cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Recursive Sparse Blind Source Separation Method and Its Application to Correlated Data in NMR Spectroscopy of Biofluids

Motivated by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of biofluids (urine and blood serum), we present a recursive blind source separation (rBSS) method for nonnegative and correlated data. BSS problem arises when one attempts to recover a set of source signals from a set of mixture signals without knowing the mixing process. Various approaches have been developed to solve BSS problems relying on the assumption of statistical independence of the source signals. However, signal independence is not guaranteed in many real-world data like the NMR spectra of chemical compounds. The rBSS method introduced in this paper deals with the nonnegative and correlated signals arising in NMR spectroscopy of biofluids. The statistical independence requirement is replaced by a constraint which requires dominant interval(s) from each source signal over some of the other source signals in a hierarchical manner. This condition is applicable for many real-world signals such as NMR spectra of urine and blood serum for metabolic fingerprinting and disease diagnosis. Exploiting the hierarchically dominant intervals from the source signals, the rBSS method reduces the BSS problem into a series of sub-BSS problems by a combination of data clustering, linear programming, and successive elimination of variables. Then in each sub-BSS problem, an ? 1 minimization problem is formulated for recovering the source signals in a sparse transformed domain. The method is substantiated by examples from NMR spectroscopy data and is promising towards separation and detection in complex chemical spectra without the expensive multi-dimensional NMR data.
Korean mothers’ attention regulation and referential speech: Associations with language and play in 1-year-olds

The present study investigated the associations of Korean mothers’ attention regulation and referential speech during play with their toddlers’ language and play development. The play interaction between mothers (n = 42) and their toddlers aged between 13 and 23 months was videotaped during home visits. Maternal behavior in regulating their toddlers’ attention was coded from videos as introducing, redirecting, or following. Mothers’ referential speech during joint attention with their toddlers was transcribed and classified as simple, elaborative, or prompting. Toddlers’ expressive and receptive vocabulary sizes were reported by mothers. Their exploratory, functional, and symbolic play was coded from videos. Results showed that mothers’ attention following and elaborative referential speech were associated with larger expressive vocabulary sizes and frequent symbolic and functional play in 1-year-olds. By contrast, mothers’ attention redirection as well as simple and prompting referential speech were asso...
Simulations of diversity gains of multiple omni and directive antennas in Rician channel with varying K-factor

This study presents analysis for the diversity gains of multiple omni and directive antennas in Rician channels with varying K-factor. Selection diversity of uncorrelated, equal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) diversity branches are considered. Results from simulations of the power statistics and diversity gains of up to four omni and directive antennas are presented. These results show dramatically different power statistics for a single omni and directive antenna with increasing K. Statistics obtained for multiple omni and multiple directive antennas are presented. The cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) are very close for low K values. However, they are significantly different for large K values due to the increasing role of the constant field component in the channel. Comparison of the diversity gain obtained form omni and directive antennas with varying K also reveals key differences. For multiple directive antennas, the diversity gain increases with K. In contrast, the diversity gain for multiple omni antennas decrease with K.
PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO TOMATO POLYGALACTURONASEISOENZYMES

The properties of tomato polygalacturonases at two ripening stages were investigated. Two isoenzymes, PG I and II, were isolated from underripe fruits with an orange skin color. Fully ripe fruits contained only polygalacturonase II. PG I and II were purified by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, Sephacryl S-200 and CM-agarose chromatography. PG I had a Mr of 199,500 as determined by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration and was 50% inactivated at 66.5°C and pH 4.5 after incubation for 5 min. It had an activation energy (Ea) of 16.8 Kcallmol (70.3 times 103 Jlmol), Vmax of 27.7 units/mg protein and Km value of 7.5 times 10−2 mM polygalacturonic acid. PG II had a Mr of 45,700 and was 50% inactivated at 58°C under the same conditions. Both isozymes had a pH optimum of 4.6. PG II had an Ea value of 14.8 Kcallmol (61.9 times 103 Jlmol), Vmax value of 58.8 units/mg protein and Km value of 3.8 times 10−2 mM polygalacturonic acid. PGI gave rise to only one band during electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels, whereas PG II showed one major and one minor band both with PG activity. Gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate resulted in two major bands (Mr= 47,500 and 41,000) for PG I and only one major band (Mr= 47,500) for PG II. PG I is composed of several subunits, all of which are glycoproteins.
Extensions of design potential concept for reliability-based design optimization to nonsmooth and extreme cases

The reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) can be described by the design potential concept in a unified system space, where the probabilistic constraint is identified by the design potential surface of the reliability target that is obtained analytically from the first-order reliability method (FORM). This paper extends the design potential concept to treat nonsmooth probabilistic constraints and extreme case design in RBDO. In addition, refinement of the design potential surface, which yields better optimum design, can be obtained using more accurate second-order reliability method (SORM). By integrating performance probability analysis into the iterative design optimization process, the design potential concept leads to a very effective design potential method (DPM) for robust system parameter design. It can also be applied effectively to extreme case design (ECD) by directly representing a probabilistic constraint in terms of the system performance function.
The Dilemmas of Democracy in the Open Economy: Lessons from Latin America

