cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Definitionen und Terminologie

Unter Kreiselpumpen versteht man alle diejenigen Pumpen, deren Wirkung durch die rotierende Bewegung eines oder mehrerer Laufrader hervorgerufen wird. In der ersten Zeit der Pumpenentwicklung wurde die Wirkung im wesentlichen den Zentrifugalkraften zugeschrieben. Spater kamen auch Axialpumpen auf, deren Wirkungsweise nicht auf Zentrifugalkraften beruht. Eine gesonderte Behandlung der Axialpumpen ist aber nicht gerechtfertigt, weil sie nur das eine Extrem einer Reihe von Pumpentypen darstellt, an deren anderem Ende die reine Radialpumpe steht. Die Typen, die zwischen den beiden Extremen liegen, werden halbaxiale Pumpen genannt Die Stromung durch das Laufrad weist sowohl radiale wie axiale Komponenten auf; das Laufrad ahnelt einer Schiffsschraube.
Alterations in immune responsiveness in women exposed to diethylstilbestrol in utero

In order to study the effect of in utero diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure on the immune system of adult women, the blastogenic response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to two mitogens was compared in eight DES-exposed patients and in eight age-matched controls with normal menstrual cycles and proven fertility. As measured by the uptake of 3 H-thymidine (mean [± standard error]), response to the T-cell mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was significantly higher ( P 3 cpm) than in controls (44.0 ± 8.9 × 10 3 cpm) at the lowest dose of mitogen tested (0.125 μ g/ml). Moreover, lymphocytes of DES-exposed subjects showed maximal blastogenic response to PHA at a concentration (0.125 μ g/ml) two to four times lower ( P μ g/ml to 0.5 μ g/ml). Cells of both DES-exposed subjects and controls were maximally responsive to pokeweed mitogen (PWM) at the lowest dose tested (0.625 μ g/ml). These findings suggest that in utero DES exposure is associated with a hyper-reactive immune response during the reproductive years.
Fatal methadone poisoning in children: report of four cases.

During the past two years, the Brooklyn office of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City has encountered four deaths in children due to methadone poisoning. In all cases, prepared methadone drinks or methadone hydrochloride tablets were carelessly left around the house within the reach of children by either parents or friends of the family who were on a methadone maintenance program. The increasing use of this oral methadone maintenance technique in the management of heroin addicts has made this drug more accessible, thereby increasing the danger of accidental ingestion by children. It is to be expected that with even wider adoption of this program, that accidental methadone poisoning in children will become more common. Four deaths in children due to methadone poisoning are presented in this communication.
Dual oxidase expression is epigenetically silenced in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Recent reports have suggested that Dual Oxidases (DUOX1 & DUOX2) are epigenetically silenced in non-small cell lung, hepatocellular, and breast cancers and may act as tumor suppressor genes. These NADPH Oxidase (NOX) family members are responsible for the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the extracellular surface of cells. However, epigenetic silencing of DUOX in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has never been studied. In vitro, we observed that DUOX1 and DUOX2 mRNA and protein expression was significantly reduced in all PDAC cell lines tested when compared to a non-tumorigenic pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line. In addition, 5-azacitidine, an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferases, induced the expression of DUOX1 and DUOX2 (5-20 fold, P 50%) in expression of DUOX 1 and 2 when compared to adjacent, normal pancreas. Overall, these results suggest that DUOX expression is epigenetically silenced and may present as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Atmospheric pressure high-power impulse plasma source for deposition of metallic coatings

A novel high-power impulse plasma source (HiPIPS) technology that combines atmospheric pressure plasma jets with high-power pulsed direct current generators is described. Pulsed power is applied in microsecond pulses (20 µs) at low duty cycle (10%) and low frequency (0.5 kHz) leading to high peak power densities (10–75 kW) and high peak currents (100–250 A) while maintaining low average power (<40 W) and low processing temperatures (<50 °C). These conditions result in the generation of a highly dense plasma discharge (ne = 6.23 × 1016 cm−3) for surface modification and deposition of coatings. Using HiPIPS, Ar-initiated metallic Ti, CoCr, or Ti–6Al–4V plasma was generated, and the plasma properties were characterized by measuring current–voltage characteristics, electron densities (Langmuir probe), and optical emission spectra. HiPIPS CoCr and Ti–6Al–4V coatings were deposited for proof of concept of the technique. The resulting coatings were examined with scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and nanoindentation.
Distributed Optimal Dynamic State Estimation for Cyber Intrusion Detection in Networked DC Microgrids

