cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allergic diseases in childhood: Review of the literature

T HE observation of infants and children would seem to offer an opportunity to study the nature of certain diseases in relatively pure or uncomplicated st,ates. The cumulative results from diverse insults to the human organism, which confuse t,he adult picture, usually are absent in the young. Hereditary factors, on the other hand, are more obvious and the usual home relations afford information more accurate with regard to familp history and less subjcctivc with regard to symptomatology. Hence,, it has been expected that in the field of juvenile allergy etiologic factors and prevent,ive measures could be discovered more readily. The problem of etiology and prcvcntion is not, however, easily solved. The marked la.bility of infants as a group affords no gauge for t)he reactions which may bc seen in older children or adults. All too frequently natural processes, or at least factors beyond the knowledge and intent of medical treatmcni! will alter the nature and severity of the later manifestations considerably. (Nervous and psychogenic fact)ors may complie:lte the adolescent period.) The defense mechanisms with which allergy is somewhat allied are poorly established in infants. In early infant)there may be protection from some diseases because of transmission of maternal immunit,y, but this is of short duration. The inherent immune bodies (judged by precipitins, etc.) are developed with age. Although exireme variability in the acquisition of immunity may be noted, time is an element of great import. The most recent discussions of the relationship of immunity and allergy are those of Schick,l who in contrast wit,h Rich and his coworkers2 would emphasize the similarity of the mechanism in allergy and immunity. The skin of the young infant must undergo changes before it affords adequate protect,ion. Early the skin is extremely sensitive to tho physical agents, light, heat, cold and trauma, just as it is poorly rcsistant to infectious organisms. It would seem that a condition analogous to ‘ ‘ st,reet immunit!’ ’ might be concerned with some allergies. But regardless of that possibility, the skin, from which we frequently expect information concerning specific allergic tests, is notably unre-
The global chess game … or is it go? Market-entry strategies for emerging markets

Two contrasting metaphors of market-entry strategy for emerging markets are developed in this article: the Global Chess Game and the Game of Go. Understanding these paradigms is critical for business success and for building robust theories of international competitor analysis in emerging markets, particularly in Asia. The Game of Go represents a long-term strategy of Japanese companies, dominant foreign direct investment players in the region, and it represents the global strategy of many Asian emerging market companies as they grow within the region and beyond. A Competitor Analysis Framework for Emerging Markets is proposed that incorporates culture and other antecedents as precursors of competitor analysis and strategy formulation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Enhancement of photomultiplier sensitivity by total internal reflection.

Photomultiplier tube sensitivity enhancement with very thin semitransparent photocathode and total internal reflection
The Policies and Politics of Pope Pius XII: Between Diplomacy and Morality. By Frank J. Coppa. (New York, NY: Peter Lang, 2011. Pp. 105. $36.95.)

This study is the author's most recent contribution to what have been called the “Pius wars,” the historiographical debate that concerns the stance of Pope Pius XII towards Nazi Germany and the Hol...
Joint synchronization in the cdma reverse link using a two-bit window transpose domain filter

The reverse links of 3G cellular systems, which are based on code division multiple access (CDMA), require that the base station synchronizes with each user's length N spreading code to despread and demodulate the information bits. A method of obtaining chip-level synchronization for all K users of the system simultaneously was recently presented [3]. The approach uses a modified transpose domain filter (TDF) implemented by a multistage Wiener filter (MWF), and the joint solution for all K users is implemented efficiently with a parallel bank of MWFs. The technique was shown to be effective in giving near 100% success in timing estimation for heavily loaded systems when E b /N 0 ≥ 0 dB, enough bits, M, e.g. M ≥ 16N, is used to obtain the estimate, and at least 20% of the chips in the spreading code are present. In this paper, we propose a modified TDF algorithm, in which processing occurs over a span of 2N chips vs. N chips. The proposed algorithm overcomes the limitations of the previous algorithm since the processing now spans two bits so the entire spreading sequence is always available for processing. We analyze the algorithm in AWGN and multipath, with known and unknown channels, and show that it achieves > 90% success even in multipath with just M = 2N bits and near 100% with M = 4N bits over a wide range of E b /N 0 and number of users K.
Proof checking the RSA public key encryption algorithm

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the concept of proof checking the RSA public key encryption algorithm. A formal mathematical proof is a finite sequence of formulas, each element of which is either an axiom or the result of applying one of a fixed set of mechanical rules to the previous formulas in the sequence. It is, thus, possible to write a computer program to check mechanically whether a given sequence is a formal proof. However, formal proofs are rarely used. The theorem-prover deals with a quantifier free first order logic providing equality, recursively defined functions, mathematical induction, and inductively constructed objects such as the natural numbers and finite sequences. The less ambitious motivation behind much automatic theorem-proving research is to mechanize the often mundane and tedious proofs arising in connection with computer programs. The chapter also presents the examples as evidence that proof checking mathematics is not only a theoretical but also a practical possibility.
Cytokine gene expression at the maternal–fetal interface after somatic cell nuclear transfer pregnancies in small ruminants