Scholars have usually understood the problem of democratic consolidation in terms of the creation of mechanisms that make possible the avoidance of populist excesses, polarized conflicts, or authoritarian corporatist inclusion that undermined free politics in much of postwar Latin America. This article makes the case that, under contemporary liberal economic conditions, the nature of the challenge for democratization has changed in important ways. Earlier problems of polarization had their roots in the long-present statist patterns of economic organization. By contrast, under free-market conditions, democratic consolidation faces a largely distinct set of challenges: the underarticulation of societal interests, pervasive social atomization, and socially uneven political quiescence founded in collective action problems. These can combine to undermine the efficacy of democratic representation and, consequently, regime legitimacy. The article utilizes data from the Latin American region since the 1970s on development, economic reform, and individual and collective political participation to show the effects of a changing state-economy relationship on the consolidation of democratic politics.
Analysis of vegetation isolines in red-NIR reflectance space.

Abstract The characteristic behavior of red–near-infrared (NIR) reflectance-based vegetation isolines were analyzed by focusing on its three features: the slope, NIR-intercept, and the intersection between the vegetation isoline and the soil line. These properties are the key factors in understanding variations of vegetation index values with changes of canopy background brightness, known as background noise. The analysis was conducted based on a vegetation isoline equation derived by using the representation of canopy reflectance by the adding method. The isoline parameters, slopes, and NIR-intercepts of vegetation isolines were numerically obtained by the SAIL canopy model. Some of the known behaviors of the vegetation isoline were simulated and analyzed in detail.
Latency-Insensitive Hardware/Software Interfaces

Modern embedded system designers face challenges of unprecedented scales, creating systems that integrate functionality spanning disparate scientific domains, with increasing computation demands and ever-stricter power requirements. Meeting the constraints of these systems requires practical design flows that reduce development time without sacrificing design efficiency. Novel design description methodologies coupled with automated and semi-automated synthesis paths greatly accelerate the design of modern hardware systems. In the software space, however, synthesis methods are far from producing co-designs with the necessary efficiency. This is particularly evident at the hardware/software boundary, where the tight coupling of low-level firmware routines and hardware protocols require designers to have deep design knowledge in both domains. To address this issue, we propose a latency-insensitive software execution model that allows direct connection to elastic hardware control topologies.
An efficient algorithm for constructing delay bounded minimum cost multicast trees

Multimedia applications are usually resource intensive, have stringent quality of service requirements, and in many cases involve large groups of participants. Multicasting is poised to play an important role in future deployment of these applications. This paper focuses on developing delay-bounded, minimum-cost multicast trees, linking a source to a set of multicast destination nodes. The approach taken in this paper is efficient, flexible and unique in the sense that it cleverly limits its computation only to paths that originate at multicast nodes, thereby avoiding computing paths that exclusively link non-multicast nodes. The simulation results show that the multicast trees produced by the proposed heuristic are of lower cost than those produced by other well-known heuristics, including those which use an expensive k-shortest-paths procedure to minimize the cost of the multicast tree. Furthermore, the results show that, in comparison to other heuristics, the proposed scheme results in a significant reduction in the computation time required to build the multicast tree.
Photoperiod control of the melatonin rhythm and reproductive maturation in the juvenile Djungarian hamster: 60-Hz magnetic field exposure effects.

Photoperiodic regulation of the melatonin rhythm was studied in juvenile Djungarian hamsters to test the hypothesis that magnetic field (MF) exposures disrupt sexual maturation. Juveniles in long or short days postweaning were exposed each day to a 1-gauss 60-Hz MF (15 min, 2 h before lights-off). At age 25 days, nighttime duration of the melatonin rise in the pineal gland and circulation of sham-treated controls (adjacent coil system but without current) was < 8 h in long-day juveniles and nearly 13 h in short-day hamsters. This is the first study in juveniles to demonstrate that the melatonin rhythm duration is regulated by photoperiod and that reproductive development was not disrupted by daily or acute MF exposures ; puberty was initiated in long days but arrested by short days, irrespective of MF treatment. In a replicate study, MF exposures had no effect on the duration of increased melatonin. In the initial and the replicate study, amplitude differences in the nighttime pineal or serum melatonin rise possibly reflected inherent variability in repetitive melatonin rhythms. In addition, effects of daily melatonin injections to arrest puberty were not blocked by daily MF exposures. The findings support the conclusion that MF exposures fail to disrupt photoperiodic time measurement or the neuroendocrine mechanism regulating reproductive maturation in the juvenile Djungarian hamster.
Hertwig's sheath in the rat incisor.