In this paper, we present a novel distributed state estimation approach in networked DC microgrids to detect the false data injection in the microgrid control network. Each microgrid monitored by a distributed state estimator will detect if there is manipulated data received from their neighboring microgrids for control purposes. A dynamic model supporting the dynamic state estimation will be constructed for the networked microgrids. The optimal distributed state estimation, which is robust to load disturbances but sensitive to false data injected from neighboring microgrids will be presented. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, we simulate a 12kV three-bus networked DC microgrids in MATLAB/Simulink. Residual information corresponding to the false data injected from neighbors validates the efficacy of the proposed approach in detecting compromised agents of neighboring microgrids.
Read-Agree-Predict: A Crowdsourced Approach to Discovering Relevant Primary Sources for Historians

Historians spend significant time evaluating the relevance of primary sources that they encounter in digitized archives and through web searches. One reason this task is time-consuming is that historians’ research interests are often highly abstract and specialized. These topics are unlikely to be manually indexed and are difficult to identify with automated text analysis techniques. In this article, we investigate the potential of a new crowdsourcing model in which the historian delegates to a novice crowd the task of evaluating the relevance of primary sources with respect to her unique research interests. The model employs a novel crowd workflow, Read-AgreePredict (RAP), that allows novice crowd workers to perform as well as expert historians. As a useful byproduct, RAP also reveals and prioritizes crowd confusions as targeted learning opportunities. We demonstrate the value of our model with two experiments with paid crowd workers (n=170), with the future goal of extending our work to classroom students and public history interventions. We also discuss broader implications for historical research and education.
Stabilizer-Free CuIr Alloy Nanoparticle Catalysts†

We present the direct synthesis of stabilizer-free Cu–Ir alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with tunable compositions. Cu and Ir are classically immiscible in the bulk. Therefore, the physical and catalytic...
Delphi: A Cryptographic Inference System for Neural Networks

Many companies provide neural network prediction services to users for a wide range of applications. However, current prediction systems compromise one party's privacy: either the user has to send sensitive inputs to the service provider for classification, or the service provider must store its proprietary neural networks on the user's device. The former harms the personal privacy of the user, while the latter reveals the service provider's proprietary model.We design, implement, and evaluate Delphi, a secure prediction system that allows two parties to execute neural network inference without revealing either party's data. Delphi approaches the problem by simultaneously co-designing cryptography and machine learning. We first design a hybrid cryptographic protocol that improves upon the communication and computation costs over prior work. Second, we develop a planner that automatically generates neural network architecture configurations that navigate the performance-accuracy trade-offs of our hybrid protocol. Together, these techniques allow us to achieve a 22x improvement in online prediction latency compared to the state-of-the-art prior work.
Predictors of Juvenile Homicide

General risk factors across all juvenile homicides will be examined. This chapter will provide a detailed review of the individual, familial, and environmental risk factors associated with juvenile homicide. Such individual factors include cognitive (i.e., IQ, brain abnormalities, and neurological deficits) and psychological aspects (i.e., common psychiatric diagnoses found across youth offenders). Additional factors include the role of dysfunctional home environments, child abuse, and parenting roles as well as the role that guns, gangs, and violent media play.
Auricular avulsion injuries and reattachment techniques: A systematic review.

Objectives Multiple surgical techniques exist in the acute management of auricular avulsion injuries, including reattachment of the tissue as a composite graft, reconstruction using local skin flaps, the pocket principle, the Baudet method, and microvascular repair. This review aimed to compare the success rates of reattachment methods in auricular avulsion injuries. Methods A PubMed search systematically identified cases in which (a) an auricular avulsion injury occurred and (b) reattachment was attempted. Search results were combined with an extensive review of references from published studies. In total, 148 cases were identified. Three reviewers independently graded the final aesthetic result of each case using a 5-point scale. The average grade of each repair was compared to the reattachment method to identify successful techniques. Results Microvascular repair was associated with a statistically significant higher success rate compared to all other reattachment methods. Composite graft reattachment also tended to generate better final aesthetic outcomes, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Microvascular repair of the avulsed segment consistently demonstrated higher success rates. Composite graft reattachment should also be considered under the right circumstances. Overall, microvascular repair and composite graft reattachment should be considered the best options in cases of auricular avulsion repair. The authors share a major concern that other methods that rely on the use of periauricular skin will compromise any future attempts for secondary reconstruction, such as staged procedures using costal cartilage grafts. Manipulation of these tissues and in particular burying of the avulsed ear cartilage is discouraged. Level of evidence 4.
Determining Sequence of Image Processing Technique (IPT) to Detect Adversarial Attacks

