cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The temperature coefficient of the rates in the system Cl + CH4 ⇆ CH3 + HCl, thermochemistry of the methyl radical

The bimolecular rate constant for the title reaction has been measured by very-low-pressure reactor techniques at 233 350 K) is quantitatively accounted for by transition state theory analysis. Tunneling is shown not to play a role. The measured values of K1 allow an experimental value of S° (CH3) to be fixed to only ±2.4 e.u. However, using known values of S° for all species gives ΔH°f298(CH3.) = 35.1 plusmn; 0.1 kcal/mol in excellent agreement with other measured values.
Object, Me, Symbiote, Other: A social typology of player-avatar relationships

Despite how humans and non-human objects relate in very social ways, the relations between players and their online game avatars are most often examined through conspicuously parasocial lenses. That is, the player-avatar relationship (PAR) is generally seen as one-way and non-dialectical as players think, feel, and acts toward the avatar without consideration for the avatar’s role in that relationship. The present study examines the potential for PARs to be fully social, in which player and avatar both materially contribute to the relationship. Through interpretive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with diverse World of Warcraft players, analysis revealed that PARs sometimes feature the fully social characteristics of self-differentiation, emotional intimacy, and shared agency. It is argued that these differences in sociality may be best understood according to a four-point PAR typology, ranging from non-social to fully social.
The relationships between oxidase and synthase activities of flavin dependent thymidylate synthase (FDTS)

New findings lead to a revised understanding of the substrates' binding order, the role of the substrate as an activator, and the observed lag phase in the FDTS catalyzed reaction.
Do the ravages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic ethically justify mandatory HIV testing?

In his Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Botswana: an Ethical Perspective on Mandatory Testing Peter Clark controversially defends compulsory testing - and even compulsory treatment - of pregnant mothers in an African country with one of the worlds highest HIV prevalence rates. He argues on consequentialist grounds that the urgency of the epidemic in Botswana requires a radical change in HIV policy from the traditional autonomy-centered model of voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) to a public health-centered model of non-voluntary HIV testing. Even the latest model of routine HIV testing embraced by the World Health Organization (WHO) - where patients in clinics are told they will be tested unless they refuse - fails to go far enough for Clark apparently because he fears that some patients may opt-out of the program. Clarks proposal is also more radical than the current initiative in Lesotho which tests individuals for HIV door-to-door but only after gaining consent. According to Clark the radical policy of mandatory testing of pregnant women in Botswana may have its costs but it is a lesser evil than the death and social destruction caused by HIV/AIDS. Dr Clarks proposal is undoubtedly motivated by a genuine distress about the ravages of the AIDS epidemic. I share his distress; but have three main reservations about his proposal. (excerpt)
Phase-matched third harmonic generation in microstructured fibers

Strong guiding provided by the high-delta microstructured fibers allows for efficient intermodally phase-matched harmonic generation with femtosecond pumping at telecom wavelengths. Visible harmonics are generated in a number of distinct transverse modes of the structure. We present a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the third harmonic generation in such fibers including phase-matching wavelengths, far-field intensity distributions and polarization dependence. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is achieved.
The effect of splinting on tooth mobility. I. During initial therapy

The purpose of this study was to assess whether fixed splinting aided in the reduction of posterior tooth mobility during initial therapy. A "split-mouth" approach was used in order to compare splinted segments with similar unsplinted segments. Seven patients were selected, all of whom demonstrated chronic destructive periodontitis and mobile teeth. Initial therapy, consisting of oral hygiene instruction, root curettage and occlusal adjustment, was performed over a 2-week period. At the time of initial therapy, teeth in contralateral segments were splinted with an intracoronal wire-and-acrylic splint. Tooth mobility and gingival inflammation were recorded in all four segments every 3 weeks for a 15-week monitoring period following initial therapy. The splints were removed before each data recording session and then replaced and the occlusion refined. Prophylaxis and oral hygiene instruction were repeated every second week throughout the monitoring period. The reduction in the mobility of teeth splinted during the entire therapy period did not differ from the reduction observed in the unsplinted segments. The reduction in tooth mobility observed in both the splinted and unsplinted segments over the 17-week period can be attributed to the improved occlusal relationships and reduction in inflammation.
Monitoring brain development with quantitative diffusion tensor imaging

Quantifying changes that occur during brain maturation may help in diagnosing diseases that affect pediatric patients. By obtaining normative curves that define brain maturation, pathological changes may be easier to recognize. We assessed diffusion changes which are inherently related to the brain structure during maturation and obtained normative curves. MR scans were obtained for 26 pediatric subjects (ages 0 to 11 years) and four adults. The MR images were all normal. Maps of the average diffusion constant (Dav ) were calculated for each subject. Changes in Dav were determined with distribution analysis for the entire brain and compared with regions of interest measurements from the periventricular white matter and thalamus. The mean diffusion constant of the whole brain changes quite rapidly as the brain matures. The data suggest that at least two distinct processes are responsible for the change. Quantitative diffusion tensor imaging may provide means of quantifying overall human brain maturation that may be useful in diagnosing pathology.
EFFECT OF DIETHYLSTILBESTROL ON MAMMARY GLAND DEVELOPMENT IN DAIRY ANIMALS1

ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL conditions for stimulation of lactation in dry and virgin dairy animals is that the mammary glands be activated so that they will respond to an outpouring of lactogen from the anterior pituitary gland. The mammary glands of such animals may consist of little more than a complex duct systerm. Production of a normal volume of milk cannot be expected unless it is possible to induce development of an extensive lobule-alveolar system. There are a number of reports in the literature on the growth of the mammary glands of laboratory animals and primates induced with diethylstilbestrol. Van Heuverswyn et al. (1) found that groups of 5 male mice given 0.05, 0.2 and 2.0 mg. of diethylstilbestrol gave +2, +3 and +1 ratings of mammary duct responses, respectively, after 8 injections in 16 days.
Coordination and control of multiple UAVs with timing constraints and loitering

This paper describes methods for optimizing the task allocation problem for a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with tightly coupled tasks and rigid relative timing constraints. The overall objective is to minimize the mission completion time for the fleet, and the task assignment must account for differing UAV capabilities and no-fly zones. Loitering times are included as extra degrees of freedom in the problem to help meet the timing constraints. The overall problem is formulated using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), which gives the globally optimal solution. An approximate decomposition solution method is also used to overcome the computational issues that arise when using MILP for larger problems. The problem is also posed in a way that can be solved using Tabu search. This approach is demonstrated to provide good solutions in reasonable computation times for large problems that are very difficult to solve using the exact or approximate decomposition methods.
Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of a Novel Human Neutral Sphingomyelinase

Neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) has emerged as an important cell membrane-associated enzyme that participates in several signal transduction and cell regulatory phenomena. Using expression cloning, we have identified a 3.7-kilobase pair cDNA transcript for N-SMase whose open reading frame predicts a 397-amino acid polypeptide. Transfection of COS-7 cells with cDNA for N-SMase resulted in a marked increase in N-SMase activity. Recombinant N-SMase (r-N-SMase) had the following physical-chemical properties. Mg2+ activated and Cu2+ and glutathione inhibited the activity of r-N-SMase. In contrast, dithiothreitol did not alter the activity of the enzyme. Of several phospholipids examined, sphingomyelin was the preferred substrate for r-N-SMase. The apparent molecular mass of r-N-SMase derived from COS-7 cells was ∼90 kDa, similar to the native neutral sphingomyelinase prepared from human urine. However, upon expression inEscherichia coli, the apparent molecular mass of the recombinant enzyme was ∼45 kDa. We speculate that this apparent difference in recombinant enzymes derived from COS-7 and E. coli cells may be due to extensive post-transcriptional changes. r-N-SMase has numerous post-transcriptional modification sites such as phosphorylation sites via protein kinase C, casein kinase II, tyrosine kinase, and cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases as well as sites for glycosylation and myristoylation. Amino acid sequence alignment studies revealed that r-N-SMase has some similarity to acid sphingomyelinase and significant homology to the death domains of tumor necrosis factor-α receptor-1 and Fas/Apo-I. We believe that the molecular cloning and characterization of N-SMase cDNA will accelerate the process to define its role as a key regulator in apoptosis, lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, and other cell regulatory pathways.
Paradigm shift in ESD qualification

For more than 20 years, IC component level ESD requirements have essentially stayed constant, while the silicon technologies rapidly advanced and effective production control methods have vastly improved. The silicon area impact coming from the technology scaling, combined with the high speed circuit performance impact and the influence from the IC package technology advances, are making the ESD design to the current levels a constraint leading to permanent delays in the product innovative cycles. Todaypsilas enhanced control methods do not justify this ESD over-design. This paper will propose a paradigm shift to more realistic but safe ESD target levels based on field data collected from IC suppliers and contract manufacturers.
A 2.8 GS/s 44.6 mW Time-Interleaved ADC Achieving 50.9 dB SNDR and 3 dB Effective Resolution Bandwidth of 1.5 GHz in 65 nm CMOS

This paper presents a power- and area-efficient 24-way time-interleaved successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that achieves 2.8 GS/s and 8.1 ENOB in 65 nm CMOS. To minimize the power and the area, the capacitors in the capacitive DAC are sized to meet the thermal noise requirements rather than the matching requirements, leading to the LSB capacitance of 50 aF. An on-chip digital background calibration is used to calibrate the capacitor mismatches in individual ADC channels, as well as the inter-channel offset, gain and timing mismatches. Measurement results at the 2.8 GS/s sampling rate show that the ADC chip prototype consumes 44.6 mW of power from a 1.2 V supply while achieving peak SNDR of 50.9 dB and retaining SNDR higher than 48.2 dB across the entire first Nyquist zone with a 1.8Vpp-diff input signal. The prototype chip occupies an area of 1.03 × 1.66 mm2, including the pads and the testing circuits. The figure of merit (FoM) of this ADC, calculated with the minimum SNDR in the first Nyquist zone, is 76 fJ/conversion-step.
Self-assembly of chromogenic dyes—a new mechanism for humidity sensors

