cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin and minimization of residual motion-related artifacts in navigator-corrected segmented diffusion-weighted EPI of the human brain.

Motion sensitivity in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can be effectively suppressed using single-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI). However, segmented (multishot) EPI is often used to increase resolution and reduce spatial distortions, which in turn increases susceptibility to brain motion. The sources of these residual motion artifacts in navigator-echo-corrected segmented EPI images of the brain were investigated. The results indicate that the dominant source of these artifacts is cardiac pulsation with occasional involuntary movement of the subject. The relationship between the cardiac cycle and motion artifacts shows that optimum timing for the data acquisition is possible. In addition it is shown that the effects of involuntary motion can be removed by swapping k-space data between redundant datasets.
Computational study of phonon modes in short-period AlN/GaN superlattices

The phonons and infrared absorption of short period [0001] superlattices ${(\text{AlN})}_{n}{(\text{GaN})}_{8\ensuremath{-}n}$, with $n=3,4,5$ were calculated by using the density-functional perturbation theory in the local-density approximation. The nature of the modes is discussed in terms of quantum confinement and interface localized modes. The spectrum for $e$-symmetry modes shows two TO peaks, of which the lowest corresponds to two closely spaced modes confined each near one half of the GaN part of the cell, and the higher one to two closely spaced AlN like modes with one mode localized at the interface showing the strongest oscillator strength and a bulklike LO-TO splitting. For ${a}_{1}$ symmetry, in contrast, a GaN vibration type mode localized near the interface shows the strongest LO-TO splitting and oscillator strength, while two higher modes are found to be only weakly localized in the AlN part of the cell. Lattice constant relaxation of free-standing superlattices leads to a decreasing lattice constant with increasing number of AlN layers and hence an overall increase in phonon frequencies. Qualitative agreement with experimental data is found for the $e$ symmetry but quantitative discrepancies exist and are interpreted as evidence of a different strain state in the experiment.
Case Study on Instrumenting and Testing Full-Scale Test Piles for Evaluating Setup Phenomenon

Over time, piles driven in cohesive soils usually experience a large increase in resistance, known as setup or freeze. Dynamic load tests (DLT) and static load tests (SLT) are usually performed to verify the axial resistances of piles at specific times after end of driving (EOD) and to quantify these resistances. An extensive field testing program was performed on full-scale instrumented precast prestressed concrete piles driven in cohesive soils at the Bayou Lacassine Bridge in Louisiana, to evaluate the pile setup phenomenon. The testing program included instrumenting two full-scale test piles with a network of vibrating wire strain gauges, pressure cells, and piezometers and instrumenting the surrounding soils with multilevel piezometers. Five SLTs and three DLTs were conducted on each test pile at different times after EOD to quantify the magnitude of setup. Measurements from the load tests on both piles confirmed that the pile setup after EOD followed a logarithmic rate with time. An increase in pile...
Thickness dependence of ice removal stress for a polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite: Sylgard 184.

Minimizing adhesion of ice has been the subject of extensive studies because of importance to applications such aircraft wings, spacecraft, and power transmission wires. A growing interest concerns...
Oval cell response in 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy rat is attenuated by short interfering RNA targeted to stromal cell-derived factor-1.

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is known to play an essential role in the regulation of stem/progenitor cell trafficking. During hepatic stem, or oval, cell activation, SDF-1 has been reported to be up-regulated within the liver, implying a possible role in oval cell-aided liver regeneration. In the present study, SDF-1 expression was knocked down in the liver of 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy-treated rats using short interfering RNA delivered by recombinant adenovirus. The oval cell response was compromised in these animals, as evidenced by a decreased number of OV6-positive oval cells. In addition, knockdown of SDF-1 expression caused a dramatic decrease in α-fetoprotein expression, implying impaired oval cell activation in these animals. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling assay showed no significant apoptosis related to SDF-1 suppression. Instead, as revealed by Ki67 immunohistochemistry, the suppression of SDF-1 resulted in decrease of hepatic cell proliferation, implying the repair process had been inhibited in these animals. These results indicate that SDF-1 is an essential molecule needed in oval cell activation.
Feedback during exposure to inescapable shocks and subsequent shock-escape performance

Abstract In two experiments, we assessed the ability of a feedback stimulus during helplessness training to reduce the performance deficits common to inescapable shock. In each experiment, four groups of rats were exposed to either escapable shock (E), inescapable shock with a feedback stimulus following shock termination (Y-FS), inescapable shock with no feedback stimulus (Y-NFS), or no shock (N). The feedback stimulus eliminated the interference effects of inescapable shock when tested with an FR-3 lever press escape task (Experiment 1) or on an FR-1 task with a 3-s delay between the response and shock termination (Experiment 2). These results suggest that stress-induced biochemical changes may mediate the interference effects seen in inescapably shocked rats.
A THEORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE EARTH'S INTERNAL HEAT