Developing secure machine learning models from adversarial examples is challenging as various methods are continually being developed to generate adversarial attacks. In this work, we propose an evolutionary approach to automatically determine Image Processing Techniques Sequence (IPTS) for detecting malicious inputs. Accordingly, we first used a diverse set of attack methods including adaptive attack methods (on our defense) to generate adversarial samples from the clean dataset. A detection framework based on a genetic algorithm (GA) is developed to find the optimal IPTS, where the optimality is estimated by different fitness measures such as Euclidean distance, entropy loss, average histogram, local binary pattern and loss functions. The "image difference" between the original and processed images is used to extract the features, which are then fed to a classification scheme in order to determine whether the input sample is adversarial or clean. This paper described our methodology and performed experiments using multiple data-sets tested with several adversarial attacks. For each attack-type and dataset, it generates unique IPTS. A set of IPTS selected dynamically in testing time which works as a filter for the adversarial attack. Our empirical experiments exhibited promising results indicating the approach can efficiently be used as processing for any AI model.
Preconditions for guardianship interventions in cyberbullying: Incident interpretation, collective and automated efficacy, and relative popularity of bullies

Abstract This paper examines the preconditions for direct and indirect interventions by guardians in cyberbullying incidences and, conversely, when automated prevention and detection systems are imperative and likely to be the most useful. A total of 316 young adults read messages of cyberbullying scraped from Twitter with varying degrees of relative popularity status between the sender and receiver. The respondents were then surveyed to measure their willingness to intervene either indirectly or directly in response to these instances of cyberbullying. The results show respondents expressed a greater willingness to intervene both as incidents are interpreted as cyberbullying and when their perceived severity increased. Perceptions of collective and self-efficacy (but not automated efficacy) also mattered for willingness to intervene in cyberbullying. The results also show that participants were more willing to intervene indirectly when the bully was more popular than the victim. Implications of these findings for the guardian and bystander scripts and for automated detection and prevention systems are discussed.
Personal and Environmental Contributors to Sedentary Behavior of Older Adults in Independent and Assisted Living Facilities

Sedentary behavior is associated with negative health outcomes and unhealthy aging. Older adults are the most sedentary age group, and decreasing sitting time represents an intervention target for improving health. Determinants of sedentary behavior have been examined in older adults living in their own homes, yet less is known about sedentary behavior of older adults in residential care facilities. The purpose of this study was to explore factors contributing to sedentary behavior among residents of independent and assisted living facilities. We conducted eight focus groups with residents (n = 44) and semi-structured interviews with staff (n = 6) across four living facilities. Audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed using an iterative, inductive approach. Three salient themes were identified. Residents and staff both viewed sedentary behavior negatively unless it was in the context of social engagement. Additionally, fear of falling was discussed as a significant contributor to sedentary behavior. Finally, residents felt the community living environment contributed to their sedentary behavior while staff did not. Our findings provide valuable insight for designing targeted interventions for older adults in residential facilities and suggest thinking beyond the individual and considering environmental influences on sedentary behavior in the residential care setting.
Immunotoxicity studies of trans-resveratrol in male B6C3F1/N mice

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol that is being investigated to treat and prevent various diseases, both experimentally and in the clinic. Despite increased use and interest in resver...
Energy Efficient D2D Communications Using Multiple UAV Relays

In this paper, we propose a novel optimization model for multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) working simultaneously as relays to help two set of ground users; namely relay users and device-to-device (D2D) users. The relay users are assumed out communication rages from each other and use the UAV link to for their data transmission. While the D2D users are assumed to be nearby users and use the UAV for managing the resources without being involved in the transmission. The goal of the paper is to operate the UAVs in an energy-efficient manner to support the different set of users by i) optimizing the available bandwidth and power allocations of the D2D links, and ii) acting as relays when needed to maintain the communication links between relay users. We formulate an optimization problem that maximizes the throughput-energy utility while respecting the resource availability including the UAVs’ energy consumption, UAV-user association, and trajectory constraints. Due to the non-convexity of the problem, we propose to solve it in three steps using Taylor series approximation. Firstly, we optimize the transmit power of the UAVs and users. Then, we optimize the bandwidth allocation for a given transmit power values. Finally, an efficient heuristic algorithm based on a recursive shrink-and-realign process is proposed to optimize the UAVs’ trajectories. The performance of the proposed method shows advantages in terms of average throughput compared to the fixed power and bandwidth solutions.
Experiment Selection in Meta-Analytic Piecemeal Causal Discovery