The design, fabrication and characterization of a novel type of humidity sensing polymer are presented. The new material was prepared by incorporating a chromogenic, cyano-substituted oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) dye into a polyamide by quenching the blend from the melt. Exposure of these kinetically trapped, molecularly mixed blends to water plasticizes the amorphous phase and leads to aggregation of the dye molecules, concomitant with pronounced and irreversible changes of the material's absorption and fluorescence color.
Backtesting Aggregate Risk

This paper proposes the implementation of a VaR backtesting procedure able to overcome the subadditivity property failure of value-at-risk (VaR). More precisely, we propose the implementation of a multivariate portmanteau test statistic of Ljung–Box type applied to hits collected from several trading desks or divisions at once. Simulation \exercises illustrate that this method is testing for aggregate risk, accurately accounting both for diversification (negative hit cross-correlation) and contagion/risk spillovers (positive hit cross-correlation). An application using profit and loss and VaR data collected for two international major banks illustrates how our proposed backtesting procedure performs in a realistic environment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Behavior and Achievement of Mainstreamed Junior High Special Class Students

Junior high students from selfxontained special education classes mainstreamed in regular aca- demic classes were compared to regular class stu- dents. Mainstreaming occurred in low achieving classes where the mildly handicapped students functioned similarly to their nonhandicapped peers. Significant differences were found in the observed behaviors of discussion and not paying attention. No differences were found in teacher ratings of classroom behavior or report card grades. Achievement test differences were large but not significant. Lack of differences in the two groups may be due to placement of students in low achieving classes, use of modified criteria for grading mainstreamed students, andlor a lack of real differences between the two groups.
Computing gene functional similarity using combined graphs

The Gene Ontology has been used extensively for measuring the functional similarity among genes of various organisms. All the existing gene similarity methods use either molecular function or biological process taxonomies in computing gene similarity. In this paper, we apply an algorithm for combining graphs to connect the molecular function (F) and biological process (P) taxonomies into one FP taxonomy graph. We then measure the functional similarity of two genes using the resulting FP graph with path length function. The two aspects of GO, molecular function and biological process, are combined by connecting F nodes with P nodes using gene ontology annotation, GOA, databases. By combining two GO graphs, we can have more comprehensive way to explore the functional relationships between genes. We conducted the evaluation on a dataset of OMIM disease phenotypes to estimate the similarity of disease proteins from various diseases.
Glycolate oxidoreductase in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Escherichia coli cells growing on glycolate as a sole source of carbon synthesise an enzyme which catalyses the oxidation of this compound to glyoxylate. The formation of glyoxylate from glycolate by extracts of such cells is dependent upon the presence of the artificial electron acceptors phenazine methosulphate and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. The enzyme catalysing this conversion has been partially purified from cell extracts. The enzyme readily oxidised glycolate (Km 4·10−5M) and d (—)-lactate (Km 7·10−4M, but l (+)-lactate was oxidised only slowly. Maximum rates of glycolate oxidation were observed in the pH range 8.0–8.8. The enzyme was relatively insensitive to metal complexing agents but was sensitive to sulphydryl inhibitors. Addition of glycolate to the enzyme produced spectral changes characteristic of the reduction of flavin and cytochrome components, but no cofactors have been positively identified.
Autoregulation by interferons provides an endogenous 'priming' signal for LPS-responsive macrophages

RT-PCR technology was used to evaluate endogenous levels of IFN-α, β, and γ mRNA in macrophages derived from LPS-responsive (C3H/OuJ) and LPS-hyporesponsive (C3H/HeJ) mice. IFN mRNA levels were found to be consistently higher in the LPS-responsive macrophages. That these IFNs may be part of an autocrine loop is supported by the observations that treatment of macrophages, in vitro, with IFN-α or IFN-β induces IFN-γ mRNA and, conversely, that exogenous IFN-γ treatment results in increased detection of both IFN-a and IFN-β mRNA species. In vitro 'priming' of LPS-hyporesponsive macrophages with either IFN-α or IFN-γ causes these cells to be activated by a polyI:C triggering signal, in a manner equivalent to that seen for LPS-'primed' C3H/OuJ macrophages. Thus, low levels of endogenous IFNs, which induce each other bidirectionally, may provide a replenishable source of 'primed' macrophages, that are more plentiful in Lpsn mice and that are capable of being 'triggered' to functional maturity during an immune re...
Hospital distribution of formula discharge bags: opinions of Texas pediatricians.