The present retrospective study investigated pregnancy rates, the incidence of pregnancy loss and large offspring syndrome (LOS) and immune-related gene expression of sheep and goat somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) pregnancies. We hypothesised that significantly higher pregnancy losses observed in sheep compared with goat SCNT pregnancies are due to the increased amounts of T-helper 1 cytokines and proinflammatory mediators at the maternal-fetal interface. Sheep and goat SCNT pregnancies were generated using the same procedure. Control pregnancies were established by natural breeding. Although SCNT pregnancy rates at 45 days were similar in both species, pregnancy losses between 45 and 60 days of gestation and the incidence of LOS were significantly greater in sheep than in goats. At term, the expression of proinflammatory genes in sheep SCNT placentas was increased, whereas that in goats was similar to that in control animals. Genes with altered expression in sheep SCNT placentas included cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4), interleukin 2 receptor alpha (IL2RA), cluster of differentiation 28 (CD28), interferon gamma (IFNG), interleukin 6 (IL6), interleukin 10 (IL10), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 alpha (IL1A) and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8 (CXCL8). Major histocompatibility complex-I protein expression was greater in sheep and goat SCNT placentas at term than in control pregnancies. An unfavourable immune environment is present at the maternal-fetal interface in sheep SCNT pregnancies.
Implementation of RF communication with TDMA algorithm in swarm robots

Current trends in robotics have gravitated toward the use of a minimal number of intelligent bots without any local communication. This approach is complex, expensive and demands an excessive amount of energy and resources. Our approach uses a swarm to solve common challenges such as fire fighting in uncertain environments. A swarm is a network of interconnected robots working together to achieve common goals. However, the advantages that arise from a large swarm implementation require fast and reliable communication among neighboring nodes. We suggest a system that uses high frequency radio communication. For that purpose, a round robin time division multiple access algorithm with node failure handling is presented. The system can be effectively used for large-scale swarms and is implemented on autonomous fire-fighting robots in the Expert Division of the Trinity College Fire-Fighting Home Robot Contest 2008.
Salivary testosterone and a trinucleotide (CAG) length polymorphism in the androgen receptor gene predict amygdala reactivity in men

In studies employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), reactivity of the amygdala to threat-related sensory cues (viz., facial displays of negative emotion) has been found to correlate positively with interindividual variability in testosterone levels of women and young men and to increase on acute administration of exogenous testosterone. Many of the biological actions of testosterone are mediated by intracellular androgen receptors (ARs), which exert transcriptional control of androgen-dependent genes and are expressed in various regions of the brain, including the amygdala. Transactivation potential of the AR decreases (yielding relative androgen insensitivity) with expansion a polyglutamine stretch in the N-terminal domain of the AR protein, as encoded by a trinucleotide (CAG) repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of the X-chromosome AR gene. Here we examined whether amygdala reactivity to threat-related facial expressions (fear, anger) differs as a function of AR CAG length variation and endogenous (salivary) testosterone in a mid-life sample of 41 healthy men (mean age=45.6 years, range: 34-54 years; CAG repeats, range: 19-29). Testosterone correlated inversely with participant age (r=-0.39, p=0.012) and positively with number of CAG repeats (r=0.45, p=0.003). In partial correlations adjusted for testosterone level, reactivity in the ventral amygdala was lowest among men with largest number of CAG repeats. This inverse association was seen in both the right (r(p)=-0.34, p<0.05) and left (r(p)=-0.32, p<0.05) hemisphere. Activation of dorsal amygdala, correlated positively with individual differences in salivary testosterone, also in right (r=0.40, p<0.02) and left (r=0.32, p<0.05) hemisphere, but was not affected by number of CAG repeats. Hence, androgenic influences on threat-related reactivity in the ventral amygdala may be moderated partially by CAG length variation in the AR gene. Because individual differences in salivary testosterone also predicted dorsal amygdala reactivity and did so independently of CAG repeats, it is suggested that androgenic influences within this anatomically distinct region may be mediated, in part, by non-genomic or AR-independent mechanisms.
Reputation and Power: Organizational Image and Pharmaceutical Regulation at the FDA. By Daniel Carpenter. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. 856p. $78.50 cloth, $35.00 paper.