Scientists try to design experiments that will yield maximal information. For instance, given the available evidence and a limitation on the number of variables that can be observed simultaneously, it may be more informative to intervene on variable $X$ and observe the response of variable $Y$ than to intervene on $X$ and observe $Z$ ; in other situations, the opposite may be true. Scientists must often make these decisions without primary data. To address this problem, in previous work, we created software for annotating aggregate statistics in the literature and deriving consistent causal explanations, expressed as causal graphs. This meta-analytic pipeline is useful not only for synthesizing evidence but also for planning experiments: one can use it strategically to select experiments that could further eliminate causal graphs from consideration. In this paper, we introduce interpretable policies for selecting experiments in the context of piecemeal causal discovery, a common setting in biological sciences in which each experiment can measure not an entire system but rather a strict subset of its variables. The limits of this piecemeal approach are only beginning to be fully characterized, with crucial theoretical work published recently. With simulations, we show that our experiment-selection policies identify causal structures more efficiently than random experiment selection. Unlike methods that require primary data, our meta-analytic approach offers a flexible alternative for those seeking to incorporate qualitative domain knowledge into their search for causal mechanisms. We also present a method that categorizes hypotheses with respect to their utility for identifying a system’s causal structure. Although this categorization is usually infeasible to perform manually, it is critical for conducting research efficiently.
Development and dependency in the periphery: From bananas to tourism in Bocas del Toro, Panama

Abstract Many development outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean are linked to geopolitical economic systems, available technologies, and legacies of foreign economic dependence. In this article, the core (the U.S.), the periphery (Panama), and Panama’s own internal periphery (the District of Bocas del Toro), represent an interrelated global capitalist system that inherently maintains periphery marginality through exploitation and dependency over time. We illustrate this core-to-periphery phenomenon through two inextricably linked examples. Example one is the United Fruit Company’s (UFC) twentieth century era of economic dominance in the Central American banana industry, its operations, and historical impacts on Bocas del Toro, Panama (also called Bocas). Example two is the tourism industry in Bocas, particularly the late 1990s tourism boom that continues to dominate its economy today. Each example—the banana industry then and the tourism industry now—involve eras of dependence on U.S./European dominated industries. Using primary and archival data, we analyze and contrast the two distinct periods, the wellbeing of Black and Indigenous people, and contemporary development trends in Bocas (e.g., lifestyle migration/expats, residential tourism and technology). We also use labor and employment (or a lack thereof) as important indicators of local wellbeing. We show that the past record of economic dependence on the UFC in Bocas is linked to its current record of economic dependence on tourism. We suggest that tourism, as a modern neoliberal endeavor in Latin America and the Caribbean, can be deeply rooted in a history of dependency on U.S./European dominated industries and development practices.
iTree-Hydro: Snow hydrology update for the urban forest hydrology model

This article presents snow hydrology updates made to iTree-Hydro, previously called the Urban Forest Effects—Hydrology model. iTree-Hydro Version 1 was a warm climate model developed by the USDA Forest Service to provide a process-based planning tool with robust water quantity and quality predictions given data limitations common to most urban areas. Cold climate hydrology routines presented in this update to iTree-Hydro include: (1) snow interception to simulate the capture of snow by the vegetation canopy, (2) snow unloading to simulate the release of snow triggered by wind, (3) snowmelt to simulate the solid to liquid phase change using a heat budget, and (4) snow sublimation to simulate the solid to gas phase via evaporation. Cold climate hydrology routines were tested with research-grade snow accumulation and weather data for the winter of 1996-1997 at Umpqua National Forest, Oregon. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency for open area snow accumulation was 0.77 and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency for under canopy was 0.91. The USDA Forest Service offers iTree- Hydro for urban forest hydrology simulation through iTreetools.org.
Un modelo de investigación-acción para desarrollar la capacidad de comunidades para incrementar su poder

Los investigadores de la comunidad con frecuencia desarrollan metodologias para aprender asuntos de la comunidad. Las metodologias de participacion permiten trabajar a los participantes en colaboracion hacia la accion comunitaria. Aqui se describe un proceso de investigacion accion participante en el cual los miembros de la comunidad desarrollaron su capacidad para identificar sus propias necesidades y se implicaron activamente en planear y aplicar acciones dirigidas a esas necesidades. El marco teorico para construir el desarrollo de esa capacidad fue el modelo contextual de fortalecimiento. La metodologia de participacion refleja una relacion de colaboracion entre la facultad y estudiantes de la universidad y los miembros de la comunidad. El proceso incluye la creacion de una coalacion local de lideres, desarrollar y aplicar un proceso de evaluacion de necesidades identificadas, organizar y apoyar grupos de accion y mantener los esfuerzos de la comunidad mientras se desvanece la intervencion universitaria. Los miembros de los grupos de accion se involucraron en los esfuerzos de auto-ayuda mientras aprendieron habilidades de liderazgo, planeacion reaccion y tacticas de intervencion. El modelo se ilustra con estudio de caso que describe el proceso de fortalecimiento con Latinos discapacitados de un area de Chicago. Se discuten las implicaciones de este tipo de aproximacion al desarrollo y fortalecimiento de la comunidad.
Mouse UDP glucuronosyltransferase. cDNA and complete amino acid sequence and regulation.

