cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neptune's visual albedo variations over a solar cycle: A pre-Voyager look at ion-induced nucleatlon and cloud formation in Neptune's troposphere

High-energy galactic cosmic rays can penetrate to deep levels within Neptune's atmosphere to form a substantial ionospheric layer in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere of the planet. Because cosmic-ray modulation in the interplanetary medium creates an inverse relationship between cosmic-ray intensity and solar activity, the ionization rate in the lower atmosphere will vary with the 11-year solar cycle in such a way that maximum ionization will occur at sunspot minimum and minimum ionization at sunspot maximum. This variable ionization may, by the process of ion-induced nucleation, regulate the formation and optical properties of an upper tropospheric haze in the atmosphere of Neptune and could thus provide a mechanism for modulating the planet's visual brightness over a solar cycle. We estimate the rates of cosmic-ray ionization at solar maximum and minimum for a range of proposed Neptune dipole magnetic field strengths; discuss the physics of formation of ion clusters and eventual aerosol particles; and, using a simple radiative transfer model, discuss the ways in which this variable aerosol formation can modulate the geometric albedo of Neptune over a solar cycle. If Voyager spacecraft observations reveal that Neptune's dipole magnetic field is about 1 Gauss or less, then our modeling indicates that variations in an aerosol layer due to differences in cosmic ray ionization may help explain some of the observed brightness variation of Neptune over a solar cycle.
Future elementary schoolteachers' knowledge and opinions about oral health and community programs

Dental public health practitioners can play a critical role in assuring that elementary schoolteachers have current, scientifically accurate oral health information upon which to base decisions on behalf of the children they teach. Teachers traditionally have educated children about oral health and often participate in school-based prevention programs. This project examined the knowledge and opinions about oral health and community programs, and the perceived future roles and responsibilities in school-based preventive oral health programs, of 313 elementary education majors enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Descriptive results indicate that these future teachers were ill informed and held inconsistent opinions about basic concepts and information related to oral health and oral health promotion. Findings suggest the need for greater public health efforts directed toward improving oral health knowledge and opinions of this influential population about effective community oral health programs.
Extreme-Value Statistics and Poisson Area Scaling With a Fatal-Area Ratio for Low- $k$ Dielectric TDDB Modeling

During the study of time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) of back-end-of-line low- k dielectrics, accurate statistical and area-scaling models are important for the final reliability lifetime projection. The extrapolated product lifetime from high percentiles to low percentiles has strong dependence on the choice of a statistical model. Meanwhile, the lifetime of a product chip is obtained typically by extrapolating TDDB data from small test structures to large chip areas by an area-scaling law. In this paper, a thorough investigation of low-k TDDB statistical distribution with large sample size and various metal areas was conducted to validate a physically relevant statistical model for low-k TDDB modeling. In addition, we explored the various TDDB dependence on metal area and introduced a new fatal-area-ratio concept for low-k TDDB area-scaling model in the event that the conventional Poisson area-scaling law failed based on the as-designed area ratio. A graphic shift-and-compare method was then developed to determine, experimentally, the fatal-metal-area ratio. The determination of the fatal-metal-area ratio should be critical for an accurate low-k TDDB lifetime projection and process assessment.
Pandemic H5N1 influenza vaccine development: an update

The spread and evolution of highly pathogenic influenza A/H5N1 viruses in birds worldwide, and the associated human fatalities, have raised concern about an imminent influenza pandemic. Studies evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of traditional (egg-grown, subvirion and whole virus) vaccines and alternative vaccine approaches (recombinant, live-attenuated and adjuvanted vaccines) have been performed. Results show that, using unadjuvanted subvirion vaccines, at least two vaccine doses containing high dosages of influenza virus hemagglutinin are needed to elicit a titer of antibody that has been associated with protection in vaccinated subjects. High antigen-dosage requirements may be reduced and immunogenicity improved with the use of whole virus vaccines or adjuvants, such as MF59 and GlaxoSmithKline proprietary adjuvant. There is a suggestion that prepandemic priming against drifted H5N1 variants is possible; however, additional data are needed. Newer approaches using live-attenuated, DNA vaccines and conserved epitopes are currently under development.
A relaxation algorithm for segmentation of the endocardial surface from cine CT

A relaxation algorithm has been developed for automated segmentation of the endocardial surface from contrast cine-CT (computer tomography) images. The image is contoured at an initial density threshold, and a one-dimensional edge operator is applied orthogonally to each point of the contour. Output from the operator is used to generate a histogram, the mode of which identifies a new threshold. The image is contoured again at the new threshold and the process is repeated. Iteration continues with successive threshold estimates converging to a stable value in the region of the endocardial surface. Computer-determined thresholds compare favorably with manual segmentation while reducing processing time and increasing reproducibility. >
Effect of Handle Design and Target Location on Wrist Posture during Aiming with a Laparoscopic Tool