Abstract Objective: Exclusive breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant nutrition in the first 6 months of life. Despite this, significant obstacles prevent breastfeeding mothers from achieving this goal. The distribution of formula company-sponsored gift bags has been identified as one factor that negatively impacts breastfeeding exclusivity and duration. Methods: The Texas Pediatric Society surveyed its members regarding their opinions about the distribution of formula company-sponsored gift bags. Results: Of the survey respondents, 55% favored the elimination of gift bags for breastfeeding mothers, but only 24% were in favor of legislation prohibiting the distribution of gift bags. Conclusions: Grassroots advocacy has been very successful in persuading hospitals to eliminate formula company-sponsored gift bags. Physicians who would like to end the practice of distributing these bags should work with their local hospitals to develop alternatives that take into account the best interests of patients ...
Isostructural Metal–Organic Frameworks Assembled from Functionalized Diisophthalate Ligands through a Ligand‐Truncation Strategy

Four isostructural metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with various functionalized pore surfaces were synthesized from a series of diisophthalate ligands. These MOFs exhibit a new network topology of {4.6(4).8}2{4(2).6(4)}{6(4).8(2)}2{6(6)}. Hydrogen uptake as high as 2.67 wt % at 77 K/1 bar and CO2 uptake of 15.4 wt % at 297 K/1 bar have been observed for PCN-308, which contains -CF3 groups. The isostructural series of MOFs also showed reasonable adsorption selectivity of CO2 over CH4 and N2 .
Rendering and animation of gaseous phenomena by combining fast volume and scanline A-buffer techniques

This paper describes a new technique that efficiently combines volume rendering and scanline a-buffer techniques. This technique is useful for combining all types of volume-rendered objects with scanline rendered objects and is especially useful for rendering scenes containing gaseous phenomena such as clouds, fog, and smoke. The rendering and animation of these phenomena has been a difficult problem in computer graphics.A new algorithm for realistically modeling and animating gaseous phenomena is presented, providing true three-dimensional volumes of gas. The gases are modeled using turbulent flow based solid texturing to define their geometry and are animated based on turbulent flow simulations. A low albedo illumination model is used that takes into consideration self-shadowing of the volumes.
Influence of Rhopus nigroclavatus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) on the Mealybugs Tridiscus sporoboli and Trionymus sp. (Homoptera: Pseudococcidae)

This research investigated parasitism ofthe buffalograss mealybugs Tridiscus sporoboli (Cockerell) and Trionymus sp. by Rhopus nigroclavatus (Ashmead) through rearing and dissection studies, paired comparison tests, and a field survey. Rates ofparasitism reported in this article reflect combined parasitism of the 2 mealybug species. In the rearing study, parasitism of adult female mealybugs by R. nigroclavatus was 48.6%, with an average emergence of 1.77 parasitoids per parasitized mealybug. A maximum of 7 R. nigroclavatus adults emerged from a single mealybug female. Mealybugdissections documented parasitism rates by R. nigroclavatusof78.5, 67.5, and 4.3%, respectively, for adult females, 3rd and 4th (male pupae) instars, and Ist- and 2nd-instar mealybugs. Results revealed the preference of R. nigroclavatusfor adult female mealybugs and later instars, and suggested a potential regulating effect of R. nigroclavatus on buffalograss mealybug populations. Paired comparison tests with and without R. nigroclavatus demonstrated the effectiveness of this parasitoid as a biological control agent for buffalograss mealybugs under greenhouse conditions. Significant differences were detected in the number of nonparasitized mealybugs between treat­ ments containing only mealybugs and treatments containing both mealybugs and parasitoids. Sticky trap captures in the field suggested a functional relationship between the seasonal abundance of R. nigroclavatus and its mealybug hosts.
Water Uptake Threshold of Rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei) Blueberries and Its Influence on Fruit Splitting

Split-resistant and split-susceptible rabbiteye blueberry fruit were evaluated at all stages of development to determine "water uptake thresholds" by soaking in distilled water. Weight increase after soaking was measured, and percent weight gain was calculated to take into consideration the weight increase of the fruit from development. The ratio of percent increase in volume to weight increase resulting from water uptake was calculated. Ratios of percent water uptake to weight increase between split- susceptible 'Tifblue' and split-resistant 'Premier' blueberries were found to be similar. The split-susceptible 'Tifblue' had a 1.6 g/50 fruit increase with a 1.7% water uptake and a ratio of 1.08. 'Premier' had a higher weight increase with 3.3 g/50 fruit and also a higher percentage of water uptake at 3.6% providing a ratio of 1.09. Although both absorbed water at a constant rate shown by a linear increase of weight increase over time, Premier' absorbed a significantly greater amount of water than did 'Tifblue' yet remained intact and did not split.
INTERFACIAL CRACK KINKING SUBJECTED TO CONTACT EFFECTS

We investigate the problem of a kinking crack at a bimaterial interface when the two surfaces are in contact near the crack tip. Using a potential function and the dislocation technique, we relate, by a singular integral equation, the stress intensity factors (SIF) at the kinking crack tip to the SIF before crack kinking. We use Gauss‐Chebyshev integration formulas to solve this integral equation numerically. We evaluate the kinking angles from a bimaterial interface under conditions of contact using the maximum energy release rate criterion and compare these angles with our experiments and those in the literature. The interfacial crack is demonstrated by simulation and experiments to kink into the more compliant material at an angle of about 80 .
The design of ViVA: a mixed-initiative visual vocabulary for aphasia