Abstract A gravitational source of heat is added to secular cooling and the heat from the decay of radioactive elements to close the gap between heat loss and heat production for whole mantle convection. This unrecognized source of heat comes from viscous friction in sheet-like mantle plumes rising from the core-mantle boundary to create oceanic plates, cause earthquakes and raise mountains and volcanoes. The frictional heat generated in the plumes is equal to the gravitational potential energy lost because their heavy fraction, FeO, was absorbed by the molten iron at the top of the core. When mantle material is subjected to the temperature and pressure prevailing at the 670 km seismic discontinuity in the laser-heated diamond cell, it is transformed into a magnesium iron silicate perovskite and magnesiowuestite that remain stable to the temperature and pressure of the core-mantle boundary, where they lose their FeO to the core. The energy that had been expended by this process during the life of the Earth, has come from the composition Fe 2 O of the outer core, as required by the seismic speeds and the moment of inertia of the Earth. This energy is 7.07 × 10 30 J, 2.3 times what would have been expended by plate creation at the present rate. Secular cooling does not originate from the primordial high temperature, but from the decay of the radioactivity and the decrease of the amount of FeO in the mantle (Schubert et al., 1980). At present plate creation by mantle plumes provides 47.5% of the heat of 44.2 TW. The larger part of this heat comes from viscous friction in the plumes, the remainder coming from the cooling of the core. Radioactivity gives 41%, and 11% comes from secular cooling that takes no part in plate creation. In apportioning the heat from these sources between land and sea, it is assumed that in very old oceans only 15% of the heat comes from plate creation and that the remaining 85% comes from radioactive elements uniformly disseminated in the mantle and secular cooling. The last two sources being world-wide, we extend this heat of 32.0 mW/m 2 over the 510 × 10 6 km 2 of the Earth's surface, 16.3 TW in all. At sea, where the heat flow is greater than 32.0 mW/m 2 , the additional heat comes from plate creation, while on land the extra amount is from radionuclides concentrated in the crust. The measured losses on land and sea are 30% and 70% of 44.2 TW, respectively. On land, the total measured loss is 13.26 TW, 86% of it is radiogenic, and 14% is from cooling. At sea, the heat loss is 30.9 TW, 22% of it is radiogenic, 10% from cooling and 68% from plate creation. Table 2 lists the measured and computed quantities.
Reinforcing effects of oral cocaine: contextual determinants.

Rationale: Although the behavioral, subjective, and physiological effects of oral cocaine have been investigated, its reinforcing effects have not been demonstrated. Objective: The primary aims of this study were to examine the reinforcing effects of oral cocaine and determine whether such effects can be influenced by manipulating behavioral requirements following drug ingestion. Methods: Nine adult volunteers with histories of cocaine abuse were trained to discriminate between orally administered cocaine (100 mg/70 kg) and placebo capsules under double-blind conditions. Following acquisition of cocaine vs placebo discrimination (80% correct), the reinforcing effects of cocaine were determined using two different choice conditions (dependent and independent). Volunteers were first exposed to cocaine and placebo once each with a relaxation activity (sitting in a cushioned chair) and a vigilance activity (performing a computer task). Following exposure to each drug with each activity, volunteers began the dependent choice condition. Every 2 days volunteers chose which drug (cocaine or placebo) they ingested with the vigilance and relaxation activities. Volunteers could not choose the same drug with both activities. This procedure occurred 5 times over a 10-day period. The independent choice condition took place over 2 days. On one day, volunteers chose which drug (cocaine or placebo) they ingested with the relaxation activity and, on the other day (in counterbalanced order), which drug they ingested with the vigilance activity. Volunteers were allowed to select the same drug with both activities. Results: All volunteers successfully acquired the cocaine vs placebo discrimination. In the dependent choice condition, all volunteers significantly chose cocaine over placebo with the vigilance activity and chose placebo over cocaine with the relaxation activity. In the independent choice condition, volunteers significantly chose cocaine over placebo with the vigilance activity (i.e., cocaine functioned as a positive reinforcer in the vigilance context). Interestingly, the independent choice condition also showed that volunteers chose placebo over cocaine with the relaxation activity (i.e., cocaine functioned as a negative reinforcer because it was avoided relative to placebo). Conclusion: The study shows that the behavioral requirements following drug ingestion can be a determinant of whether or not oral cocaine functions as a reinforcer in volunteers with histories of cocaine abuse.
EXCITON ANNIHILATION IN THE ISOLATED PHYCOBILIPROTEINS FROM THE BLUE-GREEN ALGA NOSTOC SP. USING PICOSECOND ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY

— Phycobilisomes from the blue-green alga Nostoc sp. contain the phycobiliproteins: c-phycoerythrin (c-PE), c-phycocyanin (c-PC) and allophycocyanin (APC). The depletion and the recovery of the ground states for the individual phycobiliproteins were measured using picosecond (ps) absorption spectroscopy. In all cases the depletion time was Glops. The recovery was found to be non-exponenzial which could be fitted to a single exponential (‘fast’ component) and a second component with a relaxation time of > 300ps. The recovery times of the fast component were found to be intensity dependent and for c-PE, c-PC and APC were measured to be 19, 27 and 35ps, respectively, at intensity (I) ∼ 7 × 1020 photons/m2 and increased to 54, 55 and 67 ps, respectively, at I∼ 8 × 1019 photons/m2. The ps absorption data support the assignment of the‘fast’ component to singlet-singlet exciton annihilation.
Expression of adhesion molecules during the formation and differentiation of the avian endocardial cushion tissue

The expression of cytotactin, the cytotactin-binding (CTB) proteoglycan, and the neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM, was examined during the development of the avian endocardial cushion tissue (ECT). N-CAM was present in the cardiac mesoderm from its earliest time of development. At the time when endothelial cells converted to mesenchyme and began to migrate, they ceased their expression of N-CAM. Cytotactin and CTB proteoglycan were present in the cardiac jelly (into which the ECT cells migrate) in patterns that were correlated with cell migration. At early times of migration (stage 18), the region of the cardiac jelly near the endocardium contained cytotactin in the vicinity of the migrating cells. During later migration (stage 22), cytotactin remained associated with the leading zone of cell migration, but its expression began to decrease in areas where cells had accumulated. After ECT cell migration had ceased, cytotactin expression decreased, remaining high only in the peripheral portion of the aorticopulmonary septum and absent from its ridges. CTB proteoglycan was expressed during early migration at high levels in and adjacent to the myocardium. By stage 22, its distribution had become more uniform throughout the ECT regions and in the myocardium. The combined results of this study suggest that cytotactin, CTB proteoglycan, and N-CAM each play a distinct, critical role in pattern formation in the early heart.
Cross-national conflict shifting: a global public relations dynamic

Abstract This article expands and further illustrates the dynamic of “cross-national conflict shifting” as it relates to global public relations management. The concept was first introduced to the US academic community by Molleda and Connolly-Ahern at the 2002 AEJMC convention. The authors drew this theoretical concept from German scholars. The development of this dynamic is achieved by summarizing four cases involving issues that have affected more than one country and several parties. Cross-national conflict shifting includes host, home, and transnational publics, which indicates the complexity and magnitude of the interactions amongst the players. Ten propositions are introduced to build the foundation for future studies.
A new spot test for aliphatic aldehydes and ketones

Abstract A new spot test for aliphatic aldehydes and ketones has been developed utilizing free-radical formation. Aliphatic aldehydes are detected in the range of 0.2–200 μg while aliphatic ketones are detected from 100–2000 μg. Benzaldehyde was the only other compound tested that gave a positive result.
Perspectives on brain evolution in primates

Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortexedited by Dean Falk and Kathleen R. Gibson, Cambridge University Press, 2001.£50 (344 pages)ISBN 0 521 64271 XThis timely volume comprises a series of papers that were presented at a symposium in honor of Harry J. Jerison at an annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Jerison's classic monograph, Evolution of the Brain and Intelligence 1xJerison, H.J. See all References, established the precedent for subsequent studies of brain evolution by concentrating on one variable that is easily measured in both living and extinct mammals, namely brain size. We know from this early work that independent lines of evolution commonly lead to larger brains. But are separately evolved larger brains bigger and ‘better’ in similar or different ways? In this volume, arguments for both alternatives are convincingly presented, suggesting that brains have often evolved in similar ways while also specializing differently for specific functional roles.Larger brains probably resemble each other in overall organization for two basic reasons. First, there might be limited ways in which the course of development can be altered to produce differences in brain size. Thus, we repeatedly see the same types of enlargements. Most notably, larger brains have proportionately more neocortex, apparently because late-maturing areas grow even more significantly compared with early-maturing areas. Second, larger brains have more neurons and longer connection distances. Thus, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the connections of each neuron with the same proportion of other neurons, and maintain action potential conduction timing over longer distances. Therefore, similar methods of reorganizing brains to reduce these connection problems are probable.However, there is also convincing evidence from comparative studies of the brains of living mammals, and from brain casts of fossil skulls, that brains vary greatly both in global features and in local structural detail. At the global level, the two cerebral hemispheres of humans and chimpanzees differ in shape, supporting other types of evidence that there are functional differences between the hemispheres. At the local level, many differences in cortical microanatomy in homologous subdivisions of neocortex, such as primary visual cortex, are apparent across primate species. The chapters that address these issues convince the reader that further studies of both the overall trends and the many divergent specializations in brain evolution would be productive.This book will be of value to those interested in the evolution of different types and sizes of neocortex, the structure most responsible for making humans and mice what they are. But, more importantly, the book gives us a sense of where we are today and how far we need to go in understanding the evolution of primate brains from the small but still impressive brains of the earliest primates to those, including our own, extant today. As Jerison concludes in the book's last chapter, ‘more research is needed’.
The effect of in vivo exposure to diesel exhaust on rat hepatic and pulmonary microsomal activities