Laparoscopic surgery is a rapidly increasing field in healthcare today. However, current laparoscopic tools have inadequate handle designs and have been directly linked to post-surgery pain among surgeons. This study recruited forty subjects (20 male, 20 female) to evaluate the effect of handle design as well as target location on accuracy, precision, and wrist posture during an aiming task. Two laparoscopic tools were used for this study: a commercially available scissor-grip tool and a custom-designed ergo-grip tool. Each subject was asked to aim through a trocar at the center of one of five targets using one of the tools. The target was viewed by a laparoscopic camera and presented on a television. The results of this study showed that accuracy and precision were affected by both target position and tool; however, the differences were small (<2 mm). Wrist flexion and ulnar deviation angles were affected by both target position and tool. Differences due to target position were expected given different hand locations are required to hit each target. Flexion angle was significantly smaller for the ergo-grip tool as opposed to the scissor-grip tool. Ulnar deviation angle was significantly smaller for the scissor-grip tool than for the ergo-grip tool. All but one subject preferred the ergogrip tool when performing the task, suggesting that wrist flexion is a stronger predictor of comfort than ulnar deviation though both should be considered when designing ergonomic hand tools.
Distributed and Asynchronous Data Collection in Cognitive Radio Networks with Fairness Consideration

As a promising communication paradigm, Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs) have paved a road for Secondary Users (SUs) to opportunistically exploit unused licensed spectrum without causing unacceptable interference to Primary Users (PUs). In this paper, we study the distributed data collection problem for asynchronous CRNs, which has not been addressed before. We study the Proper Carrier-sensing Range (PCR) for SUs. By working with this PCR, an SU can successfully conduct data transmission without disturbing the activities of PUs and other SUs. Subsequently, based on the PCR, we propose an Asynchronous Distributed Data Collection (ADDC) algorithm with fairness consideration for CRNs. ADDC collects a snapshot of data to the base station in a distributed manner without the time synchronization requirement. The algorithm is scalable and more practical compared with centralized and synchronized algorithms. Through comprehensive theoretical analysis, we show that ADDC is order-optimal in terms of delay and capacity, as long as an SU has a positive probability to access the spectrum. Furthermore, we extend ADDC to deal with the continuous data collection issue, and analyze the delay and capacity performances of ADDC for continuous data collection, which are also proven to be order-optimal. Finally, extensive simulation results indicate that ADDC can effectively accomplish a data collection task and significantly reduce data collection delay.
Experimental Measurements and Numerical Modeling Validation of Temperature Distribution in Tissue Medium During Short Pulse Laser Irradiation

The objective of this paper is to analyze the temperature distributions and heat affected zone in skin tissue medium when irradiated with either a collimated or a focused laser beam from a short pulse laser source. Single-layer and three-layer tissue phantoms containing embedded inhomogeneities are used as a model of human skin tissue having subsurface tumor. Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is used in this study. Experimental measurements of axial and radial temperature distribution in the tissue phantom are compared with the numerical modeling results. For numerical modeling, the transient radiative transport equation is first solved using discrete ordinates method for obtaining the intensity distribution and radiative heat flux inside the tissue medium. Then the temperature distribution is obtained by coupling the bio-heat transfer equation with either hyperbolic non-Fourier or parabolic Fourier heat conduction model. The hyperbolic heat conduction equation is solved using MacCormack’s scheme with error terms correction. It is observed that experimentally measured temperature distribution is in good agreement with that predicted by hyperbolic heat conduction model. The experimental measurements also demonstrate that converging laser beam focused directly at the subsurface location can produce desired high temperature at that location as compared to that produced by collimated laser beam for the same laser parameters.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Virus detection and removal service architecture in digital ecosystems

We present a virus detection-and-removal service architecture for digital ecosystems which is inspired by biological ecosystems. This service becomes active as soon as a virus infection of a machine is identified. In a biological ecosystem, as a virus is found to be active, all organisms infected by it need to be identified and treated. In some cases, if they cannot be treated, the only option left is to isolate them and treat them until they are cured. Our approach follows the same idea. All the hosts present in the digital ecosystems, are provided the virus removal service using a host connection table stored at each host. Using our approach, a virus can be removed at a very fast speed from the entire ecosystem.
Spatial Relationship between the Ventricular Septal Defect and the Anomalous Muscle Bundle in a Double‐chambered Right Ventricle