In this paper, we present the design of ViVA, a visual vocabulary for aphasia. Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that causes variability of impairments affecting individual's ability to speak, comprehend, read and write. Existing communication aids lack flexibility and adequate customization functionality failing to address this variability and to satisfy individual user needs. We tackle these shortcomings by incorporating adaptive and adaptable capabilities in ViVA which is designed to assist communication for users suffering from aphasia. The visual vocabulary for aphasia implements a novel approach that organizes the words in the vocabulary according to user preferences, word usage and certain semantic measures, thus continuously tailoring the tool to the user's profile.
Emotional arousal and activation of the visual cortex: An fMRI analysis

Functional activity in the visual cortex was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology while participants viewed a series of pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant pictures. Coronal images at four different locations in the occipital cortex were acquired during each of eight 12-s picture presentation periods (on) and 12-s interpicture interval (off). The extent of functional activation was larger in the right than the left hemisphere and larger in the occipital than in the occipitoparietal regions during processing of all picture contents compared with the interpicture intervals. More importantly, functional activity was significantly greater in all sampled brain regions when processing emotional (pleasant or unpleasant) pictures than when processing neutral stimuli. In Experiment 2, a hypothesis that these differences were an artifact of differential eye movements was ruled out. Whereas both emotional and neutral pictures produced activity centered on the calcarine fissure (Area 17), only emotional pictures also produced sizable clusters bilaterally in the occipital gyrus, in the right fusiform gyrus, and in the right inferior and superior parietal lobules.
A Theoretically Rigorous Full-Wave Finite-Element-Based Solution of Maxwell's Equations From dc to High Frequencies

It has been observed that finite element based solutions of full-wave Maxwell's equations break down at low frequencies. In this paper, we present a theoretically rigorous method to fundamentally eliminate the low-frequency breakdown problem. The key idea of this method is that the original frequency-dependent deterministic problem can be rigorously solved from a generalized eigenvalue problem that is frequency independent. In addition, we found that the zero eigenvalues of the generalized eigenvalue problem cannot be obtained as zeros because of finite machine precision. We hence correct the inexact zero eigenvalues to be exact zeros. The validity and accuracy of the proposed method have been demonstrated by the analysis of both lossless and lossy problems having on-chip circuit dimensions from dc to high frequencies. The proposed method is applicable to any frequency. Hence it constitutes a universal solution of Maxwell's equations in a full electromagnetic spectrum. The proposed method can be used to not only fundamentally eliminate the low-frequency breakdown problem, but also benchmark the accuracy of existing electromagnetic solvers at low frequencies including static solvers. Such a benchmark does not exist yet because full-wave solvers break down while static solvers involve theoretical approximations.
Turbulent mixing in a Richtmyer–Meshkov fluid layer after reshock: velocity and density statistics

The properties of turbulent mixing in a Richtmyer‐Meshkov (RM) unstable fluid layer are studied under the impact of a single shock followed by a reshock wave using simultaneous velocity‐density measurements to provide new insights into the physics of RM mixing. The experiments were conducted on a varicose SF6 fluid layer (heavy fluid) interposed in air (light fluid) inside a horizontal shock tube at an incident Mach number of 1.21 and a reflected reshock Mach number of 1.14. The light‐heavy‐light fluid layer is observed to develop a nonlinear growth pattern, with no transition to turbulence upon impact by a single shock (up to tU= D 23:4). However, upon reshock, enhanced mixing between the heavy and light fluids along with a transition to a turbulent state characterized by the generation of significant turbulent velocity fluctuations ( u=U 0:3) is observed. The streamwise and spanwise root-mean-squared velocity fluctuation statistics show similar trends across the fluid layer after reshock, with no observable preference for the direction of the shock wave motion. The measured streamwise mass flux ( 0 u 0 ) shows opposing signs on either side of the density peak within the fluid layer, consistent with the turbulent material transport being driven along the direction of the density gradient. Measurements of three of the six independent components of the general Reynolds stress tensor (RijD u 00 u 00 ) show that the self-correlation terms R11 and R22 are similar in magnitude across much of the fluid layer, and much larger than the cross-correlation term R12. Most importantly, the Reynolds stresses (Rij) are dominated by the mean density, cross-velocity product term ( u 0u 0), with the mass flux product and triple correlation terms being negligibly smaller in comparison. A lack of homogeneous mixing (and, possibly, a long-term imprint of the initial conditions) is observed in the spanwise turbulent mass flux measurements, with important implications for the simulation and modelling of RM mixing flows.
When Do User Innovators Start Firms? A Theory of User Entrepreneurship

