improve immune function,reduce AIDS mortality and control the HIV/AIDS epidemic of MSM.
Larval development test for detection of anthelmintic resistant nematodes

The growth, using freshly cultured Escherichia coli with ampicillin or heat-treated lyophilised E coli as a food source, of the larvae of the mouse nematode Nematospiroides dubius and the infectivity of resulting third stage larvae were determined. Concentrations of E coli between 0.5 and 1 mg dry weight ml-1 permitted optimal larval development for both N dubius and Trichostrongylus colubriformis. Development of larvae of susceptible and cambendazole-resistant strains of Haemonchus contortus in thiabendazole solutions showed clear differences between the strains and the larval development test was more sensitive than the egg hatch test. The test also detected a levamisole resistant strain of H contortus, although the degree of resistance could not be adequately measured. It is concluded that the test can be run with any anthelmintic to which resistance is suspected.
The Twenty Percent Difference

This chapter explains the twenty percent difference. Clinical research on gambling is quite primitive in comparison with research on other addictions or mental disorders. Clinicians working in the hospital programs with gamblers published descriptive research on problem gambler characteristics, family environments, spouse relationships, personality patterns, and dual addiction issues. Pathological gambling patients never comprised more than about one-fourth of the total unit; they invariably served as elected officers. The first major difference relates to issues around egotism and entitlement. Egotism leads to such an inflated sense of the self that beating the odds becomes a normal expectation. The second major difference between problem gambling and substance abuse pertains to the nature of the addiction in each case. Compulsive behaviors ranging from alcohol and drug abuse through overeating require ingesting some external substance. Even social gambling provides an emotional high when it is linked in the person's mind to risk taking. The chapter concludes that individuals need to rely on clinical wisdom to understand problem gambling and how it differs from other addictions and mental disorders.
Revitalizing the Lawyer-Poet: What Lawyers Can Learn from Rock and Roll

This essay offers a novel take on the crisis of professionalism and its causes, consequences, and cure. I suggests that one reason for the failure of the bar's twenty-year campaign to revive professionalism is because it has misidentified the problem as lawyer's increased business behavior. Instead, the essay argues that the roots of lawyers' decreased commitment to the public good can be found primarily in the social changes of the 1960s that made untenable professionalism's dichotomy between self-interested businesses and altruistic lawyers. Rather than dwell on the bar's failed strategies, the essay instead offers rock and roll as a possible source of inspiration. While trying to make money, rock musicians find passion in their work, serve as both social critics and members of the establishment, and make music with a democratic appeal. Why couldn't lawyers also make money, have fun, and do good? Their everyday work can be full of passion, even when they represent corporate clients. But the more difficult obstacles to embracing the spirit of rock and roll are in acknowledging moral responsibility and employing a democratic approach to access to justice. This analysis tracks a DVD film essay of the same name. The film's Director is Brian Danitz, whose previous credits include a Sundance featured documentary and the cinematography of Bowling for Columbine. To place an order for the DVD and associated teaching materials, email lawyersrock@law.fordham.edu.
Occupational noise exposures among three farm families in northwest Ohio.

ABSTRACT A pilot project was conducted to evaluate occupational noise exposures of three families living and working on farms in Northwest Ohio. Noise exposures were measured continuously for 7 consecutive days for each participant for 1 week each during planting, growing, and harvesting seasons. The dosimeters were programmed to evaluate noise exposures using both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) action level and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)/American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) guidelines. One family was evaluated per year and a total of nine family members (six adults and three children) participated. Adult noise exposures for on-farm activities (occupational exposures) ranged from 46.1 to 89.6 decibels on the A-weighted scale (dBA) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (8HR TWA) using the OSHA action level and from 62.6 to 92.1 dBA 8HR TWA using the NIOSH/ACGIH guidelines. Occupational noise exposures for the childre...
Historical Perspective on Public Support for the Draft: War Costs and Military Service

The military draft was once an important element of American national security policy with widespread popular backing. The collapse in public support for it is an important historical puzzle. Public opinion about the draft also offers an arena for assessing the role of war costs, such as military casualties, in shaping attitudes toward national security policy. The costs of the draft fall on a readily identifiable segment of the population. However, surveys administered during several different historical periods provide only limited evidence that these costs affect individual opinion. Draft eligibility reduced support for conscription during peacetime but not during major wars, when the cost of being drafted was greatest. By contrast, military service had a more consistent socializing effect, with veterans and their families expressing greater support for the draft. Together, these and other individual-level processes suggest a possible explanation for the decline in aggregate support for conscription that has more to do with changing force structure and elite leadership than with public aversion to the costs of war. The results also suggest that war costs have more complicated effects on public opinion than most research on public support for war implies.
Changes in Reported Sexual Orientation Following US States Recognition of Same-Sex Couples.