Background. The hemodynamic profile and surgical approach to a double-chambered right ventricle (RV) are influenced by the position of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) in relation to the obstructing muscle bundle. This relationship, however, has not been systematically evaluated, with available literature yielding conflicting results. The objective of this study was to describe this relationship in a series of consecutive patients. Design: This is a retrospective study of patients with double-chambered RV at a single institution between 1999 and 2005. The location of the VSD in relation to the obstructing muscle bundle was established by a review of echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, and surgical notes. Results. Twenty-seven patients were identified, and 4 excluded because of inadequate data. There was no disagreement among the methods to determine the relationship between the VSD and the muscle bundle(s). The median age was 65 months (8–204 months). An associated VSD was seen in 21 patients (91%); 18 perimembranous (86%), 2 muscular (9%), and 1 supracristal (5%). The VSD was proximal to the obstructing muscle bundle in 13 (62%), and distal to the bundle in 9 (38%); the supracristal defect was distal, the 2 muscular were proximal, and 11 (61%) of the perimembranous defect were proximal to the muscle bundle. Conclusion. The position of the VSD in relation to the anomalous muscle bundle in a double-chambered RV is heterogeneous. The majority of defects communicate with the high-pressure chamber proximal to the muscle bundle(s).
Semantic query transformation using ontologies

Traditional approaches to query processing aim at rewriting a given query into another more efficient one that uses less time and/or resources during the execution. There by, the rewritten query must be equivalent to the initial one, i.e., it must provide the same result. However, rewriting queries in equivalent ways do not always satisfy the user's needs, in particular when the user does not receive any answer at all. In this paper, we propose a new approach for query processing which allows to rewrite a query into another one which is not necessary equivalent but can provide more meaningful result satisfying the user's intention. For this purpose, we illustrate how semantic knowledge inform of ontologies could be effectively used. We develop a set of rewriting rules which rely on semantic information extracted form the ontology associated with the database. In addition, we discuss features of the necessary mappings between the ontology and its underlying database.
Investment in Familiar Territory: Tourism and New Foreign Direct Investment:

This article investigates the influence of tourism on foreign direct investment. Firms' foreign direct investment (FDI) decisions require detailed information about the host country's competitors, ...
A Conserved Domain of Yeast RNA Triphosphatase Flanking the Catalytic Core Regulates Self-association and Interaction with the Guanylyltransferase Component of the mRNA Capping Apparatus

The 549-amino acid yeast RNA triphosphatase Cet1p catalyzes the first step in mRNA cap formation. Cet1p consists of three domains as follows: (i) a 230-amino acid N-terminal segment that is dispensable for catalysis in vitro and for Cet1p function in vivo; (ii) a protease-sensitive segment from residues 230 to 275 that is dispensable for catalysis but essential for Cet1p function in vivo; and (iii) a catalytic domain from residues 275 to 539. Sedimentation analysis indicates that purified Cet1(231–549)p is a homodimer. Cet1(231–549)p binds in vitro to the yeast RNA guanylyltransferase Ceg1p to form a 7.1 S complex that we surmise to be a trimer consisting of two molecules of Cet1(231–549)p and one molecule of Ceg1p. The more extensively truncated protein Cet1(276–549)p, which cannot support cell growth, sediments as a monomer and does not interact with Ceg1p. An intermediate deletion protein Cet1(246–549)p, which supports cell growth only when overexpressed, sediments principally as a discrete salt-stable 11.5 S homo-oligomeric complex. These data implicate the segment of Ceg1p from residues 230 to 275 in regulating self-association and in binding to Ceg1p. Genetic data support the existence of a Ceg1p-binding domain flanking the catalytic domain of Cet1p, to wit: (i) the ts growth phenotype of 2μCET1(246–549) is suppressed by overexpression of Ceg1p; (ii) a ts alanine cluster mutationCET1(201–549)/K250A-W251A is suppressed by overexpression of Ceg1p; and (iii) 15 othercet-ts alleles with missense changes mapping elsewhere in the protein are not suppressed by Ceg1p overexpression. Finally, we show that the in vivo function of Cet1(275–549)p is completely restored by fusion to the guanylyltransferase domain of the mouse capping enzyme. We hypothesize that the need for Ceg1p binding by yeast RNA triphosphatase can by bypassed when the triphosphatase catalytic domain is delivered to the RNA polymerase II elongation complex by linkage in cis to the mammalian guanylyltransferase.
Non-Invasive Infrasound Heart Murmur Detection with a Support Vector Machine (SVM) Classification Approach

The goal of this paper is to present new devices and techniques that detect low frequency vibrations from the human chest and correlate them to cardiac conditions. Several new devices and techniques of detecting a human heart murmur have been developed through the extraction of vibrations primarily in the range of 10 - 150 Hertz (Hz) on the human chest. The devices and techniques have been tested on different types of simulators and through clinical trials with the consent of the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board (IRB). Signals were collected using a Kardiac Infrasound Device (KID) and accelerometers integrated with a custom MATLAB software interface and a data acquisition system. Using the interface, the data was analyzed and classifi'ed by a Support Vector Machine (SVM) approach. Results show that the SVM was able to classify signals under different testing environments. For clinical trials, the SVM distinguished between normal and abnormal cardiac conditions and between pathological and non-pathological cardiac conditions. Finally, using the various devices, a correlation between heart murmurs and normal hearts was observed from human chest vibrations.
Effect of Light on Neoprene. I. Discoloration of GR-M Vulcanizates by Direct Sunlight