The effect of exposure to three concentrations of diesel exhaust on several heptic and pulmonary activities has been tested. After one year of exposure, the ability of liver microsomes to oxidize benzo[alpha]pyrene to more polar metabolites was not increased. Further studies with liver microsomes showed that, after several months of exposure, there was no evidence for the induction of either cytochrome P-450, cytochrome P-448 or NADPH dependent cytochrome c reductase. The ability of pulmonary microsomes to generate polar metabolites from benzo[alpha]pyrene was impaired after one year of exposure to the highest concentration of exhaust (1500 micrograms m-3). The process by which the exposure causes this inhibition is not clear.
Characterization of the sub-transition of hydrated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Kinetic, hydration and structural study

Abstract Differential scanning calorimetry and fast-recording X-ray diffraction methods are used to study the kinetics, hydration and structural changes of the L β , gel→L c ‘crystal’ conversion at −2°C for less than maximally hydrated (27.2 wt% H 2 O) and maximally hydrated (48.9 wt% H 2 O) 1,2-dipalmitoyl- l -phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) dispersions. Equilibration of DPPC dispersions at −2°C for increasing time periods results in a progressive increase in the sub-transition temperature to a limiting value of 17–19°C, while the enthalpy of the sub-transition also increases on reaching an enthalpy maximum ΔH =5.6–5.8 kcal/mol DPPC after 2 days equilibration. Corresponding X-ray diffraction experiments demonstrate two time domains involving structural alterations. An initial time domain involves a rapid shift of the two characteristic L β , wide angle reflections, 1 4.18 A −1 and 1 4.08 A −1 , to 1 4.3 A −1 and 1 4.0 A −1 , respectively, while there is no significant change in the lamellar periodicity. A slower structural alteration subsequently occurs involving a progressive decrease in lamellar periodicity to its limiting dimension, d ≅ 59.5 A and further shifts in the two wide angle reflections to final values of 1 4.4 A −1 and 1 3.86 A −1 . These changes are indicative of alterations in both the bilayer organization and the hydrocarbon chain packing. Hydration studies over the range 10.1 to 48.9 wt% H 2 O demonstrate that at 4°C the L c bilayer phase has a reduced hydration limit of 11 mol H 2 O/mol DPPC compared to 19 mol H 2 O/mol DPPC and 25 mol H 2 O/mol DPPC for the L β′ and L α bilayer phases, respectively. It is concluded that the L β′ → L c conversion involves dehydration and hydrocarbon chain ordering. The data suggest a crystallization of DPPC and 11 H 2 O molecules presumably involving tightly bound water molecules in an interbilayer matrix characterized by water-water and water-DPPC hydrogen bonding. A structural interpretation of the changes occurring in the two-dimensional hydrocarbon chain packing modes during the transitions between the hydrated L c , L β′ , P β′ and L α bilayer forms of DPPC is proposed.
Stress-Coping Factors in Adolescent Substance Use: Test of Ethnic and Gender Differences in Samples of Urban Adolescents:

Investigated group differences in the relationship between stress-coping variables and substance (cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana) use with samples of inner-city students in sixth through eighth grades (N = 1,289) and metropolitan-area students in seventh through ninth grades (N = 1,702). Measures included affect, life events, parental support, and coping patterns. African-American adolescents had the lowest rate of substance use, Hispanics were intermediate, and Whites had the highest rate; there was no gender difference in overall substance use. Multiple regression analysis showed the strength of predictive relationships for stress-coping variables was lower for African Americans and was greatest for Whites; four methodological tests showed these differences were not attributable to statistical artifacts. Hispanic adolescents showed greater vulnerability than Whites at younger ages but this effect reversed at later ages. Implications for prevention research are discussed.
A study of ionization electrons drifting large distances in liquid and solid argon

Abstract A two liter gridded ionization chamber was built and operated repeatedly to study electron transport in liquid and solid argon over distances up to 10 cm in drift fields of 0.01–2 kV/cm. A detailed analysis of the ionization pulse shape was performed, yielding information on both the degree of purity of the liquid and the electron drift velocity. Argon with an impurity concentration less than 0.2 ppb oxygen equivalent was obtained with a simple purification system. The measured attenuation length extrapolates to 7.5 m for liquid argon and to 1 m for solid argon at a drift field of 1 kV/cm.
The High Incidence of Anti‐HL‐A Antibodies in Anti‐D Typing Reagents. Illustrated by a Case of Matuhasi‐Ogata Phenomenon Mimicking a “D with Anti‐D” Situation

On rare occasions persons are found whose red blood cells react as D-positive yet have anti-D present in their serum. The usual explanation of this finding is that the red blood cells lack a portion of the D antigen mosaic and the individual has formed anti-D directed against the missing portions of the mosaic. This paper presents details of a case that closely resembled this situation but in which it was eventually possible to prove that misleading serological results had been obtained because of the Matuhasi-Ogata phenomenon. The specific antigen-antibody complex responsible for the Matuhasi-Ogata phenomenon in this case was Bgb-anti-Bgh. Investigation of a large number of anti-D typing sera revealed the presence of anti-Bg (anti-HL-A) antibodies in nearly 50 per cent of them. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The need for a quantitative urine hCG assay