Objectives. To compare changes in self-reported sexual orientation of women living in states with any recognition of same-sex relationships (e.g., hospital visitation, domestic partnerships) with those of women living in states without such recognition.Methods. We calculated the likelihood of women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (n = 69 790) changing their reported sexual orientation between 1995 and 2009.Results. We used data from the Nurses’ Health Study II and found that living in a state with same-sex relationship recognition was associated with changing one’s reported sexual orientation, particularly from heterosexual to sexual minority. Individuals who reported being heterosexual in 1995 were 30% more likely to report a minority orientation (i.e., bisexual or lesbian) in 2009 (risk ratio = 1.30; 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.61) if they lived in a state with any recognition of same-sex relationships compared with those who lived in a state without such recognition.Conclusions. Policies recognizi...
Development and Implementation of a Training-of-Trainers Program for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Neonatal and Pediatric Patients in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

We describe a pragmatic training-of-trainers program for the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for neonatal and pediatric patients. The program is designed for medical professionals working in low- and middle-income countries and involves 2 days of in-class training followed by 1 day of in-service training. The program was created after training in Cambodia, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya and Rwanda and addresses the issues of resource availability, cultural context and local buy-in and partnership in low- and middle-income countries. We hope others will use the training program to increase knowledge and use of CPAP with the ultimate goal of improving neonatal and pediatric survival globally.
MinE recruits, stabilizes, releases, and inhibits MinD interactions with membrane to drive oscillation

The MinD and MinE proteins of Escherichia coli self-organize into a standing-wave oscillator on the membrane to help align division at mid-cell. When unleashed from cellular confines, we find that MinD and MinE form a wide spectrum of patterns on artificial bilayers - static amoebas, traveling waves, traveling mushrooms, and bursts with standing-wave dynamics. We recently focused our cell-free studies on bursts because their dynamics closely resemble those found in vivo. The data unveiled a patterning mechanism largely governed by MinE regulation of MinD interaction with membrane. We proposed that the MinD to MinE ratio on the membrane acts as a toggle switch between MinE-stimulated recruitment or release of MinD from the membrane. Here we provide data that further refines and extends our model that explains the remarkable spectrum of patterns supported by these two simple proteins.
State-space support for path-based reward variables

Many sophisticated formalisms exist for specifying complex system behaviors, but methods for specifying performance and dependability variables have remained quite primitive. To cope with this problem, modelers often must augment system models with extra state information and event types to support particular variables. This often leads to models that are non-intuitive, and must be changed to support different variables. To address this problem, we extend the array of performance measures that may be derived from a given system model, by developing new performance measure specification and model construction techniques. Specifically, we introduce a class of path-based reward variables, and show how various performance measures may be specified using these variables. Path-based reward variables extend the previous work with reward structures to allow rewards to be accumulated based on sequences of states and transitions. To maintain the relevant history, we introduce the concept of a path automaton, whose state transitions are based on the system model state and transitions. Furthermore, we present a new procedure for constructing state spaces and the associated transition rate matrices that support path-based reward variables. Our new procedure takes advantage of the path automaton to allow a single system model to be used as the basis of multiple performance measures that would otherwise require separate models or a single more complicated model.
Chip-scale alignment of long DNA nanofibers on a patterned self-assembled monolayer

Controlled alignment of long DNA nanofibers is challenging. This communication reports a method to align human genomic DNA with nearly unlimited length using lithographically produced micro-patterns of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with positively charged terminal groups. The micro-patterns act as local DNA reservoirs to supply DNAs for nanofiber formation, and can also stretch and align DNA nanofibers to form an ordered array by controlling the dewetting profile. By reducing the size and inter-patch distance of a micro-patch, a nearly uniform array of long DNA nanofibers can be patterned over a large area. A controlled motion of a DNA containing droplet allows for free patterning of DNA nanofibers and production of complex structures without a transfer process. Bending of DNA nanofibers due to local distortion of the contact line bridges more adjacent micro-patches and increases the chance of producing continuous nanofibers. The interplay between surface tension and electrostatic attraction of positively charged micro-patterns allows the production of long DNA nanofibers in a simple yet powerful way.
Screening for Clostridium difficile colonization on admission to a hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit may reduce hospital-acquired C difficile infection

Clostridium difficile infection rates are higher in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants. In our study, patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplants or chemotherapy were screened for C difficile colonization at admission and placed on contact precautions if they were positive. Patient's colonized with C difficile contribute to the overall burden of C difficile infection in hospitals.
Neighbourhood characteristics and health outcomes: evaluating the association between socioeconomic status, tobacco store density and health outcomes in Baltimore City

Introduction Several studies suggest that the health of an individual is influenced by the socioeconomic status (SES) of the community in which he or she lives. This analysis seeks to understand the relationship between SES, tobacco store density and health outcomes at the neighbourhood level in a large urban community. Methods Data from the 55 neighbourhoods of Baltimore City were reviewed and parametric tests compared demographics and health outcomes for low-income and high-income neighbourhoods, defined by the 50th percentile in median household income. Summary statistics are expressed as median. Tobacco store density was evaluated as both an outcome and a predictor. Association between tobacco store densities and health outcomes was determined using Moran’s I and spatial regression analyses to account for autocorrelation. Results Compared with higher-income neighbourhoods, lower-income neighbourhoods had higher tobacco store densities (30.5 vs 16.5 stores per 10 000 persons, P=0.01), lower life expectancy (68.5 vs 74.9 years, P Conclusion In Baltimore City, median household income is inversely associated with tobacco store density, indicating poorer neighbourhoods in Baltimore City have greater accessibility to tobacco. Additionally, tobacco store density was linked to lower life expectancy, which underscores the necessity for interventions to reduce tobacco store densities.
An approach to determination of shunt circuits parameters for damping vibrations