A cDNA clone (UDPGTm-1) encoding a mouse UDP glucuronosyltransferase (transferase) was isolated from pBR322 and λgt11 libraries by hybridization to a rat transferase clone. This cDNA is 1860 bp long and 65–87% similar at both the nucleotide and the deduced amino acid sequence levels to three different rat transferase clones [Mackenzie, P. I. et al. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12153–12160; Mackenzie, P. I. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 6119–6125]. UDPGTm-1, like the rat transferase clones already described, contains an open reading frame of 1590 bp encoding 530 amino acids (unmodified Mr= 60856), an N-terminus membrane-insertion signal sequence, a carboxy-terminus hydrophobic putative membrane-spanning region, and potential asparagine-linked glycosylation sites (residues 316 and 483). The cDNA contains two poly(A) addition consensus sequences at positions 1695–1837. UDPGTm-1 is complementary to a 2200-base mRNA and also cross-hybridizes to a 2000-base mRNA species due to sequence homology in the 5′ region of the clone. Both the 2200-base and the 2000-base mRNA are induced approximately 2.5-fold by the hypolipidemic agent clofibrate, and also by phenobarbital and benzo[a]pyrene. A new and more potent hypolipidemic agent, perfluorooctancic acid, is also shown to induce both mRNA species. Each of these compounds induces bilirubin transferase activity in a manner parallel to the effects on mRNA, i. e. perfluorooctanoic acid being the most effective, followed by phenobarbital, benzo[a]pyrene, and clofibrate. Southern blot hybridization of UDPGTm-1 to mouse genomic DNA showed sequence homology to a total DNA size of 40–50 kb. These data indicate that UDPGTm-1 is a member of a new subfamily of transferases in mouse with patterns of regulation of their mRNAs similar to that seen for bilirubin transferase activity.
Accurate Data and Context Management in Message-Passing Programs

This paper presents a novel scheme for maintaining accurate information about distributed data in message-passing programs. The ability to maintain dynamically the data-to-processor mapping as well as the program contexts at which state changes occur enable a variety of sophisticated optimizations. The algorithms described in this paper are based on the static single assignment (SSA) form of message-passing programs which can be used for performing many of the classical compiler optimizations during automatic parallelization as well as for analyzing user-written message-passing programs. Reaching definition analysis is performed on SSA-structures for determining a suitable communication point. The scheme addresses possible optimizations and shows how appropriate representation of the data structures can substantially reduce the associated overheads. Our scheme uniformly handles arbitrary subscripts in array references and can handle general reducible control flow. Experimental results for a number of benchmarks on an IBM SP-2 show a conspicuous reduction in inter-processor communication as well as a marked improvement in the total run-times. We have observed up to around 10-25% reduction in total run-times in our SSA-based schemes compared to non-SSA-based schemes on 16 processors.
A Commentary on “Cyberball: A Reasonable Paradigm for Studying Ostracism in Developmental Science?”

Ostracism–being ignored and excluded–is a painful social phenomenon that most individuals have experienced at least once in their lives, and sometimes daily (Nezlek, Wesselmann, Wheeler, & Williams, 2012; Williams & Nida, 2011). At this point over two decades worth of experimental research has investigated the psychological ramifications of experiencing ostracism. Researchers have manipulated ostracism in face-to-face interactions (Williams & Sommer, 1997), text messaging (Smith & Williams, 2004), Internet chat rooms (Williams, Govan, Crocker, Tynan, Cruickshank, & Lam, 2002), virtual reality interactions (Kassner, Wesselmann, Law, & Williams, 2012), roleplay simulations (Williams, Bernieri, Faulkner, Grahe, & Gada-Jain, 2000; Zadro, Williams, & Richardson, 2005), and computer-based video interactions (Zadro, 2011).1 Each of these ostracism paradigms demon-
Preliminary studies on human "transfer factor" activity in guinea pigs. Systemic transfer of cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity to PPD and SKSD.

Abstract More than 50% of primed guinea pigs acquire cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity to PPD (purified protein derivative) or SKSD (streptokinase-streptodornase) after injection of antigen-specific human dialyzable transfer factor together with antigen. The ability to respond with delayed-type hypersensitivity does not occur in unprimed animals given transfer factor alone, unprimed animals given transfer factor with antigen, primed animals given transfer factor alone, or primed animals given a second injection of antigen without transfer factor. This system provides preliminary information regarding the action of transfer factor and an animal model for further investigations of transfer factor.
PADS: protein structure alignment using directional shape signatures