Dan Carpenter's massive new study of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a definitive study of regulatory politics and administrative behavior destined to stand alongside other classic studies of administrative agencies, such as Herbert Kaufman's The Forest Ranger (1960) or Martha Derthick's Policy Making for Social Security (1979). Like Carpenter's earlier work, Reputation and Power is marked by deep erudition, thorough scholarship, painstaking attention to detail, and a wide-ranging attention to alternative disciplinary paradigms. And it is argued with great craft, subtlety, and creativity both in developing its historical narrative and in its cogent theoretical analysis.
Improving Robustness of Spacecraft Downlink Schedules

In the realm of scheduling problems, different sources of uncertainty can invalidate the planned solutions: unpredictability of activity behaviors, machine breakdowns, new activities to be served, and so on. In this paper, we are concerned with the generation of high-quality downlink schedules in a spacecraft domain in the presence of a high degree of uncertainty. In particular, we refer to a combinatorial optimization problem called Mars-Express memory dumping problem (MEX-MDP), which arose in the European Space Agency (ESA) program Mars-Express. A MEX-MDP consists of a generation of dumping commands to maximize the downloads of data sets from the satellite to the ground. The domain is characterized with several kinds of constraints - such as bounded onboard memory capacities, limited communication windows over the downlink channels, deadlines, and ready times imposed by the payload requirements - and different sources of uncertainty - such as the amount of data generated at each scientific observation or the channel data rate. In this paper, we tackle this problem by using a reduction of the MEX-MDP to a max-flow problem: the former problem has a solution when the maximum flow in the latter equates the total amount of data to dump. Given this reduction, we introduce a novel definition of solution robustness based on the utilization of the onboard memory, as well as an interative procedure to improve solution quality. The key idea behind this approach is that the lower the in memory utilization, the higher the ability to cope with an unexpectedly large amount of data.
Association of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype with responsiveness to the p21-activated kinase inhibitor, PF-3758309, in colon cancer models

The p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of serine/threonine kinases, which are overexpressed in several cancer types, are critical mediators of cell survival, motility, mitosis, transcription, and translation. In the study presented here, we utilized a panel of colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines to identify potential biomarkers of sensitivity or resistance that may be used to individualize therapy to the PAK inhibitor PF-03758309. We observed a wide range of proliferative responses in the CRC cell lines exposed to PF-03758309, this response was recapitulated in other phenotypic assays such as anchorage-independent growth, three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid formation, and migration. Interestingly, we observed that cells most sensitive to PF-03758309 exhibited up-regulation of genes associated with a mesenchymal phenotype (CALD1, VIM, ZEB1) and cells more resistant had an up-regulation of genes associated with an epithelial phenotype (CLDN2, CDH1, CLDN3, CDH17) allowing us to derive an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene signature for this agent. We assessed the functional role of EMT-associated genes in mediating responsiveness to PF-3758309, by targeting known genes and transcriptional regulators of EMT. We observed that suppression of genes associated with the mesenchymal phenotype conferred resistance to PF-3758309, in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that PAK inhibition is associated with a unique response phenotype in CRC and that further studies should be conducted to facilitate both patient selection and rational combination strategies with these agents.
“We Thought You Would Be White”: Race and Gender in Fieldwork

After an exhausting 22-hour trip from St. Louis, I landed in Maputo, Mozambique, alone, for the first time in July 2003 to begin my dissertation research on women and women's organizations in Mozambique since democratization. I spent an hour talking to a young man who was returning home (to Maputo) from Brazil. Seeing it as an opportunity to practice my Portuguese with someone who spoke English, I did not realize that an hour had passed and my “welcoming party” still had not arrived. The young man and I switched from Portuguese to English as he began telling me the “cool places to hang out and get a drink” in Maputo. I had no idea who was coming to pick me up as I was armed only with the information that it was my in-country advisor's brother who would be there. As this young man and I were talking someone came up to me and asked, “Are you Frances?” With a sigh of relief, I said yes, and he replied, “I was here all of the time and I did not realize that you were here until I heard you speaking English with this young man. I did not recognize you; we thought you would be white.”
1.55 μm InGaAsP low-threshold buried-crescent injection laser

Fabrication of 1.55 μm InGaAsP buried-crescent (BC) injection lasers with a p-n-p-n blocking structure is described. The BC lasers exhibit a threshold current as low as 14 mA at 25°C, very high yield, output power more than 10 mW and high-temperature operation up to 80°C. These BC lasers have continued to operate in stable CW mode at 50°C for more than 1000 h. The lifetime of the 1.55 μm InGaAsP lasers at 50°C is estimated to exceed about 2.5 × 104 h.
Tree canopy effect on grass and grass/legume mixtures in eastern Nebraska

A study to determine the feasibility of producing forage for grazing livestock under trees was conducted as a step toward evaluating the potential for silvopasture systems in the northern and central Great Plains. The effects of overstory leaf area index (LAI), percentage understory light transmittance (LT), and soil moisture (SM) on yield and crude protein (CP) of big bluestem [Andropogon gerardii Vitman; (BB)], smooth bromegrass [Bromus inermis Leyss.; (SB)], and mixtures with birdsfoot trefoil [Lotus corniculatus L.; (BFT)] were examined. The study was conducted in both Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvancia Marsh.) tree plantations, at the University of Nebraska Agriculture Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebraska. Thirty-six plots representing a wide range of canopy cover were selected at each location and seeded in April 2000 to BB, SB, or mixtures with BFT. Measurements of LAI, LT, and SM were taken throughout the 2001-growing season and plots were harvested in June and September 2001. Soil moisture generally did not explain much of the variability in yield or CP for BB, SB, or BFT. Cumulative LAI or LT averaged over the growing season was the best predictor of yield or CP, particularly under the pine. Yields of BB and SB increased as LAI decreased or LT increased. Conversely, the CP of BB and SB increased as LT decreased for both the June and September harvests. Both BB and SB maintain relatively high productivity under partial shading; however, BFT yields were low at LT levels below 75%.
Frequency-domain immersion technique for accurate optical property measurements of turbid media.