Abstract Background The USA uniquely does not use quantitative urine human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) tests despite being invaluable in pregnancy testing and in monitoring cancer patients. We look at current hCG tests and their detection of the degraded forms of hCG predominant in urine. We examine levels of urinary hCG, its usefulness in pregnancy testing, and advantages of urine testing in false positive hCG cases and cancer cases. Methods hCG assays were blindly evaluated at 10 laboratories running different methodologies. Daily urine samples from 164 women were collected through 5 menstrual cycles or until pregnancy was achieved. Urines were assayed for total hCG. We also examined the use of quantitative urine hCG in confirming false positive serum hCG results in 80 clinical cases. Results Only the Siemens Immulite test was shown to detect the degraded forms of hCG present in urine. This test equally recognized urine and serum hCG. We investigated background hCG in 9026 urines, the mean hCG level was 0.04 IU/L, and the 99th centile was 1.4 IU/L. In cycles where pregnancy was achieved, hCG could be detected in urine at 24.6 days of a 28.7 day menstrual cycle. At this time, the average hCG was 6.02 IU/L, setting a sensitivity level for quantitative urine hCG tests to detect pregnancy. Quantitative urinary hCG proved critical in detecting cancer in 3 of 80 cases complicated by false positive serum hCG. Conclusions The need for a quantitative urine hCG assay is undeniable and we invite manufacturers to produce a quantitative urine hCG test.
Toe Clipping of Amphibians and Reptiles: Science, Ethics, and the Law 1

Public concern for the humane treatment of animals in research has led to specific guidelines for appropriate treatment of study organisms. Field research poses special challenges that Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees find difficult to address based on existing guidelines. Toe clipping is a common but contentious example whose use has been called barbaric and whose efficacy has been questioned. We provide a brief review of the ethical bases for such positions, the legal framework they have engendered, and the scientific evidence regarding the impacts of the practice. Leading philosophical views vary but tend to focus on the suffering or distress of individual animals, primarily vertebrates. The law has adopted this individual-centered view. Biologists, in contrast, tend to more wholistic views that focus on populations and ecosystems. Scientific studies of the impacts of toe clipping, most of them relatively recent, have become increasingly sophisticated statistically. Most show little impact of toe clipping on study animals, the exception being the likelihood of recapture of toe- clipped individuals in some frogs. If unaccounted for, effects of methodology can bias scientific findings. The few studies focusing on physiological indicators of distress show no increase resulting from toe-clipping. Thus, toe clipping of reptiles and amphibians meets legal and ethical expectations and should remain acceptable where it meets study needs. Biologists have long been concerned about the possible ethical implications of their methods. Philosophical inquiry has been beneficial in improving our understanding of these methods, but the need of biologists for better philosophical elaboration of ecological ethics has only partially been addressed.
Conformational Flexibility in RNA: The Role of Dihydrouridine

In order to further understand the structural role of the modified nucleoside dihydrouridine in RNA the solution conformations of Dp and ApDpA were analyzed by one- and two-dimensional proton NRM spectroscopy and compared with those of the related uridine-containing compounds. The analyses indicate that dihydrouridine significantly destabilizes the C3'-endo sugar conformation associated with base stacked, ordered, A-type helical RNA. Equilibrium constants (Keq = [C2'-endo]/[C3'-endo]) for C2'-endo-C3'-endo interconversion at 25 degrees C for Dp, the 5'-terminal A of ApDpA and D in ApDpA are 2.08, 1.35 and 10.8 respectively. Stabilization of the C2'-endo form was shown to be enhanced at low temperature, indicating that C2'-endo is the thermodynamically favored conformation for dihydrouridine. DeltaH values show that for Dp the C2'-endo sugar conformation is stabilized by 1.5 kcal/mol compared with Up. This effect is amplified for D in the oligonucleotide ApDpA and propagated to the 5'-neighboring A, with stabilization of the C2'-endo form by 5.3 kcal/mol for D and 3.6 kcal/mol for the 5'-terminal A. Post-transcriptional formation of dihydrouridine therefore represents a biological strategy opposite in effect to ribose methylation, 2-thiolation or pseudouridylation, all of which enhance regional stability through stabilization of the C3'-endo conformer. Dihydrouridine effectively promotes the C2'-endo sugar conformation, allowing for greater conformational flexibility and dynamic motion in regions of RNA where tertiary interactions and loop formation must be simultaneously accommodated.
A Simulation Model to Quantify the Value of Implementing Whole-Herd Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Testing Strategies in Beef Cow–Calf Herds