Abstract 1. White GR-M vulcanizates discolor differently in direct sunlight from what would be predicted from results obtained with standard light-aging devices. 2. Accelerated light-aging tests are of value for preliminary screening purposes if the control (of known stability to sunlight) is discolored to about the same extent as it would be by sunlight. Under these circumstances accelerated light tests indicate the other stocks to be relatively more stable with respect to the control than does exposure to direct sunlight. 3. Stocks most stable to light are obtained by using high proportions of the rutile crystalline form of titanium dioxide as white pigment. Variations in curing time affect only the initial color of the stock before exposure to light and not its resistance to discoloration by sunlight. 4. The results in this paper apply only to GR-M and to no other Neoprene, and only where outdoor exposures are involved. Preliminary results obtained by aging GR-M in indirect sunlight (behind glass) indi...
Analysis Of International Ethical Standards In Accounting

This study examined the international standards regarding ethics education for professional accountants in the International Federation of Accountants International Education Standard (IES 4) and International Education Practice Statement 1 and analyzed the curricula of a set of U.S. AACSB institutions to assess if they are meeting the ethics requirements. None of the schools selected for this study appears to have met the ethics requirements to an acceptable level; however, the private (religious-based) institutions examined came closer to the international model for ethical education for professional accountants. The study further suggests that the lost faith in the accounting profession and financial reporting system can only be regained by constructive efforts of U.S. regulators, educators and accounting professionals.
Prostaglandins, Norepinephrine, Angiotensin II and Blood Pressure Changes Induced by Uteroplacental Ischemia in Rabbits

Infrarenal aortic constriction was performed on pregnant rabbits on the 21st day of gestation, and the ensuing responses to uteroplacental ischemia were compared to sham-operated pregnant and constricted nonpregnant rabbits. Aortic constriction in pregnant animals induced hypertension (25–41% rise), proteinuria, thrombocytopenia (40% decrease), hypovolemia, decreased packed cell volume and fetal growth retardation. Renal fibrin deposition was demonstrated in the glomerular mesangium. In addition, pressor responsiveness to the administration of both angiotensin II and norepinephrine was increased. Correlation of higher plasma norepinephrine content with blood pressure suggests that an α-adrenergic mechanism is activated by the ischemia of the pregnant uterus. Veins draining ischemic uteroplacental tissues contained 2.5 and 2 fold higher amounts of angiotensin II and PGE2 respectively. Because arterial levels of these substances either decreased or remained unchanged, it is suggested that they may have indu...
The Distribution and Transport of Alpha Activity in Tin

The presence of alpha emitters in packaging materials pose an increased risk to device reliability as device size decreases and flip chip and 3-D packaging technology becomes more widespread. Particularly troubling is the observation that alpha emission increases over time in some reported instances. Several experiments were conducted to examine alpha flux behavior in tin materials and determine the cause for the temporal alpha emissivity increase. The experiments determined the distribution of the alpha emitters within the material volume, and a mechanism based on microsegregation is presented to explain the non uniform distribution. Data describing differential isotope distribution within tin are also presented, providing confirmation of 210Po transport within a solid tin matrix. The effects of microsegregation and 210Po migration on alpha emissivity over time will be discussed. Potential impacts from these mechanisms on alpha emissivity in packaging applications will also be presented.
Divergent modulation of Src-family kinase regulatory interactions with ATP-competitive inhibitors.

Multidomain protein kinases, central controllers of signal transduction, use regulatory domains to modulate catalytic activity in a complex cellular environment. Additionally, these domains regulate noncatalytic functions, including cellular localization and protein–protein interactions. Src-family kinases (SFKs) are promising therapeutic targets for a number of diseases and are an excellent model for studying the regulation of multidomain kinases. Here, we demonstrate that the regulatory domains of the SFKs Src and Hck are divergently affected by ligands that stabilize two distinct inactive ATP-binding site conformations. Conformation-selective, ATP-competitive inhibitors differentially modulate the ability of the SH3 and SH2 domains of Src and Hck to engage in intermolecular interactions and the ability of the kinase–inhibitor complex to undergo post-translational modification by effector enzymes. This surprising divergence in regulatory domain behavior by two classes of inhibitors that each stabilize i...
A Characterization of the Geometric Distribution

(1965). A Characterization of the Geometric Distribution. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 256-260.
Current Situation and Analysis of Soil Nutrient and Plant Nutrient of Apple Orchards in the Superiority Areas of Apple Production in the Middle and Southern Part of Shanxi Province