A novel data mining approach for similarity search and knowledge discovery in protein structure databases is proposed. PADS (Protein structure Alignment by Directional shape Signatures) incorporates the three dimensional coordinates of the main atoms of each amino acid and extracts a geometrical shape signature along with the direction of each amino acid. As a result, each protein structure is presented by a series of multidimensional feature vectors representing local geometry, shape, direction, and biological properties of its amino acid molecules. Furthermore, a distance matrix is calculated and is incorporated into a local alignment dynamic programming algorithm to find the similar portions of two given protein structures followed by a sequence alignment step for more efficient filtration. The optimal superimposition of the detected similar regions is used to assess the quality of the results. The proposed algorithm is fast and accurate and hence could be used for analysis and knowledge discovery in large protein structures. The method has been compared with the results from CE, DALI, and CTSS using a representative sample of PDB structures. Several new structures not detected by other methods are detected.
Simplifying the configuration of 802.11 wireless networks with effective snr

Advances in the price, performance, and power consumption of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) technology have led to the adoption of wireless functionality in diverse consumer electronics. These trends have enabled an exciting vision of rich wireless applications that combine the unique features of different devices for a better user experience. To meet the needs of these applications, a wireless network must be configured well to provide good performance at the physical layer. But because of wireless technology and usage trends, finding these configurations is an increasingly challenging problem. Wireless configuration objectives range from simply choosing the fastest way to encode data on a single wireless link to the global optimization of many interacting parameters over multiple sets of communicating devices. As more links are involved, as technology advances (e.g., the adoption of OFDM and MIMO techniques in Wi-Fi), and as devices are used in changing wireless channels, the size of the configuration space grows. Thus algorithms must find good operating points among a growing number of options. The heart of every configuration algorithm is evaluating of the performance of a wireless link in a particular operating point. For example, if we know the performance of all three links between a source, a destination, and a potential relay, we can easily determine whether or not using the relay will improve aggregate throughput. Unfortunately, the two standard approaches to this task fall short. One approach uses aggregate signal strength statistics to estimate performance, but these do not yield accurate predictions of performance. Instead, the approach used in practice measures performance by actually trying the possible configurations. This procedure takes a long time to converge and hence is ill-suited to large configuration spaces, multiple devices, or changing channels, all of which are trends today. As a result, the complexity of practical configuration algorithms is dominated by optimizing this performance estimation step. In this thesis, I develop a comprehensive way to rapidly and accurately predict the performance of every operating point in a large configuration space. I devise a simple but powerful model that uses a single low-level channel measurement and extrapolates over a wide configuration space. My work makes the most complex step of today's configuration algorithms—estimating the effectiveness of a particular configuration—trivial, achieving better performance in practice and enabling the practical solution of larger problems.
Calculations of potential energy surfaces in the complex plane

Procedures are developed and tested for the numerical analytic continuation of the difference between two potential energy surfaces of the same symmetry in the vicinity of their complex-valued intersection. Rational fractions are used for curve-fitting ΔE as a function of either one or two independent, complex nuclear coordinates. The rational fractions are constructed from discrete values of ΔE(R, r) to exhibit the branch-point structure explicit in the complex square root function. For analytic continuation to values of the nuclear coordinates with small imaginary parts only real-valued input points are required. In order to analytically continue ΔE farther off the real-axis a few complex-valued input points must be used in addition to the real-valued data. The rational-fraction methods are tested for two systems : (a) the energy difference between the 3σ and 4σ states of HeH++ and (b) the energy difference between the two lowest singlet states of H3 + at collinear geometries. In both cases, the rationa...
I see where you're hearing: how cross-modal plasticity may exploit homologous brain structures

Sensory deprivation such as deafness or blindness leads to specific functional and neural reorganization. A new study gives insight into why and how certain abilities change, while others remain unaltered after the loss of a sense.
The isolation and characterization of a cDNA encoding phospholipid-specific inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase.

Abstract We report the cDNA cloning and characterization of a novel human inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase (5-phosphatase) that has substrate specificity unlike previously described members of this large gene family. All previously described members hydrolyze water soluble inositol phosphates. This enzyme hydrolyzes only lipid substrates, phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. The cDNA isolated comprises 3110 base pairs and predicts a protein product of 644 amino acids and M r = 70,023. We designate this 5-phosphatase as type IV. It is a highly basic protein (pI = 8.8) and has the greatest affinity toward phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate of known 5-phosphatases. TheK m is 0.65 μm, 1/10 that of SHIP (5.95 μm), another 5-phosphatase that hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate. The activity of 5-phosphatase type IV is sensitive to the presence of detergents in the in vitro assay. Thus the enzyme hydrolyzes lipid substrates in the absence of detergents or in the presence of n-octyl β-glucopyranoside or Triton X-100, but not in the presence of cetyltriethylammonium bromide, the detergent that has been used in other studies of the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Remarkably SHIP, a 5-phosphatase previously characterized as hydrolyzing only substrates with d-3 phosphates, also readily hydrolyzed phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the presence of n-octyl β-glucopyranoside but not cetyltriethylammonium bromide. We used antibodies prepared against a peptide predicted by the cDNA to identify the 5-phosphatase type IV enzyme in human tissues and find that it is highly expressed in the brain as determined by Western blotting. We also performed Western blotting of mouse tissues and found high levels of expression in the brain, testes, and heart with lower levels of expression in other tissues. mRNA was detected in many tissues and cell lines as determined by Northern blotting.
Anisotropy in a high Landau level due to effective electron-electron interactions