We demonstrate that absorption coefficient ?a and reduced scattering coefficient ?s? of a small turbid object can be measured to high accuracy with a frequency-domain immersion technique. For this technique the sample is immersed in a calibrated scattering medium and the optical properties are obtained from a differential measurement. Compared with conventional approaches, the immersion technique improves accuracy, minimizes variations owing to probe coupling and motion, reduces the effects of boundary conditions, and offers simple and rapid measurement once the immersion medium is calibrated. Accuracy tests of immersion-based measurements of ?a and ?s? agree with reference values to within 3.6% and 2.6%, respectively. These tests are limited by the accuracy of the reference samples rather than by the accuracy of the immersion medium or the precision of the immersion approach. We demonstrate the in vivo capabilities of the technique through time-resolved measurements of ?a and ?s? for a human hand during cuff occlusion on the upper arm.
On the Applicability of the Surface Impedance Integral Equation for Optical and Near Infrared Copper Dipole Antennas

The applicability of the surface impedance integral equation (SI-IE) method for the analysis of optical and near-infrared copper dipole antennas is assessed, and some issues relative to resonant half-wavelength optical dipoles are highlighted. Since at these frequencies the conductivity of copper (and of all metals) is relatively small, the appropriateness of using the standard integral equation method for imperfectly conducting wires, based on a surface impedance boundary condition, needs to be examined. Here it is found that the SI-IE method yields accurate results in the near-infrared regime, and for suitably small wire radius values at low optical frequencies. For the middle and upper optical frequencies the approximate SI-IE is not generally valid. Some results are presented for a half-wave dipole resonant in the upper near-infrared/low optical range, and a discussion of the trade-off between maintaining good polarization selectivity and radiation efficiency is provided
Source mechanism and mb-Ms analysis of aftershocks of the San Fernando earthquake

Summary. Aftershocks of the 1971 February 9 San Fernando, California, earthquake were studied using: (1) local body-wave spectra (0.2–75 Hz) from two high-dynamic range, wide-band digital instruments (free period = 1 s) and one analogue instrument (free period = 3.8s) located at hypocentral distances of 10–30 km; (2) seismograms from six short-period instruments in the California Institute of Technology (CIT), Southern California network, at hypocentral distances of 35–300 km; (3) for the larger events, surface-wave magnitudes (Ms) and spectra (≊ 0.03–0.1 Hz) from long-period instruments in the WWSSN at hypocentral distances of 2–20 degrees; (4) body-wave magnitudes (mb) from short-period instruments in the Canadian network, at hypocentral distances of 16–42 degrees; and (5) magnitude determinations, hypocentral locations and fault plane solutions of the US Geological Survey and CIT. The spectra of all of the small (M≊ l-3.5) and about half of the larger (M≊ 3.5–4) events have a single ‘corner’ frequency (between 3 and 30 Hz), below which they are approximtely constant and above which they are proportional to about ω−2 or ω−3. The spectra of the remaining larger events have two corner frequencies: one between 0.1 and 1 Hz, below which they are constant, and another between 3 and 10 Hz, above which they are proportional to about ω−2 or ω−3. For the events with two corner frequencies, the spectral amplitude at the first corner is two to eight times larger than at the second. One interpretation of these observations is that the small events and about half of the larger events are produced by faulting limited in time (≊ 0.1 s) and space (≊500m), whereas for the remaining larger events, the initial rupture ‘grows’ in time (for ≊ 2 s) and/or in space (to ≊ 6 km), thus increasing the total moment and causing a second corner frequency. Alternatively, the lower corner frequency might be attributed either to fore-slip and/or after-slip with a relatively slow dislocation velocity, This difference in spectrum
The Effect of Catecholamines on Performance: From Unit to System Behavior

At the level of individual neurons, catecholamine release increases the responsivity of cells to excitatory and inhibitory inputs. We present a model of catecholamine effects in a network of neural-like elements. We argue that changes in the responsivity of individual elements do not affect their ability to detect a signal and ignore noise. However, the same changes in cell responsivity in a network of such elements do improve the signal detection performance of the network as a whole. We show how this result can be used in a computer simulation of behavior to account for the effect of CNS stimulants on the signal detection performance of human subjects.
A study of Java virtual machine scalability issues on SMP systems