By testing,analyzing,and summing up soil and plant samples of apple orchards in the areas of superiority for apple production in the middle and south of Shanxi Province,this article makes clear of current situation of orchard soil and plant nutrient in this area,refers to external and internal relative documents to analyze and evaluate,and at the same time carries out analysis on correlation of orchard soil nutrient and plant nutrient.The result shows:soil organic matter content and organic fertilization amount,whole nitrogen of soil and the amount of application of nitrogen,the effective phosphorus of soil and the amount of application of phosphorus fertilizer,and the quick-acting potassium of soil and the amount of application of potassium becomes positive correlation.The content of the whole nitrogen of plants and the whole nitrogen of soil,the whole phosphorus content of the Plant and content of soil P_2O_5 and the plant K content and soil K_2O content becomes negative correlation.
Investigation and analysis on the hygeian status of ganoderma products on sale

[Objective]To understand the hygeian status of ganoderma products on sale in certain district and find out its problems,to explore the hygeian administrative model on ganoderma products and provide some data for policy-making. [Methods] The wording of prepackaged label,microorganism and heavy metal contaminations of 43 ganoderma products were analyzed. [Results] Qualified rate of prepackaged label of 43 ganoderma products was 18.60 percent.The chief unqualified reasons were exaggeration of its therapeutic effect and in want of a standard mark.According to General Standard for Healthy Food,79.07 percent of the data of microorganism and heavy metal including lead,arsenic and mercury contaminantions were under the maximum allowance levels. [Conclusion] Products standard should be legislated in order to strengthen the administration on ganoderma products and safeguard the health of consumers.
Gauge Coupling Unification and Neutrino Masses in 5D SUSY SO(10)

In this talk I discuss the problems and virtues of SUSY GUTs in four dimensions. I then show how to solve some of these problems, without foregoing the virtues, by considering an SO(10) SUSY GUT in five dimensions. I discuss gauge coupling unification and neutrino masses. In particular, it is shown that the 5D compactification scale and cutoff scale are determined by fitting the low energy values of the three standard model gauge couplings. Neutrino masses can be accommodated.
Anticipations of the General Theory

“Those who are strongly wedded to what I shall call ‘the classical theory’ will fluctuate, I expect, between a belief that I am quite wrong and a belief that I am saying nothing new.”1 Did Keynes actually say something new? He certainly said something quite different as compared with what most other economists were saying at the time, but it is not difficult to find in the literature of economics many of the same ideas earlier expressed. In fact, somewhere in literature every element of the Keynesian system was at some time discussed. But no single theorist ever worked out a complete and determinate model based on (1) the propensity to consume (save), (2) the marginal efficiency of capital, and (3) liquidity preference.† All the predecessors of Keynes to be discussed in this chapter failed to make use of one or more of the Keynesian ideas. Furthermore, many of these forerunners had not clearly in their minds the theoretical formulations, and it is often necessary to read between the lines in order to reconcile their views with those of today. We shall make no attempt to consider every author in history who discussed economic problems along the lines of Keynesian analysis, but shall merely select some of the better known cranks, heretics, and respectable economists who have concerned themselves with the problem of unemployment.
The retarded layer potentials

In this chapter we are going to introduce the basic concepts of time domain acoustic layer potentials and how they can be used to represent the solutions of scattering problems. All notions introduced in this chapter will be given at an intuitive level and with basically no formalization. The reader will find a precise sketch of the theory in the next chapters. For the sake of clarity, let me remark here: Sections 1.1 through 1.3 deal with three-dimensional waves. Just by looking at the mathematical expressions therein, it will be clear that Sections 1.4 through 1.6 are dimension-independent. Section 1.7 revisits the particular three-dimensional case, using the specific formulas for the Huygens’ single layer potential. Finally, Section 1.8 will present formulas for the two-dimensional case.
Detection of Vulnerable Coronary Plaque; The Emerging Role of Intravascular Ultrasound

Sudden rupture of vulnerable coronary plaques is the initiating event of most acute coronary syndromes. However, asymptomatic episodes of plaque vulnerability, rupture and fibrosis may be far more common and related to atherosclerotic disease progression. The identification and eventual treatment of these vulnerable coronary plaques is a major challenge in cardiology [1]. Current diagnostic techniques can not yet reliably identify vulnerable plaques. Intravascular ultrasound, an established interventional technique, is one of the most promising imaging approaches to identify these plaques in vivo. This article will describe the current role of IVUS in the detection of vulnerable plaques based on a comparison to the underlying vascular biology.
Radiation Dose Escalation in Esophageal Cancer Revisited: A Contemporary Analysis of the National Cancer Data Base, 2004 to 2012