This paper considers the problem of natural vibrations of a deformable structure containing elements made of piezomaterials. The piezoelectric elements are connected through electrodes to an extern...
Special Article: Clinical and Histologic Features of Nevi with Emphasis on Treatment Approaches

A nevus is a cutaneous lesion characterized histologically by clustering and disorganization of a variety of cell types in the skin including the epidermis, appendages, melanocytes, and their precursor cells. Commonly, a nevus is congenital, but it may be acquired. Owing to the prevalence and variations of melanocytic nevi and their association with malignancy, this article discusses the development, classification, histology, and clinical characteristics of nevi with an emphasis on the relationship to malignancy. Recommendations are provided for treatment of these benign lesions.
Experimental investigation and identification of single and multiple cracks in synthetic fiber concrete beams

Abstract The tensile behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete is recognized as being superior to that of ordinary concrete, and since serviceability is a primary concern in existing design specifications, it is important to evaluate its post-cracking performance. This research experimentally identified and investigated cracks in concrete beams reinforced with synthetic fibers. Concrete beams with and without longitudinal reinforcement were studied in order to assess both single and multiple cracking scenarios. Synthetic fiber volume fractions of 0.5% and 1% were used to prepare the specimens, and the results were compared with those of concrete beams with no synthetic fibers. Six unreinforced beams and six reinforced beams with flexural behavior were tested. The digital image correlation (DIC) method was utilized to record the width, spacing, number, and locations of the cracks for all the specimens during the displacement control-type loading. The results indicated that using 1% synthetic fiber increased the failure load of the reinforced concrete beams and improved the serviceability by reducing the number of cracks and the width of the cracks. When the cracks opened significantly, the beams with 1% fiber dosage were able to carry higher loads due to the bridging action of the fibers at the crack locations.
Pathology of Polypoid Dysplastic Lesions in IBD

Polypoid lesions are frequently encountered during IBD surveillance colonoscopy. Accurate endoscopic and pathologic classification of these lesions is essential for appropriate management. Of particular importance are polypoid dysplastic lesions, which have historically been referred to by the term DALM (dysplasia-associated-lesion or mass). This chapter provides a review of the endoscopic features, pathology, natural history, and management of DALMs. Based on endoscopic features, DALMs can be subclassified as adenoma-like (endoscopically resectable) and non-adenoma-like (non-endoscopically resectable). The presence of a non-adenoma-like DALM is an indication for colectomy. In contrast, adenoma-like DALMs can be treated conservatively by polypectomy and endoscopic surveillance provided the lesion is completely removed and no flat dysplasia is identified in the colon.
Influence of Shear Velocity on Vane Shear Strength

Comparisons of field and laboratory vane shear strength measurements from geotechnical test areas in the San Diego Trough and Gulf of Maine were made to evaluate the influence of vane size, rotation rate, and sample disturbance on vane shear strength. Field vane strengths were observed to be significantly higher than laboratory strengths in both test areas. In-situ strengths obtained with large diameter vanes were consistently higher than strengths obtained with smaller vanes. Comparison of field and laboratory vane strengths with angular shear velocity at the vane blade edges indicated that angular shear velocity can significantly influence vane shear strength measurements. It is recommended that laboratory and field vane shear strengths be determined at a standard angular shear velocity to eliminate many of the uncertainties associated with differences in vane size and rotation rate. An angular shear velocity of 0.5 x 10 - ³ fps (0.15 mm/s) is proposed as the standard for both laboratory and field vane shear strength measurements.
Time, role of the past and varieties of fictional expectations: comments on Jens Beckert’s Imagined Futures

Jens Beckert’s superb book builds on his earlier work analysing the nature of capitalism, the limitations of the economic approach, specifically rational choice theory, as an explanation for econom...
Chapter 3 – Linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics

This chapter outlines the principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics for systems not far away from the thermodynamic equilibrium. In this region, the transport and rate equations are expressed in linear forms and the Onsager reciprocal relations are valid. Therefore, this region is called the linear or Onsager region and the formulations are known as the linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics theory. In this region, instead of thermodynamic potentials and entropy, a new property called the entropy generation appears. The formulation of linear nonequilihrium thermodynamics is proved to be valid and useful for a large range of transport and rate processes of physical and biological systems. It discusses the essential ideas related to instability, nonequilibrium, motion, and irreversibility.. The first attempts to develop nonequilibrium thermodynamics are associated with certain thermal diffusion and thermoelectric phenomena. the chapter discusses local thermodynamic equilibrium, microscopic reversibility, phenomenological equations and coefficients. The Curie–Prigogine principles, entropy generation, and dissipation function have also been explained.