Quantization of Hall resistivity in strongly correlated two-dimensional electronic systems at high magnetic fields generally indicates the stabilization of novel electronic quantum liquid phases of matter. This is the nature of the integer and fractional quantum Hall states that stabilize at integer and fractional odd-denominator (not always, though) filling factors of the Landau level. Away from certain filling factors that represent quantum Hall liquid states, different phases, some of them with unusually high magneto-transport anisotropy have been known to stabilize specially in high Landau levels. In this work, we try to understand this anisotropic behaviour in terms of effective electron-electron interaction potentials. To this effect, we implement a full projection of the original Coulomb interaction potential in the suitable Landau level. We find out that, in high Landau levels, thus for relatively weak magnetic fields, a semi-classical description of the interaction potential between electrons appear to be an adequate choice. The features of this semi-classical interaction potential in this limit suggest ways how the energetic balance between density waves and/or liquid crystalline phases might be sensitively affected.
Nano-Displacement Sensing and Estimation (nDSE): Enabling Technology for Nano Metrology and Fabrication

In this paper, we will present theory for nDSE (nano-scale Displacement Sensing and Estimation) and its application framework: IDMA (Indirect Displacement-Measurement-based Alignment). nDSE presents a clear and novel theoretical explanation to displacement sensing and estimation, especially down to the nano scale, a precision traditionally thought difficult or impossible to achieve because the displacements are below the wavelength of light and smaller than the pixel dimensions of practical observation systems. IDMA is an enabling framework based on nDSE to provide a new, low-cost, high precision overlay alignment for the challenging issue of nano scale alignment and metrology.
p53 target Siva regulates apoptosis in ischemic kidneys

The role of p53 in inducing apoptosis following acute kidney injury is well-established; however, the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. We report here that the p53 proapoptotic target Si...
Cardiovascular disease risk factors in chronic renal insufficiency.

BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease (CHD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Prevention of CHD in ESRD requires identification and treatment of coronary risk factors in chronic renal insufficiency (CRI). METHODS We evaluated the prevalence of "traditional coronary risk factors" in CRI in 1,795 patients enrolled in the baseline period of Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study. Using a cross-sectional design, we determined the relationship of these risk factors to the level of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and proteinuria. We also predicted the CHD risk in the MDRD Study baseline cohort using the coronary point score. RESULTS 64.0% had blood pressure > or = 130/85 mmHg despite antihypertensive therapy. 64.2% had LDL cholesterol > or = 130 mg/dl, while 38.3% had HDL cholesterol < 35 mg/dl. After adjustment for age, gender and the presence of diabetes, GFR was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure and positively associated with HDL cholesterol, but not associated with total or LDL cholesterol. After adjustment for age. gender and the presence of diabetes, proteinuria was positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and inversely associated with HDL cholesterol. Nonetheless, the predicted CHD risk, even at a very low GFR, was similar to the risk in the general population and lower than the observed rate of de novo CHD in incident dialysis patients. CONCLUSIONS "Traditional coronary risk factors" are highly prevalent in CRI and vary with the level of renal function. However, the coronary point score does not appear to explain the extent of increased CHD risk in ESRD. Non-traditional risk factors may also contribute to CHD in ESRD.
A model study of interactions between TcAChE peripheral site segment Tyr70Val71 and loop 1 of Fasciculin 2.

Abstract The continuous chain of residues (Thr7 to Ala12) of Loopl of Fas2 (F1) and its interaction with the peripheral binding sites (Tyr70-Val71) of AChE (P1) has been studied. Our results suggest that the flexibility of Loopl might be caused by either the partially protonated guanidine group of Arg11 under experimental conditions or by the interaction with the negatively charged center of substrates. The binding energy of F1-P1 is predicted to be −16.6 kcal/mol at the B3LYP/6–311G(d,p) level, which is assumed to originate from one isolated O7…HN10 H-bond, one possible O10…HC71 unconventional O…HC type H-bonding, and the improved π-bonding cooperativity around the peptide group of the AChE segment Tyr70-Val71. The classical Kitaura-Morokuma energy decomposition analysis, the NPA charge analysis, and the AIM analysis consistently reveal that the peptide group in segment P1 is more polarizable, which might play the key role in the interactions between F1 and P1. The PCM solvent effect corrected results re...
The impact of taxonomic bias when comparing past and present species diversity