Purpose To evaluate the effect of radiation dose escalation on overall survival (OS) for patients with nonmetastatic esophageal cancer treated with concurrent radiation and chemotherapy. Methods and Materials Patients diagnosed with stage I to III esophageal cancer treated from 2004 to 2012 were identified from the National Cancer Data Base. Patients who received concurrent radiation and chemotherapy with radiation doses of ≥50 Gy and did not undergo surgery were included. OS was compared using Cox proportional hazards regression and propensity score matching. Results A total of 6854 patients were included; 3821 (55.7%) received 50 to 50.4 Gy and 3033 (44.3%) received doses >50.4 Gy. Univariate analysis revealed no significant difference in OS between patients receiving 50 to 50.4 Gy and those receiving >50.4 Gy ( P =.53). The dose analysis, binned as 50 to 50.4, 51 to 54, 55 to 60, and >60 Gy, revealed no appreciable difference in OS within any group compared with 50 to 50.4 Gy. Subgroup analyses investigating the effect of dose escalation by histologic type and in the setting of intensity modulated radiation therapy also failed to reveal a benefit. Propensity score matching confirmed the absence of a statistically significant difference in OS among the dose levels. The factors associated with improved OS on multivariable analysis included female sex, lower Charlson-Deyo comorbidity score, private insurance, cervical/upper esophagus location, squamous cell histologic type, lower T stage, and node-negative status ( P Conclusions In this large national cohort, dose escalation >50.4 Gy did not result in improved OS among patients with stage I to III esophageal cancer treated with definitive concurrent radiation and chemotherapy. These data suggest that despite advanced contemporary treatment techniques, OS for patients with esophageal cancer remains unaltered by escalation of radiation dose >50.4 Gy, consistent with the results of the INT-0123 trial. Furthermore, these data highlight that many radiation oncologists have not embraced the concept that dose escalation does not improve OS. Although local control, not investigated in the present study, might benefit from dose escalation, novel therapies are needed to improve the OS of patients with esophageal cancer.
Personality traits and dysfunctional construal of online health promotion messages.

With the Internet becoming increasingly popular as a source of information, blogs offering healthy lifestyle techniques and knowledge have become popular and accessible. Despite their focus on health, these blogs portray content that may be negatively construed by viewers, especially those with or at risk for eating disorders. The present study investigated changes in affect and self-esteem after viewing a prototypic health blog. Personality traits, specifically neuroticism and conscientiousness, were also investigated. A prototypic health blog was constructed after extensive review of existing blogs. A parallel format was then followed to create a home decor website for a control condition. Female undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of two blog sites, and participants completed an earlier personality assessment and post-viewing study questionnaires. Contrary to the hypothesis that readers of the health blog will report more negative outcomes, no main effect of blog condition was found. However, individuals high in trait neuroticism experienced greater differences in negative affect, but not self-esteem, when viewing the health blog versus the control blog. This study found that viewing health blogs did not have immediate effects on affect and self-esteem, but more neurotic individuals were more inclined to experience negative affect when viewing health promotion messages. Personality traits assessed prior to the experiment were more predictive of negative affect and self-esteem during the experiment than blog viewing conditions. No level of evidence, experimental study.
Proceedings of the 2007 workshop on Workshop on ML

We are pleased to welcome you to the 2007 ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on ML. The ML family of programming languages, whose most popular dialects are Standard ML and Objective Caml, has inspired a tremendous amount of computer science research, both practical and theoretical. ML continues to be employed successfully in applications ranging from compilers and theorem provers to low-level systems software, web applications and video games. The Workshop on ML aims to bring together researchers, developers and users of ML to hear about and discuss the latest work on the design, semantics, implementation and application of ML and ML-like languages. This year, we sought submissions of two varieties: research papers and status reports (which we originally called work-in-progress reports). Research papers describe novel research that has not been published elsewhere, and we judged them according to the standards of past ML workshops. Status reports were judged to a lower standard of novelty and execution. We introduced the status report category in order to provide authors with a venue for informing others in the ML community about the status of ML-related research or implementation projects, as well as communicating insights gained from such projects, without having to write a full research paper. The call for papers attracted 16 submissions: 8 research papers and 8 status reports. Each submission was reviewed by three international referees. During a five-day electronic meeting, the program committee selected 9 submissions for presentation at the workshop: 4 research papers, 4 status reports, and one paper that was submitted in the category of research paper but that the committee elected to accept as a status report. We are also fortunate to have an invited talk from Didier Remy, senior researcher at INRIA Rocquencourt, about his recent work on the type system of MLF , which is designed to bridge the expressiveness gap between ML and System F. An abstract of his talk is included in the proceedings. The workshop will conclude with a session called 5-Minute Madness, in which members of the audience are encouraged to give brief impromptu presentations of ideas or work-in-progress concerning a particular topic. The topic this year will be Design Ideas for Next-Generation ML. We hope that this session will generate lively discussion, as it has in its previous incarnations at other recent workshops. However, as it is a deliberately informal session, there is no record of it included in the proceedings.
Attribute based sharing in cybersecurity information exchange framework