A rich and distinguished body of research has documented the importance of user innovations. For the most part, this literature has found that users innovate but do not commercialize their innovations. Instead, users benefit from using their innovations and allow manufacturers to commercialize innovations with financial value. Yet scholars have recently shown that entrepreneurial activity by users is more widespread than previously believed. We present data and statistics documenting the prevalence, technological impact, and economic impact of user entrepreneurship. Then, to reconcile these divergent empirical findings, we develop a theoretical model that explains when user innovations are commercialized by users, by manufacturers, or not commercialized at all. At the core of our model is the notion that users and manufacturers differ along two critical dimensions: their estimates of the financial returns to entering the product market, and their profit thresholds. Depending upon the magnitude of these differences, we propose alternative commercialization outcomes. This model helps to explain why user entrepreneurs are likely to spawn the creation of altogether new product markets and even industries. We illustrate our model with examples from the field of consumer sporting goods. The significance of user entrepreneurship and the implications of our model for theories of innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry emergence are discussed. Keywords: User entrepreneurship, users, open innovation, user communities, entrepreneurship, innovation, communities, technology commercialization
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) exacerbates endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in mice.

Purpose. We have previously shown that inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor- (TNF)-a exacerbates the inflammatory process of EIU. To further examine this paradoxic phenomenon, we investigated here the effect on EIU of VIP, a neuropeptide that inbibits TNF-a production. Methods. VIP was injected concurrently with endotoxin at doses that induce EIU or lethality in mice. Severity of EIU was measured by counting infiltrating cells in eye sections, at 1 or 5 days post endotoxin injection. Survival of mice was monitored periodically, while serum levels of TNF-a, interleukin-(IL)-1s and IL-10 were determined by caputure ELISA. Results. Treatment with VIP exacerbated EIU but provided partial protection from the lethal endotoxin effect. VIP treatment also reduced serum levels of TNF-a and IL-1s, but increased levels of IL-10. Conclusion. This study further established the paradoxical observation that EIU is exacerbated by lowering the levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, in...
Inhibition of Secretion of Interleukin-1α and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha by the Ketolide Antibiotic Telithromycin

The antibiotic telithromycin was examined for its effect on secretion of interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocytes of eight human donors. Secretion of each cytokine was significantly increased by LPS alone, whereas treatment with telithromycin significantly inhibited secretion of IL-1α and TNF-α but not secretion of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10. Telithromycin had immunomodulatory effects as a result of alteration of secretion of IL-1α and TNF-α by monocytes.
Gate-all-arround single-crystalline silicon nanowire optical sensor

In this paper, we demonstrate gate-all-around (GAA) single crystalline nanowires (SiNWs) that are fabricated using top-down standard CMOS front-end processes. The GAA silicon nanowires are fabricated in well-defined locations with high-quality electrical contacts, and controlled geometry and alignment. Individual SiNWs are good candidates for high resolution optical sensing and allow for tuning of optical absorption by precise control of the nanowire geometry and orientation. The p-i-n silicon nanowires are highly sensitive to the intensity and polarization of the incident light. These top-down fabricated SiNWs can be easily integrated in high density arrays for enhanced light absorption, resulting in imaging sensors with nanoscale spatial resolution.
Radioactive Iodine Scanning is Not Beneficial but its Use Persists for Euthyroid Patients

Abstract Background Radioactive iodine (RAI) scanning is a method of determining the functional status of thyroid nodules. Historically, practitioners thought “cold” or inactive nodules were more likely malignant. However, surgeons no longer find these scans helpful for preoperative management of euthyroid patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of RAI scans. Methods We retrospectively reviewed cases of euthyroid patients (thyroid-stimulating hormone > 1.0 mIU/L) who underwent RAI scans before thyroid surgery at our institution between 1994 and 2011. We correlated the RAI scan results with final pathology. We considered RAI scans concordant with pathology when we found a malignancy on the same lobe as a cold nodule. We also tabulated the specialty and affiliation of the ordering physicians. Results A total of 109 euthyroid patients underwent RAI scanning as part of their preoperative workup. Of these, 88 patients (81%) had a cold nodule. A malignancy concordant with the RAI scan findings occurred in only 15 of these patients (17%). Non-surgical specialties ordered 90 scans (95%). Only 11 of these scans (10%) were performed in the past 5 y, and physicians outside the academic institution ordered all 11 (100%) of these. A linear regression of RAI scanning per year yielded a slightly negative slope (m–0.32 per year). Conclusions Radioactive iodine scanning is not useful for the surgical management of thyroid disease in euthyroid patients because it poorly predicts malignancy. The overall use of RAI scans is trending downward, but they are still ordered by non-surgical referring physicians.
Reneging on the Promise of Brown: The Rehnquist Court and Education Rights

"Reneging on the Promise of Brown: The Rehnquist Court and Education Rights," is a chapter in a forthcoming book, Awakening from the Dream: Civil Rights under Siege and the New Struggle for Equal Justice to be published by Carolina Academic Press in the summer of 2005 (foreword by Prof. Erwin Chemerinsky). In the book, law professors, public interest lawyers, and students discuss the Federalism Revolution - the Supreme Court's methodical dismantling of federal laws that advance inclusion, equal membership, political participation, and economic mobility in our diverse national community. The attached chapter focuses on the Court's rollback of education rights that began in the 1970s. The chapter discusses three of the most important desegregation and school finance cases of the 1970s; and then explains the impact that the Rehnquist Court's Federalism Revolution has had on the education rights of children (focusing particularly on the ongoing New York state public school finance litigation).
The Chinese Art Society

The founding and inauguration of the Chinese Art Society take place in the midst of a terrible global war which has lasted 7 years and a half in the China theater, 5 years in the European theater, and fully 3 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor and the forced participation of the United States in practically all fronts.
Did the Introduction of Fixed-Rate Federal Deposit Insurance Increase Bank Risk?