This paper studies the scalability issues of Java virtual machine (JVM) on symmetrical multiprocessing (SMP) systems. Using a cycle-accurate simulator, we evaluate the performance scaling of multithreaded Java benchmarks with the number of processors and application threads. By correlating low-level hardware performance data to two high-level software constructs: thread types and memory regions, we present in detail the performance analysis and study the potential performance impacts of memory system latencies and resource contentions on scalability. Several key findings are revealed through this paper. First, among the memory access latency components, the primary portion of memory stalls are produced by L2 cache misses and cache-to-cache transfers. Second, among the regions of memory, Java heap space produces most memory stalls. Additionally, a large majority of memory stalls occur in application threads, as opposed to other JVM threads. Furthermore, we find that increasing the number of processors or application threads, independently of each other, leads to increases in L2 cache miss ratio and cache-to-cache transfer ratio. This problem can be alleviated by using a thread-local heap or allocation buffer which can improve L2 cache performance. For certain benchmarks such as Raytracer, their cache-to-cache transfers, mainly dominated by false sharing, can be significantly reduced. Our experiments also show that a thread-local allocation buffer with a size between 16KB and 256KB often leads to optimal performance.
Synthesis of an application-specific soft multiprocessor system

The application-specific multiprocessor System-on-a-Chip is a promising design alternative because of its high degree of flexibility, short development time, and potentially high performance attributed to application-specific optimizations. However, designing an optimal application-specific multiprocessor system is still challenging because there are a number of important metrics, such as throughput, latency, and resource usage, that need to be explored and optimized. This paper addresses the problem of synthesizing the application-specific multiprocessor system to minimize latency and resource usage under the throughput constraint. We employ a novel framework for this problem, similar to that of technology mapping in the logic synthesis domain, and develop a set of efficient algorithms, including labeling, clustering and packing, for efficient generation of the multiprocessor architecture with application-specific optimized latency and resources. Specifically, the result of our algorithm is latency-optimal for directed acyclic task graphs. Application of our approach to the Motion JPEG example on Xilinx's Virtex II Pro platform FPGA shows interesting design tradeoffs.
I filtri di Kalman

Il filtro di Kalman e un algoritmo che, dato un insieme di misure, genera la stima ottimale delle quantita desiderate attraverso un processamento ricorsivo. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo il filtro processa tutte le informazioni possibili, senza alcun riguardo alla loro precisione utilizzando: la conoscenza del sistema e la sua dinamica di misura; la descrizione statistica del rumore associato al sistema, dell’errore di misura e l’incertezza dei modelli dinamici usati; ogni possibile informazione attorno alle condizioni iniziali delle variabili di interesse.
Oocyte-specific expression of Gpr3 is required for the maintenance of meiotic arrest in mouse oocytes.

The maintenance of meiotic prophase arrest in mouse oocytes within fully grown follicles, prior to the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) that triggers meiotic resumption, depends on a high level of cAMP within the oocyte. cAMP is produced within the oocyte, at least in large part, by the Gs-linked G-protein-coupled receptor, GPR3. Gpr3 is localized in the mouse oocyte but is also present throughout the follicle. To investigate whether Gpr3 in the follicle cells contributes to the maintenance of meiotic arrest, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to reduce the amount of Gpr3 RNA within follicle-enclosed oocytes. Follicle-enclosed oocytes injected with small interfering double-stranded RNA (siRNA) targeting Gpr3, but not control siRNAs, stimulated the resumption of meiosis in the majority of oocytes following a 3-day culture period. Reduction of RNA was specific for Gpr3 because an unrelated gene was not reduced by microinjection of siRNA. Meiotic resumption was stimulated in isolated oocytes injected with the same siRNA and cultured for 1 to 2 days, but at a much lower rate than in follicle-enclosed oocytes that could be cultured for longer. These results demonstrate that GPR3 specifically in the oocyte, rather than in the follicle cells, is responsible for maintenance of meiotic arrest in mouse oocytes. Furthermore, the method developed here for specifically reducing RNA in follicle-enclosed oocytes, which can be cultured for a sufficient time to reduce the level of endogenous protein, should be generally useful for targeting a wide range of other proteins that may be involved in meiotic arrest, the resumption of meiosis, fertilization, or early embryonic development.
The dependency management framework: a case study of the ION CubeSat

Due to the complexity and requirements of modern realtime systems, multiple teams must often work concurrently and independently to develop the various components of the system. Since a team typically only knows the dependency relations between the components they wrote and those they directly use, keeping track of system-wide dependency relations is not possible for any individual team. To further complicate matters, dependency relations often change as software components are refined or their interactions modified. Because the robustness of any real-time system hinges on the availability of essential services in spite of faults and failures in useful but non-essential components, keeping track of the constantly evolving dependency relations between the system's components is crucial. If a system's designers cannot ensure that critical services only USE but do not DEPEND ON less critical components, a seemingly minor fault can propagate along complex and unforeseen dependency chains and bring down the entire system. Therefore, automatically tracking and analyzing system-wide dependency relations given only local dependency information is vital for the development of robust real time systems. This paper presents DMF (dependency management framework), a prototype toolkit for dependency management in designing robust real-time systems. We demonstrate the usability and scalability of DMF with a case study of ION CubeSat, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 's first student-developed satellite.
Does child–parent resemblance in body weight status vary by sociodemographic factors in the USA?