Although numerous diagnostic tests are available to identify cattle persistently infected (PI) with Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) in cow-calf herds, data are sparse when evaluating the economic viability of individual tests or diagnostic strategies. Multiple factors influence BVDV testing in determining if testing should be performed and which strategy to use. A stochastic model was constructed to estimate the value of implementing various whole-herd BVDV cow-calf testing protocols. Three common BVDV tests (immunohistochemistry, antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and polymerase chain reaction) performed on skin tissue were evaluated as single- or two-test strategies. The estimated testing value was calculated for each strategy at 3 herd sizes that reflect typical farm sizes in the United States (50, 100, and 500 cows) and 3 probabilities of BVDV-positive herd status (0.077, 0.19, 0.47) based upon the literature. The economic value of testing was the difference in estimated gross revenue between simulated cow-calf herds that either did or did not apply the specific testing strategy. Beneficial economic outcomes were more frequently observed when the probability of a herd being BVDV positive was 0.47. Although the relative value ranking of many testing strategies varied by each scenario, the two-test strategy composed of immunohistochemistry had the highest estimated value in all but one herd size-herd prevalence permutation. These data indicate that the estimated value of applying BVDV whole-herd testing strategies is influenced by the selected strategy, herd size, and the probability of herd BVDV-positive status; therefore, these factors should be considered when designing optimum testing strategies for cow-calf herds.
Are quality assessment methods any good

A systematic review can be viewed as a study of studies, 1 done to understand why different studies of a given treatment gave varying results. One explanation – ie, one ‘‘independent variable’’ potentially explaining variation in study results – is the studies’ methodological quality, defined for the present purpose as internal validity, the extent to which potential for systematic error (bias) is minimized by careful study design, conduct, and analysis. Two broad approaches have been proposed to assess study quality and to construct such independent variables: the components approach, in which specific aspects of design, execution, and analysis are judged as adequate or inadequate; and quality scales, in which the components are given numerical scores, which are then summed to give a composite score. There is considerable empirical evidence about the association between study results and specific components of quality. Most commonly (but not always), lower quality on a component is associated with a larger estimated effect for a new treatment. Evidence regarding quality scales is much thinner, showing no association with study results except for the scale of Jadad et al. 2 This article concludes that assessing study quality is markedly hampered by poor reporting in journal articles; that summary scores from quality scales are inherently problematic; but that nonetheless a case can be made for routinely assessing certain components of study quality.
High temperature soft magnetic materials: feco alloys and composites

We have systematically investigated the microstructural effects including grain size, precipitation, and structural order parameter on the high temperature magnetic and mechanical properties of FeCo-based commercial alloys. At high temperatures the equilibrium nonmagnetic precipitates significantly deteriorate the soft magnetic properties. Poor mechanical properties are mainly due to the nature of the ordered structure of FeCo alloys. Based on this understanding we have designed new magnetic composites by reinforcing FeCo alloys with high strength fibers. The magnetic and mechanical properties can thus be improved independently through optimizing the magnetic matrix and fiber network, respectively. These new magnetic composites show excellent soft magnetic and mechanical properties. In particularly, negligible creep has been observed at 600/spl deg/C.
Context length and reading novel words: An eye-movement investigation

The current study investigated the effects of context length on the processing of novel words. Participants read real adjectives or novel words embedded in either sentence or paragraph contexts while their eye movements were recorded. The results extend the literature on novel word reading by exploring the time-course of word processing using realistic contexts derived from existing sources. Eye-movement measures demonstrated that readers were very sensitive to the presence of novel words. Novel words were more likely to be fixated and had longer reading times than real words. In addition, words in sentence contexts had longer gaze durations than words in paragraphs. The effect of novelty on reading the target word did not vary as a function of the context length. While performance on the surprise post-test did not demonstrate significant word learning, participants did report higher confidence in correct responses than incorrect, suggesting that some learning took place.
LDPC codes from generalized polygons

We use the theory of finite classical generalized polygons to derive and study low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The Tanner graph of a generalized polygon LDPC code is highly symmetric, inherits the diameter size of the parent generalized polygon, and has minimum (one half) diameter-to-girth ratio. We show formally that when the diameter is four or six or eight, all codewords have even Hamming weight. When the generalized polygon has in addition an equal number of points and lines, we see that the nonregular polygon based code construction has minimum distance that is higher at least by two in comparison with the dual regular polygon code of the same rate and length. A new minimum-distance bound is presented for codes from nonregular polygons of even diameter and equal number of points and lines. Finally, we prove that all codes derived from finite classical generalized quadrangles are quasi-cyclic and we give the explicit size of the circulant blocks in the parity-check matrix. Our simulation studies of several generalized polygon LDPC codes demonstrate powerful bit-error-rate (BER) performance when decoding is carried out via low-complexity variants of belief propagation.
Blood outgrowth endothelial cells as a vehicle for transgene expression of hepatocyte-secreted proteins via sleeping beauty