We investigate whether the introduction of fixed-price U.S. federal deposit insurance increased the risk-taking of banks. We examine 70 financial institutions and find that banks in general became more risky after the introduction of deposit insurance. However, a subset of well-performing banks reduced their risk. Deposit insurance brought about stability in that depositors returned to weaker banks. Although investors did not see deposit insurance as a net subsidy to the banking industry, investors believed deposit insurance would allow smaller banks to compete better against bigger banks. While deposit insurance allowed greater risk-taking among some banks, it also brought more stability and competition within the banking industry.
Preferential Diversity

The ever increasing supply of data is bringing a renewed attention to query personalization. Query personalization is a technique that utilizes user preferences with the goal of providing relevant results to the users. Along with preferences, diversity is another important aspect of query personalization especially useful during data exploration. The goal of result diversification is to reduce the amount of redundant information included in the results. Most previous approaches of result diversification focus solely on generating the most diverse results, which do not take user preferences into account. In this paper, we propose a novel framework called Preferential Diversity (PrefDiv) that aims to support both relevancy and diversity of user query results. PrefDiv utilizes user preference models that return ranked results and reduces the redundancy of results in an efficient and flexible way. PrefDiv maintains the balance between relevancy and diversity of the query results by providing users with the ability to control the trade-off between the two. We describe an implementation of PrefDiv on top of the HYPRE preference model, which allows users to specify both qualitative and quantitative preferences and unifies them using the concept of preference intensities. We experimentally evaluate its performance by comparing with state-of-the-art diversification techniques; our results indicate that PrefDiv achieves significantly better balance between diversity and relevance.
Presence of Hemagglutinin/Protease and Other Potential Virulence Factors in O1 and Non-O1 Vibrio cholerae

En resume les resultats indiquent que beaucoup de souches pathogenes ou non pathogenes de Vibrio cholerae produisent une hemagglutinine/protease et des hemagglutinines associees aux cellules. Il semble que la virulence de V. ch. groupe 01 soit multiphasique et qu'une association de facteurs, incluant l'enterotoxine cholerique et les antigenes somatiques lipopolyosidiques de V. ch. 01 soit importante
Total Synthesis of Neodolastane Diterpenes Trichoaurantianolides C and D

The first total synthesis of trichoaurantianolides C and D is described. An enantiocontrolled pathway leads to rapid construction of the tricyclic carbon skeleton and establishes the trans-dimethyl geometry of the quaternary bridgehead carbons via a reductive cyclization. Application of the π-allyl Stille cross-coupling leads to a nonracemic allylic alcohol as a prerequisite for the introduction of asymmetry in the cycloheptane system. Two strategies have been examined for elaboration of the unsaturated tetrahydrofuranyl ring from a common tricyclic intermediate. These efforts reveal a number of unanticipated issues of reactivity and significant stereochemical requirements for a novel acyloin rearrangement as well as the elimination and cyclodehydration of chiral α-hydroxy ketones. Key reactions leading to completion of the synthesis include the stereoselective addition of isopropenyllithium TMEDA complex and a facile chemoselective oxidation with selenium dioxide.
Distributed Absorption and Inhibited Heat Transport

High-gain laser-fusion pellets must be irradiated by1 long (pulse width, tl ≥ 10ns) pulses of moderate to high intensity (incident laser energy flux, Io≥5x 1015 W/cm2) laser light. These pulses produce large scale length plasmas that are cool enough that inverse bremsstrahlung is very strong, so that laser light absorption is not localized: rather, absorption is distributed2,3 over densities from well below the critical density to the critical density. Distributed absorption has several important consequences for laser fusion. The temperature and density profiles impact the threshold for parametric instabilities that can degrade pellet performance. In addition, the ablation pressure is reduced due to distributed absorption, because laser light is absorbed at lower densities that are farther from the ablation surface. Hydrodynamic computer codes4 such as LASNEX are used to study strongly absorbing plasmas, but it is difficult to use such complex codes to test alternative models for heat transport and laser light energy deposition. These considerations motivate the development of analytical models to improve our understanding. However, most previous models5-9 are not applicable to strongly absorbing plasmas because the absorbed laser energy was deposited at one location in the plasma (usually the critical surface). Recently we presented2 a model that incorporated distributed absorption, but it was assumed that the conduction region was in steady-state ( as in previous models ). As was shown in Ref. 2, these steady-state models only apply to low to moderate laser powers for typical laser pulse lengths.
Molecular characterization of the ferric-uptake regulator, Fur, from Staphylococcus aureus