Background Clustered obese parents and children are prevalent, but there is little knowledge about whether and how child–parent resemblance varies by sociodemographic groups. Methods This paper used nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES: 1988–1994). We matched 4958 parents with 6765 children aged 2–16 years old for whom we had complete data on body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity status. Correlation coefficients and κ statistics between parents’ and children9s BMI and body weight status were calculated for different sociodemographic groups. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were fit to study the child–parent resemblance and socioeconomic and demographic differences in the resemblance. Results The child–parent correlation coefficients for BMI were greater in Caucasians than in minorities and greater in groups with higher socioeconomic status. The mother–child resemblance in BMI was negatively associated with child age (p Conclusions Child–parent resemblance in body weight status exists across sociodemographic groups in the USA, but it varies by demographics and socioeconomic status.
Service life of circular pleated filters vs. that of their flat counterpart

Abstract In this note, an easy-to-use two-dimensional model is developed to predict the instantaneous pressure drop and collection efficiency of circular pleated filters as a function of time in both the surface and depth filtration regimes. Our model uses average velocity profiles that represent the flow field inside a circular pleated filter to circumvent the need for conducting CPU-intensive CFD calculations to predict the service life of a circular filter. This is accomplished by considering a reasonable dust-cake profile inside the pleat channels as a function of the flow and particles properties, and allowing the cake to grow as the filter continues to collect particles over time. Despite the approximate nature of its predictions, the speed at which a large parameter study can be completed makes the present model very valuable for design and development of circular pleated filters. Using this model for instance, it can be shown quantitatively that circular filters with high inlet-to-outlet diameter ratios outperform their flat counterparts.
REDUCTION OF STRUCTURAL Fe(III) IN SMECTITE BY A PURE CULTURE OF SHEWANELLA PUTREFACIENS STRAIN MR-1

Shewanella putrefaciens is a species of metal-reducing bacteria with a versatile respiratory metabolism. This study reports that S. putrefaciens strain MR-1 rapidly reduces Fe(III) within smectite clay minerals. Up to 15% of the structural Fe within ferruginous smectite (sample SWa-1, Source Clays Repository of the Clay Minerals Society) was reduced by MR-1 in 4 h, and a range of 25% to 41% of structural Fe was reduced after 6 to 12 d during culture. Conditions for which smectite reduction was optimal, that is, pH 5 to 6, at 25 to 37 °C, are consistent with an enzymatic process and not with simple chemical reduction. Smectite reduction required viable cells, and was coupled to energy generation and carbon metabolism for MR-1 cultures with smectite added as the sole electron acceptor. Iron(III) reduction catalyzed by MR-1 was inhibited under aerobic conditions, and under anaerobic conditions it was inhibited by the addition of nitrate as an alternate electron acceptor or by the metabolic inhibitors tetrachlorosali-cylanilide (TCS) or quinacrine hydrochloride. Genetic mutants of MR-1 deficient in anaerobic respiration reduced significantly less structural Fe than wild-type cells. In a minimal medium with formate or lactate as the electron donor, more than three times the amount of smectite was reduced over no-carbon controls. These data point to at least one mechanism that may be responsible for the microbial reduction of clay minerals within soils, namely, anaerobic respiration, and indicate that pure cultures of MR-1 provide an effective model system for soil scientists and mineralogists interested in clay reduction. Given the ubiquitous distribution and versatile metabolism of MR-1, these studies may have further implications for bioremediation and water quality in soils and sediments.
Measuring Longshore Transport with Traps

The Nearshore Sediment Transport Study (NSTS) included two total trap experiments conducted to evaluate the longshore sediment transport relationship I ( = KP (s in which I ( is the total longshore immersed weight sediment transport rate, P (s is the longshore component of wave energy flux and K is a proportionality factor which could depend on a number of wave and sediment parameters. The locations of the two experiments were at Santa Barbara, California and Rudee Inlet, Virginia. The trap characteristics for each of these two sites are quite different. The Santa Barbara trap consists of the spit formed in the lee of the Santa Barbara breakwater. At Rudee Inlet, the trap is inside of a weir-type jetty with a crest elevation at about mean sea level.
The Diagnosis and Treatment of Autoimmune Encephalitis