As the complexity of the cyber attacks are increasing, there is a growing demand for proactive defense against them. CYBersecurity information EXchange (CYBEX) is playing a crucial role to implement proactive defense. CYBEX conveys organizations' sensitive information which demands proper access control management. However, previous works in this area do not consider access control for CYBEX. In this work, we tackle the access control problem in CYBEX. We model the attribute based access control in CYBEX with a semi-trusted sharing server. To achieve attribute based access control in CYBEX, our mechanism is developed based on the concepts of ciphertext policy attribute based encryption (CP-ABE) [1] and STIX [2]. The mechanism's workflow is as follows, at the beginning users claim their attributes from attribute authorities, then a key generation center generates decryption keys for users based on their attributes. For the sharing, organizations embed access control to their shared data. This is conducted by encrypting sensitive information such that only users with appropriate attributes can decrypt them. Security analysis, implementation and performance evaluation indicate the effectiveness and efficiency of the mechanism.
FcγR3A genotype influences the inhibition of activated T cell proliferation by infliximab and adalimumab (HUM1P.313)

The anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibodies, infliximab and adalimumab are efficacious in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients but their relevant mechanism(s) of action (MOA) are not fully elucidated. Neutralization of TNF activity is a key efficacy mechanism, but may not be the only relevant MOA for efficacy in CD. Fc receptor-mediated dampening of the immune response has been proposed as one of the alternative hypotheses. Two FcγR3A-158 polymorphisms (158V and 158F) have been shown to influence binding affinity of IgG1 antibodies, and CD patients with V/V genotypes have increased biological responses to infliximab. Previous work by others showed that in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), infliximab and adalimumab induced formation of immunosuppressive macrophages in an Fc region-dependent manner and that these macrophages inhibited proliferation of activated T cells. We ran MLRs with FcγR3A genotype-matched donor pairs to determine if Fc receptor genotype influenced the anti-inflammatory response by infliximab and adalimumab. Our results showed that regulatory macrophages were induced regardless of FcγR3A genotype but that decreases in T cell proliferation were more pronounced with V/V donor pairs than with V/F or F/F genotypes. In conclusion, our work suggests that infliximab and adalimumab may be more effective at inducing an anti-inflammatory state in individuals with the 158V polymorphism of FcγR3A.
Effect of nursing-calf implant timing on growth performance and carcass characteristics

The objective of this study was to compare pre- and postweaning growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality attributes of calves that did not receive an implant or were implanted early or late in the nursing period. Crossbred steer calves ( = 135) were stratified by birth date and birth weight and randomly assigned to the following implant treatments: control (CON; no preweaning implant), 58 d (EARLY; 36 mg zeranol, administered at an average of 58 ± 13 d of age), and 121 d (LATE; 36 mg zeranol, administered at an average 121 ± 13 d of age). After weaning, steers were blocked by initial feed yard BW to 15 pens (5 pens/treatment and 9 steers/pen). All steers were implanted on d 21 after arrival at the feed yard and again on d 108 of finishing. Steer BW and ultrasound assessment of rib eye area (uREA), rib fat thickness (uRFT), and percent intramuscular fat (uIMF) were collected when implants were administered, at weaning, and on harvest day. Carcass measurements included HCW, rib eye area (REA), 12th-rib fat thickness (FT), and marbling score. Objective color (L*, a*, and b*) was recorded, and a 3.8-cm strip loin section was removed from both sides of each carcass and portioned into 2.54-cm steaks that were aged for 3 or 14 d for analysis of cook loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). The remaining portion of each sample was used for analysis of moisture and crude fat. Steer BW, ADG, and G:F did not differ among treatments ( > 0.05). Steers implanted in the EARLY treatment had a greater ( 0.05); however, steers on the CON treatment had a greater ( ≤ 0.05) percent uIMF than EARLY implanted steers, whereas steers receiving the LATE implant were intermediate and not different from the other treatments. Hot carcass weight, REA, FT, USDA yield grade, marbling score, and objective color did not differ ( > 0.05) among treatments. The proportion of steers in each USDA yield and quality grade was similar ( > 0.05) among treatments, and no differences were detected for total carcass value or price per 45.4 kg (hundredweight; > 0.05). Treatment did not influence ( > 0.05) percent cook loss, crude fat, moisture, or WBSF. In conclusion, administering a nursing implant, regardless of timing, did not influence live performance, carcass characteristics, or meat quality of steers fed in this study.
Called to Account: Putting Anxiety to Work

This chapter recounts how the first of several invitations to speak about my career prompted me to revisit the question Erik Erikson identifies as central to adolescence: Who am I? Who can I be? Like adolescents—and like many of my young-old peers—I found myself working to construct a viable new social identity. Unexpectedly, in rising to the challenge of the invitation, I learned to love the anxiety it generated within me and to affirm my commitment to frank speaking—the kind of direct address that rejects an over-reliance on theory and that draws on our own experiences to engage our listeners in self-reflection. My new understandings of anxiety and the solace of frank speech are grounded in the work of Soren Kierkegaard and Michel Foucault, respectively.
Formulation of UV Curable Resins Utilized in Vat Photo Polymerization for the Additive Manufacturing of Gun Propulsion Charge in 3D Printers (Update)