The therapeutic use of autologous cells with the capacity for extensive in vitro expansion and manipulation prior to host administration has been an area of significant investigation over the last decade. Blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) are derived from the circulation and exhibit proliferative growth, in vivo engraftment, and survival characteristics for long-term expression of endogenously secreted proteins, such as factor VIII (FVIII). The authors describe a modified method for the isolation, culture, and expansion of these cells that is readily accomplished using standard laboratory methods. Using a commercially available transfection reagent, ∼30% of these primary cells can be routinely transfected with the nonviral Sleeping Beauty transposon for long-term, stable transgene expression. Moreover, the results indicate that these cells have the ability to secrete functionally active proteins that are synthesized endogenously by hepatocytes and require post-translational modification including ...
Program generators and the tools to make them

Program generation is among the most promising techniques in the effort to increase the automation of programming tasks. In this paper, we discuss the potential impact and research value of program generation, we give examples of our research in the area, and we outline a future work direction that we consider most interesting. Specifically, we first discuss why program generators have significant applied potential. At the same time we argue that, as a research topic, meta-programming tools (i.e., language tools for writing program generators) may be of greater value. We then illustrate our views on generators and meta-programming tools with our latest work on the Meta-AspectJ meta-programming language and the GOTECH generator. Finally, we examine the problem of statically determining the safety of a generator and present its intricacies. We limit our focus to one particular kind of guarantee for generated code---ensuring that the generated program is free of compile-time errors. We believe that this research direction will see significant attention and will make a difference in the mainstream adoption of meta-programming technology.
Fractal fracture scattering origin of S-wave coda : spectral evidence from recordings at 2.5 Km

Local earthquake seismograms recorded at a depth of 2.5 Km in the Cajon Pass borehole near the San Andreas fault, southern California, yield body-wave and coda-wave amplitude spectra at frequencies between 10 and 200 Hz without interference from either near-surface attenuation or surface waves. The coda-wave spectra resemble the shear-wave source spectra except that above the corner frequencies fo ≈ 20–30 Hz coda spectra decay by power-law exponent n ≈ −2.3±0.1 while the source shear-wave spectra decay by cubic power-law (mean power-law exponent n ≈ −3.1±0.1). Assuming a cubic source power-law spectral decay, the high frequency power-law enrichment of coda amplitudes relative to source amplitudes implies a power-law distribution of scatterers that increases with frequency as ≈ f0.7±0.1. The distribution of acoustic reflectivity deduced from the Cajon Pass well log has a power-law density ≈ ν0.6 at the relevant spatial frequencies ν. The agreement between the temporal and spatial frequency power-law exponents may be explained by first order scattering in fractal fracture-heterogeneous material.
Low Froude Number Flow Past Three-Dimensional Obstacles. Part I: Baroclinically Generated Lee Vortices

Abstract We study the flow of a density-stratified fluid past a three-dimensional obstacle, using a numerical model. Our special concern is the response of the fluid when the Froude number is near or less than unity. Linear theory is inapplicable in this range of Froude number, and the present numerical solutions show the rich variety of phenomena that emerge in this essentially nonlinear flow regime. Two such phenomena, which occupy Parts I and II of this study, are the formation of a pair of vertically oriented vortices on the lee side and a zone of flow reversal on the windward side of the obstacle. The Ice vortices have been explained as a consequence of the separation of the viscous boundary layer from the obstacle however, this boundary layer is absent (by design) in the present experiments and lee vortices still occur. We argue that a vertical component of vorticity develops on the lee side owing to the tilting of horizontally oriented vorticity produced baroclinically as the isentropes deform in r...
Rising Costs of Transit and Baumol’s Cost Disease

This paper describes analysis of whether the public transit sector suffers from Baumol’s cost disease. The evolution of labor productivity and average labor costs across transit agencies in the United States was assessed compared with other industries. It was found that (a) labor productivity in the transit sector was mostly stagnant over the period 1997 to 2013, more so in bus operations than in rail operations (0.0% and 0.7% average labor productivity growth rates, respectively), and even more so when output was measured as vehicle revenue miles rather than as passenger miles traveled; (b) the transit sector was highly labor-intensive, because it represented on average 64% of total costs (operating and capital) for bus and 40% for rail; (c) compensation per employee rose at a faster pace than inflation in 85% of the agencies analyzed; and (d) compensation per employee rose at a faster pace than the average local wage rate in 65% of the agencies analyzed. These findings support the hypothesis that not on...
In Search of Hidden Histories, Agency and Global Network: A Response to the Articles on Women and Christianity in East Asia

The three articles included in this volume engage a number of key questions related to women’s experiences in the history of Christianity in East Asia. In particular, they explore the following questions in one way or another: For East Asian women whose lives have been deeply shaped by Confucian gender ideology, what does it mean to become Christian; How has the imported religion interacted with existing religious traditions and local cultures?; What ramifications has the adoption of the new religion had for women in terms of advancing their status in society and the church? How have Christian women coped with the tensions between church and state? What structural and discursive forces have shaped women’s experiences in Christian spirituality and church organizations? In what ways have women found agency in choosing their own life path?
Architectural Simulators Considered Harmful