Autoimmune encephalitis causes subacute deficits of memory and cognition, often followed by suppressed level of consciousness or coma. A careful history and examination may show early clues to particular autoimmune causes, such as neuromyotonia, hyperekplexia, psychosis, dystonia, or the presence of particular tumors. Ancillary testing with MRI and EEG may be helpful for excluding other causes, managing seizures, and, rarely, for identifying characteristic findings. Appropriate autoantibody testing can confirm specific diagnoses, although this is often done in parallel with exclusion of infectious and other causes. Autoimmune encephalitis may be divided into several groups of diseases: those with pathogenic antibodies to cell surface proteins, those with antibodies to intracellular synaptic proteins, T-cell diseases associated with antibodies to intracellular antigens, and those associated with other autoimmune disorders. Many forms of autoimmune encephalitis are paraneoplastic, and each of these conveys a distinct risk profile for various tumors. Tumor screening and, if necessary, treatment is essential to proper management. Most forms of autoimmune encephalitis respond to immune therapies, although powerful immune suppression for weeks or months may be needed in difficult cases. Autoimmune encephalitis may relapse, so follow-up care is important.
ATPS-41DENDRITIC CELL BASED IMMUNOTHERAPY OF MALIGNANT GLIOMA VIA A NOVEL CD8α+ DC TARGETED ADENOVIRAL VECTOR

The dismal clinical prognosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and severe lack of efficacious therapies demand the development of novel strategies that can directly translate to patient care. Given their role as nature's most potent antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) have emerged as essential targets for anti-tumor vaccination over the past four decades. However, realities have thwarted the enthusiasm of DC vaccines: the lack of specific in vivo DC-targeted delivery vehicles and an inability to induce robust effector CD8 + T cell responses have led to an underwhelming anti-tumor T cell response. To surmount this major obstacle, we analyzed DC-induced T cell activation and showed that a CD8α+ DC subset is essential for priming robust CD8 + T cells responses. Based on this understanding, we engineered a CD8α + DC selective vector, Ad5scFv205FF by incorporating a single chain antibody against DEC205 which is selectively expressed in CD8α+ DC subset. After confirming the genetic engineering of the fiber modification via PCR and Western blot analysis, we analyzed the tropism of this novel DC targeted vehicle. This DC targeted Ad5scFv205FF vector lost its natural tropism (coxsackie and adenovirus receptor expressing cells) and gained a new, DC selective tropism. Furthermore, upon subcutaneous administration, Ad5scFv205FF infected an average of 90% of the CD8α+ DCs while a mere 4% of non-DCs (CD45 + /CD11c-) were infected by Ad5scFvDEC205FF-GFP. This work collectively represents a novel anti-glioma vaccination, enhanced by the in vivo selective delivery of the tumor antigen that will provide a platform for the evaluation and translation of highly promising glioma immunotherapy strategies.
The Application of a Function to Unions and Intersections of Sets

(1969). The Application of a Function to Unions and Intersections of Sets. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 93-94.
Learning to Program Using Online Forums: A Comparison of Links Posted on Reddit and Stack Overflow (Abstract Only)

While the USA struggles with a demand for computer programming education which exceeds the capacity of formal educational opportunities, online resources dedicated to programming are growing rapidly. One valuable way to measure the usefulness of these online resources is to examine the links posted in the forums of CS learning communities. We scraped and analyzed over 80,000 posts from two popular forums (Reddit and Stack Overflow), and found that how these communities use and talk about CS learning resources (such as books and tutorials) demonstrated their differing priorities. These results have much to suggest to both novices and teachers.
Social Determinants of Racial Disparities in CKD

Significant disparities in CKD rates and outcomes exist between black and white Americans. Health disparities are defined as health differences that adversely affect disadvantaged populations, on the basis of one or more health outcomes. CKD is the complex result of genetic and environmental factors, reflecting the balance of nature and nurture. Social determinants of health have an important role as environmental components, especially for black populations, who are disproportionately disadvantaged. Understanding the social determinants of health and appreciating the underlying differences associated with meaningful clinical outcomes may help nephrologists treat all their patients with CKD in an optimal manner. Altering the social determinants of health, although difficult, may embody important policy and research efforts, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for patients with kidney diseases, and minimizing the disparities between groups.
Imaging endoplasmic reticulum in living sea urchin eggs.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a way to label the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of living sea urchin eggs so that it can be imaged by confocal microscopy. This involves intracellular injection of the dicarbocyanine DiI dissolved in oil. DiI spreads in the ER of the egg and then is observed by confocal microscopy. The name DiI refers to either DiIC 16 or DiIC 18 . These are dicarbocyanine dyes that consist of a fluorescent portion and two long alkyl chains. Both dyes seem to behave similarly in labeling the ER. The method labels membranes that are part of the ER, including the nuclear envelope and the cortical ER network, and the method produces similar staining as seen with immunocytochemical localization of a calsequestrin-like protein that was isolated from sea urchin egg microsomes. DiI does not label yolk platelets or cortical granules, which are abundant in sea urchin eggs. There are two significant precautions about the use of this method. First, bright punctuate labeling accumulates with time and may represent dye leaving the ER network via membrane traffic with the Golgi apparatus. Second, it is not possible to show that DiI labels all of the ER. If the ER is a single interconnected membrane, then this method probably labels all of the ER.
Approach to the patient with a biliary stricture