Iron is an essential nutrient for the survival and pathogenesis of bacteria, but relatively little is known regarding its transport and regulation in staphylococci. Based on the known sequences of ferric-uptake regulatory (fur) genes from several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, a fragment containing the fur homologue was cloned from a genomic library of Staphylococcus aureus RN450. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this fragment revealed the presence of a 447 bp ORF that encodes a putative 149 aa polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 17 kDa. A putative ferrichrome-uptake (fhu) operon, containing the conserved Fur-binding sequences (Fur box) in the promoter region, was also cloned from the same S. aureus library. To characterize the impact of Fur on the fhu operon, fur was cloned, overexpressed as a His-tagged protein and purified by Ni2+-affinity column chromatography. The recombinant protein was digested with enterokinase to remove the His tag. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays indicated that Fur binds to the promoter region of the fhu operon in the presence of divalent cations. Fur also interacted with the promoter region of the recently reported sir operon that has been proposed to constitute a siderophore-transport system in S. aureus. The DNase I-protection assay revealed that Fur specifically binds to the Fur box located in the promoter region of the fhu operon. The primer-extension reaction indicated that the transcription-start site of the fhu operon was located inside the Fur box. S. aureus fur partially complemented a fur − mutation in Bacillus subtilis. The data suggest that Fur regulates iron-transport processes in S. aureus.
Crystal structure of a polypeptide’s C-terminus in complex with the regulatory domain of ER aminopeptidase 1

Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is involved in the final processing of peptide precursors to generate the N-termini of MHC class I-restricted epitopes. ERAP1 thus influences immunodominance and cytotoxic immune responses by controlling the peptide repertoire available for cell surface presentation by MHC molecules. To enable this critical role in antigen processing, ERAP1 trims peptides by a unique molecular ruler mechanism that turns on/off hydrolysis activity in a peptide-length and -sequence dependent manner. Thus unlike other aminopeptidases, ERAP1 could recognize both the N- and C-termini of peptides in order to read the substrate's length. To exemplify and validate this molecular ruler mechanism, we have carried out crystallographic studies on molecular recognition of antigenic peptide's C-terminus by ERAP1. In this report, we have determined a 2.8A-resolution crystal structure of an intermolecular complex between the ERAP1 regulatory domain and a natural epitope's C-terminus displayed in a fusion protein. It reveals the structural details of peptide's C-termini recognition by ERAP1. ERAP1 uses specificity pockets on the regulatory domain to bind the peptide's carboxyl end and side chain of the C-terminal anchoring residue. At the same time, flexibility in length and sequence at the middle of peptides is accommodated by a kink with minimal interactions with ERAP1.
Health care demand elasticities by type of service

We estimate within-year price elasticities of demand for detailed health care services using an instrumental variable strategy, in which individual monthly cost shares are instrumented by employer-year-plan-month average cost shares. A specification using backward myopic prices gives more plausible and stable results than using forward myopic prices. Using 171 million person-months spanning 73 employers from 2008 to 2014, we estimate that the overall demand elasticity by backward myopic consumers is -0.44, with higher elasticities of demand for pharmaceuticals (-0.44), specialists visits (-0.32), MRIs (-0.29) and mental health/substance abuse (-0.26), and lower elasticities for prevention visits (-0.02) and emergency rooms (-0.04). Demand response is lower for children, in larger firms, among hourly waged employees, and for sicker people. Overall the method appears promising for estimating elasticities for highly disaggregated services although the approach does not work well on services that are very expensive or persistent.
Dynamics of 30 large channel bars in the Lower Mississippi River in response to river engineering from 1985 to 2015

Abstract Channel bars are a major depositional feature in alluvial rivers and their morphodynamics has been investigated intensively in the past several decades. However, relatively less is known about how channel bars in alluvial rivers respond to river engineering and regulations. In this study, we assessed 30-yr morphologic changes of 30 large emerged bars located in a 223 km reach of the highly regulated Lower Mississippi River from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River diversion. Landsat imagery and river stage data between 1985 and 2015 were utilized to characterize bar morphologic features and quantify decadal changes. Based on bar surface areas estimated with the satellite images at different river stages, a rating curve was developed for each of the 30 bars to determine their volumes. Results from this study show that the highly regulated river reach favored the growth of mid-channel and attached bars, while more than half of the point bars showed degradation. Currently, the mid-channel and attached bars accounted for 38% and 34% of the total volume of the 30 bars. The average volume of a single mid-channel bar is over two times that of an attached bar and over four times that of a point bar. Overall, in the past three decades, the total volume of the studied 30 bars increased by 110,118,000 m3 (41%). Total dike length in a dike field was found mostly contributing to the bar volume increase. Currently, the emerged volume of the 30 bars was estimated approximately 378,183,000 m3. The total bar volume is equivalent to ~ 530 million metric tons of coarse sand, based on an average measured bulk density of 1.4 t/m3 for the bar sediment. The findings show that these bars are large sediment reservoirs.