Abstract It is becoming increasingly important to understand how present diversity patterns compare with past ones, in order to understand the extent of change that present faunas exhibit with respect to past baselines for such parameters as extinction rate and magnitude, ecological structure, and ecosystem function. However, these comparisons have been difficult to quantify because the modern and paleontological records are inherently different. This study examines how those differences affect comparisons of fossil and modern mammalian species diversity in the United States and suggests how the data can be treated to minimize their biases. I first compare extant mammalian species diversity to a paleo-baseline constructed from fossils covering the past 30 million years. Species–area relationships show that, contrary to expectations, today's mammalian diversity appears to have increased since the Holocene (11,500 to–500 years ago). This bump in diversity is the result of an increase in small mammal species in the modern dataset, in particular those that are the most difficult to identify and diagnose in the fossil record (e.g., Geomyidae and Heteromyidae). This increase results from neontological classifications of small mammal species that employ methodologies and characters (notably soft-tissue and molecular information) that cannot be used with fossils. One way to correct for these differences would be to reevaluate neontological species using the same morphological characters and species concept commonly used by paleontologists.
Intermediate representations in the formation of arm trajectories

Abstract Psychophysical evidence shows that the planning of an arm trajectory is specified by the central nervous system in extrinsic coordinates. The complex issue of translating the planning of arm movements into muscle forces is discussed in relation to the recent discovery of structures in the brainstem and in the spinal cord. These structures represent discrete maps of motor behavior. Remarkably, the force outputs, produced by activating different zones of the map, sumvectorially. This vectorial combination of motor outputs is a mechanism for producing a vast repertoire of motor behaviors in a simple fashion.
Reclaiming American Cities: The Struggle for People, Place, and Nature since 1900

Rutherford H. Platt. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014. xii and 298 pp., photos, diagrams, notes, bibliography, index. $28.95 paper (ISBN 978-1-62534-050-4).If the city represents th...
Forecasting product returns in closed‐loop supply chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a generic forecasting approach for predicting product returns in closed‐loop supply chains.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on Bayesian estimation techniques. It permits to forecast product returns on the basis of fewer restrictions than existing approaches in CLSC literature. A numerical example demonstrates the application of the proposed approach using return times drawn from a Poisson distribution.Findings – The Bayesian estimation approach provides at least 50 percent higher accuracy in terms of error measures compared to traditional methods in all scenarios examined in the empirical part. Hence, more precise results can be obtained when predicting product returns.Research limitations/implications – The flexibility of the proposed approach allows for numerous applications in the field of CLSC research. Areas that depend on the results from a forecasting system, such as inventory management, can embed our estimation procedure in orde...
Phenomenology of backward photoproduction

We investigate backward photoproduction reactions both empirically and in the context of specific models. First, salient features of backward single-pion photoproduction data are examined and contrasted with corresponding properties of purely hadronic data. We show that although γ p and πN data are qualitatively similar below 5 GeV/c, remarkable differences become apparent at higher energies. Second, four models are studied in detail to see whether they offer an explanation for the distinctive energy and momentum transfer dependence of photoproduction cross sections. In these models, we include contributions from Regge (moving) and fixed poles, as well as absorptive (moving) and fixed cuts. Satisfactory fits to data are obtained with the fixed-pole model, the strong absorption model and the fixed-cut model of Carlitz, Kislinger, Bardakci and Halpern. However, none of these profoundly different models is adequately tested by available data. Suggestions for many useful new experiments emerge from our study; the most important are backward πN → Nϱ, backward γN → Δπ, γd → pn, and the inclusive processes γp → h + anything (h = π±, K±, p and p.
Implementing Collaborative Project-Based Learning using the Tablet PC to enhance student learning in engineering and computer science courses

Increasing the retention rate of engineering/ computer science students and enhancing student design skills are two major challenges in engineering education. This paper presents a team effort to implement Collaborative Project-based Learning (CPBL) using Tablet PC technology in a broad spectrum of engineering and computer science courses from freshman to senior level. Presented here are a number of innovative teaching strategies to create a more friendly and interactive learning environment to address the aforementioned challenges for minority students. Since Fall 2009, eight innovative pilot courses have been designed and conducted. Assessment results revealed that the implementation of Tablet PC based CPBL had brought transformational changes to the traditional engineering classrooms to support student centered-learning. The paper also describes the impact of Tablet PC based teaching strategy on lecture styles, teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes from both the faculty and students' perspectives.