Much as Edgar Dijkstra in 1968 observed the dangers of relying on the "go to" statement, the authors of this article observe the detrimental effect of overreliance on quantitative simulators. Over time, simulator tools have become more complex and sophisticated. While this seems beneficial, new generations of simulators are built with easily abused modeling abstractions, some with poorly modeled first-order phenomenon. Users treat simulators as black boxes, ignoring their potential errors and relying on validation to irrelevant design points. The lack of documentation and specification makes finding or even being aware of errors challenging. Simultaneously, reviewers demand that researchers use simulation in domains where better approaches exist. The authors elucidate the problems by describing three broad pitfalls of simulators and simulator use, considering examples from modern tools, and they discuss how to avoid each problem. Finally, they propose one consideration for recalibrating evaluation standards: the footprint, which is the breadth of architectural layers that a technique affects.
Low Power Job Scheduler for Supercomputers: A Rule-Based Power-Aware Scheduler

Supercomputer's fast processing speed provides a great convenience to the scientists who dealing with extremely large data sets. The next generation of "exascale" supercomputers could provide accurate simulation results in the area of automobile industry, aerospace and even nuclear fusion reactors for the very first time. However, the energy cost of super-computing is "super" expensive with a total electricity bill of 9 million dollars per year. Thus, Conserving energy or increase the energy efficiency are becoming more critical. Many researchers are looking into this problem and try to conserve energy by incorporating DVFS technique into their specific methods. However, this approach is limited especially when the workload is high. In this paper, we developed a power-aware job scheduler by applying rule based control method as well as real power and speedup profiles to improve power efficiency while maintain the power constraints. The intensive simulation results shown that our proposed method is able to achieve the maximum utilization of computing resources, in the meantime, keep the energy cost under the threshold. Moreover, by introducing a Power Performance Factor (PPF) based on the real power and speedup profiles, we are able to increase the power efficiency up to 75%.
Numerical modeling of orbit-spin coupling accelerations in a Mars general circulation model: Implications for global dust storm activity ☆

Abstract We employ the MarsWRF general circulation model (GCM) to test the predictions of a new physical hypothesis: a weak coupling of the orbital and rotational angular momenta of extended bodies is predicted to give rise to cycles of intensification and relaxation of circulatory flows within atmospheres. The dynamical core of MarsWRF has been modified to include the orbit-spin coupling accelerations due to solar system dynamics for the years 1920–2030. The modified GCM is subjected to extensive testing and verification. We compare forced and unforced model outcomes for large-scale zonal and meridional flows, and for near-surface wind velocities and surface wind stresses. The predicted cycles of circulatory intensification and relaxation within the modified GCM are observed. Most remarkably, the modified GCM reproduces conditions favorable for the occurrence of perihelion-season global-scale dust storms (GDSs) on Mars in years in which such storms were observed. A strengthening of the meridional overturning circulation during the dust storm season occurs in the GCM in all recorded years with perihelion-season global-scale dust storms. The increased upwelling produced in the southern hemisphere in southern summer may facilitate the transport of dust to high altitudes in the Mars atmosphere during the dust storm season, where radiative heating may further strengthen the circulation. Significantly increased surface winds and surface wind stresses are also obtained. These may locally facilitate dust lifting from the surface. Based on comparison to the historical record, there is a strong likelihood of a perihelion-season GDS in Mars year 33 and/or Mars year 34.
Teacher perspectives on cumulative learning

This study explores how teachers use the CLEAR curriculum and assessment materials to foster cumulative learning. What ideas do teachers link? What parts of the curriculum do they revisit? What do they learn about student thinking from the new assessments? And how does that information help guide their teaching?
Blunt cardiac injury without external evidence of thoracic trauma: A report of two pediatric cases

Objective:To report two cases of cardiac injury following blunt thoracic trauma without external evidence of injury.Design:Case report and review of the literature.Setting:A 23-bed pediatric intens...
Glycoside Hydrolysis with Sugar-Templated Microgel Catalysts

Water-soluble, carbohydrate-templated microgels are explored as catalysts for the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. The reaction is more than 2 orders of magnitude accelerated for templated macromole...
Development of a continuous cell line from the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae), and its susceptibility to infection with arboviruses.

A new cell line (LL-5) developed from eggs of the phlebotomine sand fly Ll is described. The culture consists of at least 2 distinct cell types, which are epithelioicl and fibroblastoid in character. The cells are grown in MM/VP12 medium and form monolayers on glass or plastic containers. The origin and identity of the LL-5 cells were confirmed by isozyme analyses. Susceptibility of the cells to 29 arboviruses was tested. The viruses examined included representatives of the genera Vesiculovirus, Orbivirus, Flavivirus, Alphavirus, Bunyavirus , and Phlebovirus . Only 13 of these viruses multiplied in the LL-5 cells. Surprisingly, most of the phleboviruses did not replicate. Changuinola virus produced moderate cytopathic effect in the L. longipalpis cells and induced a persistent infection. This is the first report of a continuous sandfly cell culture.