Abstract The evaluation of biliary strictures often presents a diagnostic challenge, as missing a malignancy can have catastrophic effects. A variety of diagnostic modalities are available. After a thorough history and physical are obtained, key laboratory information including liver function tests and CA 19-9 levels should be obtained. Radiological imaging, in the form of transabdominal ultrasound, computerized tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, are instrumental for the determining etiology. Endoscopic evaluation through ERCP with sampling, endoscopic ultrasound, cholangioscopy, and confocal laser endomicroscopy are crucial in the evaluation, and are used as complementary diagnostic tools.
Pharmacogenetics in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Purpose of Review Pharmacogenetics is an important component of precision medicine. Even within the genomic era, several challenges lie ahead in the road towards clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics in the clinic. This review will summarize the current state of knowledge regarding pharmacogenetics of cardiovascular drugs, focusing on those with the most evidence supporting clinical implementation—clopidogrel, warfarin, and simvastatin.
Nonrenal factors influencing renal function during the perinatal period.

This discussion describes the normal responses of the kidney to nonrenal factors during the period of transition from fetal to postnatal life, comments on clinical and laboratory methods used to monitor changes in renal function in the neonate, and relates the effects of pathophysiologic events outside the neonatal kidney to alterations in renal function.
Review: Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. 2 October 2010–10 July 2011 Museum of the City of New York, New York 5 December 2012–31 March 2013 A rich selection of images greeted visitors to the Museum of the City of New York from 5 December 2012 to 31 March 2013. Hints of American fairs’ modernist glamor shown in scenic renderings in the entrance hall forecast more pictures in the main display room. On the perimeter walls of a large gallery, black-and-white photographs illustrated American fairs of the 1930s: Chicago’s Century of Progress (1934–34), San Diego’s California Pacific International Exposition (1935–36), Dallas’s Texas Centennial Exposition (1936), Cleveland’s Great Lakes Exposition (1936–37), San Francisco’s Golden Gate International Exposition, and New York City’s World of Tomorrow (both 1939–40). On intermediate partitions, visitors saw renderings of vistas and individual pavilions, objects displayed at the fairs, and advertisements for sponsors’ products. Here and there, they paused to see short news and commercial films, although in the well-filled room, no seats could be provided. Souvenir brochures, booklets, catalogs, and commemorative trinkets appeared near the entrance and in vitrines. Captions to the photographs and short wall-mounted essays offered explanatory information. Crowded captions and pictures made the former sometimes hard to read, dissuading many visitors from learning more about the content of some of the images. The fraternal twin exhibitions in Washington and New York gave a coordinated overview of the fairs, almost as if they were one fair with varied sections. Laura Schiavo and Deborah Sorensen curated the initial and somewhat larger exhibition at the National Building Museum; Jessica Lautin played the same role in New York City. This later version included additional locally pertinent material. A well-illustrated catalogue contained essays on various topics; those not mentioned later in this review are the introduction by Robert W. Rydell; “ ‘Industry Applies’: Corporate Marketing at A Century of Progress,” by Lisa D. Schrenk; a photo-essay by Laura Burd Schiavo titled “Modern Design Goes Public”; Kristina …
Centralized Reminder/Recall to Increase Immunization Rates in Young Children: How Much Bang for the Buck?

Abstract Objective We compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of: 1) centralized reminder/recall (C-R/R) using the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) versus practice-based reminder/recall (PB-R/R) approaches to increase immunization rates; 2) different levels of C-R/R intensity; and 3) C-R/R with versus without the name of the child's provider. Methods We conducted 3 sequential cluster-randomized trials involving children aged 19 to 25 months in 15 Colorado counties in March 2013 (trial 1), October 2013 (trial 2), and May 2014 (trial 3). In C-R/R counties, the intensity of the intervention decreased sequentially in trials 1 through 3, from 3 to 1 recall messages. In PB-R/R counties, practices were offered training using CIIS and financial support. The percentage of children with up-to-date (UTD) vaccinations was compared 6 months after recall. A mixed-effects model assessed the association between C-R/R versus PB-R/R and UTD rates. Results C-R/R was more effective in trials 1 to 3 (relative risk = 1.11; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.20; P = .009). Effectiveness did not decrease with decreasing intervention intensity ( P = .59). Costs decreased with decreasing intensity in the C-R/R arm, from $18.72 per child brought UTD in trial 1 to $10.11 in trial 3. Costs were higher and more variable in the PB-R/R arm, ranging from $20.63 to $237.81 per child brought UTD. C-R/R was significantly more effective if the child's practice name was included ( P Conclusions C-R/R was more effective and cost-effective than PB-R/R for increasing UTD rates in young children and was most effective if messages included the child's provider name. Three reminders were not more effective than one, which may be explained by the increasing accuracy of contact information in CIIS over the course of the trials.