Formulating resins specifically for UV laser stereolithography (SLA) is a promising material development process in the additive manufacturing (AM) of enhanced gun propulsion charges due to the ability to fabricate complex geometries with high-dimensional resolution. Free radical initiated polymerization (FRP) incorporated into new and evolving SLA 3D printers is an ideal process for generating gun charges, but it requires formulators to pay specific attention to the monomer/oligomer selection, light source output, photoinitiator system, and additives to stabilize the liquid formulation and the resulting final polymer. Furthermore, formulations must have high energy density with acceptable mechanical properties in order to enhance the propellant performance, often represented in terms of impetus, or force exerted on the projectile. In this work, custom energetic SLA resins for propellants have been formulated, characterized, and processed on a Formlabs 1+ printer.
KmerEstimate: A Streaming Algorithm for Estimating k-mer Counts with Optimal Space Usage

The frequency distribution of k-mers (substrings of length k in a DNA/RNA sequence) is very useful for many bioinformatics applications that use next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Some examples of these include de Bruijn graph based assembly, read error correction, genome size prediction, and digital normalization. In developing tools for such applications, counting (or estimating) k-mers with low frequency is a pre-processing phase. However, computing k-mer frequency histogram becomes computationally challenging for large-scale genomic data. We present KmerEstimate, a \em streaming algorithm that approximates the count of k-mers with a given frequency in a genomic data set. Our algorithm is based on a well known adaptive sampling based streaming algorithm due to Bar-Yossef et al. for approximating distinct elements in a data stream. We implemented and tested our algorithm on several data sets. The results of our algorithm are better than that of other streaming approaches used so far for this problem (notably $ntCard$, the state-of-the-art streaming approach) and is within 0.6% error rate. It uses less memory than $ntCard$ as the sample size is almost 85% less than that of $ntCard$. In addition, our algorithm has provable approximation and space usage guarantees. We also show certain space complexity lower bounds. The source code of our algorithm is available at \urlhttps://github.com/srbehera11/KmerEstimate. We present KmerEstimate, a \em streaming algorithm that approximates the count of k-mers with a given frequency in a genomic data set. Our algorithm is based on a well known adaptive sampling based streaming algorithm due to Bar-Yossef et al. for approximating distinct elements in a data stream. We implemented and tested our algorithm on several data sets. The results of our algorithm are better than that of other streaming approaches used so far for this problem (notably $ntCard$, the state-of-the-art streaming approach) and are within 0.6% error rate. It uses less memory than $ntCard$ as the sample size is almost 85% less than that of $ntCard$. In addition, our algorithm has provable approximation and space usage guarantees. We also show certain space complexity lower bounds. The source code of our algorithm is available at \urlhttps://github.com/srbehera11/KmerEstimate.
Competing with confidence: The ticket to labor market success for college-educated women

Abstract This study examines whether the female earnings gap results from gender differences in preferences for competition and confidence. We use laboratory experiments on college seniors to measure tastes for competition and confidence and then track these subjects’ labor market experiences in the early years after college. Women's compensation is positively correlated with preferences for competition coupled with confidence while men's compensation is not. Women who exhibit a taste to compete and are confident about their performance earn substantially more than other women and do not earn less than men. Further, enjoying competition or being confident alone is insufficient to raise compensation. Half of this female earnings’ effect is explained by college major and labor market controls, but even controlling for these characteristics, a higher taste for competition for the most confident women results in more than a 7% increase in compensation.
EXAMINING THE EXTERNALITY OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ON CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

I exploit differences in the generosity of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits across states and over time to investigate the link between UI and children's academic achievement. Estimates show that a 1% increase in maximum weekly UI benefits reduces the probability that a child repeats a grade by around 0.03 percentage points. The effect is concentrated among children of low‐ and middle‐income families. This paper's findings, which are the first in the literature to show evidence of a positive effect of UI on children's educational outcomes, provide insight into the role of UI in the human capital accumulation of children. (JEL I20, I38, J65)
C-Myc regulation by Notch Signaling Modulates T Cell Differentiation

Notch signaling is essential for T lineage commitment and further required during early phases of thymocyte differentiation. Active Notch signaling during early stages of T cell development inhibits other lineage potentials, such as B cell and myeloid cell ( e.g. , dendritic cell) potentials. However, the intracellular signaling pathways by which Notch signaling regulates T cell differentiation remain unknown. Here we show that the transcriptional factor c-Myc is controlled by Notch signaling which regulates T cell differentiation. In a well-established in vitro differentiation of T lymphocytes from stem cells, Notch signaling directly controls c-Myc expression. Overexpression of active c-Myc promotes while dominant-negative (dn) c-Myc inhibits early cell differentiation. Moreover, c-Myc expression mediated by Notch signaling modulates survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein, which is crucial for T cell development. Overexpression of active c-Myc increases while dn c-Myc reduces survivin expression, which corresponds to T cell differentiation within the in vitro differentiation system. These results identify c-Myc, together with survivin, as regulators of the differentiation of T cells from Notch signaling.