A study was undertaken to reveal the histomorphologic nature of Hertwig's epithelial root sheath in the mandibular incisor of the young Sprague-Dawley rat. Hertwig's epithelial sheath was found to be composed of three distinct cell layers: (1) inner dental epithelium, (2) stellate reticulum, and (3) outer dental epithelium. The inner dental epithelium and outer dental epithelium were simple cuboidal to low columnar cell layers whereas the stellate reticulum was a stratified squamous layer. As one proceeded incisally from the basal loop, the three cell layer diminished to two with the disappearance of the stellate reticulum. Further forward, the two cell layer became a single layer with the absence of the outer dental epithelium. The remaining inner dental epithelium eventually became discontinuous and was replaced by connective tissue elements. The inner dental epithelium and outer dental epithelium of the intact sheath were separated from the adjacent connective tissue by a distinct non-metachromatic, PAS-alcian blue positive basement membrane. The membrane next to the inner dental epithelium was followed incisally onto the external surface of the dentin. Epithelial rests were not identifiable in the periodontal ligament. In other words, an island of epithelial cells surrounded by a distinct basement membrane was not observed.
Regularity in Semantic Change: The development of modal verbs

Introduction Focal points for many of the case studies in this book are modality and deixis. We start in this chapter with selected examples of the development of epistemic from deontic meaning within the domain of modality relatively narrowly construed. Themes are developed that will be shown in later chapters to be relevant to modality more broadly construed. There is little agreement on exactly how to define modality, beyond the observation quoted in 1.7: “The essence of ‘modality’ consists in the relativization of the validity of sentence meanings to a set of possible worlds” (Kiefer 1994: 2515). In work on logic, the fundamental types of modality are necessity and possibility in so far as they relate to the truth or falsity of the proposition. In work on linguistics, two related types, deontic (obligation) and epistemic (conclusion), have received most attention, but at least one other is also recognized: ability/capacity (see e.g. Leech 1971, Lyons 1977, Palmer 1990 [1979], 1986, Coates 1983, Sweetser 1990, Bybee, Perkins, and Pagliuca 1994, Kiefer 1994, 1997, Van der Auwera and Plungian 1998). Some brief working characterizations of the three types of modality follow; more detailed discussion of deontic and epistemic modality is provided in 3.2: (i) Deontic modality (from the Gk. deon “what is binding”); also widely known as “root” modality (e.g. Coates 1983, Sweetser 1990). This centrally involves obligation or compulsion. In his ground-breaking study of modality in language Lyons identified several characteristics of deontic modality.
High-frequency and precision three-phase sine/PWM controller with near-zero frequency of MPU intervention-novel design supporting distributed AC drive systems

Conventional pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) schemes fully depend on a microprocessor (MPU) for extensive real-time computation, intervention, and housekeeping, and are limited to applications at low fundamental frequencies and low precision. At 20-kHz switching, the overhead of a modern 16-bit CPU increases up to 90%, making virtually no time available for regular control tasks. It also has poor cycle-to-cycle accuracy of /spl plusmn/5-10 /spl mu/s. A novel self-managed high-frequency and precision PWM architecture and integrated circuit are developed for distributed drive control systems. This architecture permits near-zero interfacing rate with the coprocessor, thus eliminating the overhead of the MPU's intervention and housekeeping, while being capable of both asynchronous and synchronous PWM at a range of 0-1000 Hz of fundamental frequencies, expandable to several kilohertz. A cycle-to-cycle accuracy of 50 ns is achievable in precision open-loop control. Experimental results verify our new design. This effectively supports distributed ac drive systems with highly coordinated controls.
Role of Coupled Dynamics in the Catalytic Activity of Prokaryotic-like Prolyl-tRNA Synthetases

Prolyl-tRNA synthetases (ProRSs) have been shown to activate both cognate and some noncognate amino acids and attach them to specific tRNAPro substrates. For example, alanine, which is smaller than cognate proline, is misactivated by Escherichia coli ProRS. Mischarged Ala-tRNAPro is hydrolyzed by an editing domain (INS) that is distinct from the activation domain. It was previously shown that deletion of the INS greatly reduced cognate proline activation efficiency. In this study, experimental and computational approaches were used to test the hypothesis that deletion of the INS alters the internal protein dynamics leading to reduced catalytic function. Kinetic studies with two ProRS variants, G217A and E218A, revealed decreased amino acid activation efficiency. Molecular dynamics studies showed motional coupling between the INS and protein segments containing the catalytically important proline-binding loop (PBL, residues 199–206). In particular, the complete deletion of INS, as well as mutation of G217 ...
Recent developments in the dynamics of wind-erosion

Those particles of the Earth's land-surface that are in contact with the atmosphere are at the mercy of two powerful natural forces, resulting from water- and air-flow. The story a single soil-grain could tell of its travels would surpass that of Marco Polo. It is unfortunate that one cannot “get the story” and thus answer many questions that are in the minds of those who wish to explain and control its behavior. The transport of granular material by fluids has been a subject of intense interest, especially in connection with flowing water. A great number of investigations have been made, both in the laboratory and in streams, on the effects of water-erosion and the underlying mechanisms of the movement of debris. As a result, at least for some phases of the process, explanations and empirical rules have been developed.
Sprite position statement: use distributed state for failure recovery

The authors advocate keeping state in main memory instead of logging state to disk, so that higher performance services can be implemented. They are motivated by their distributed file system which uses stateful servers to support a high-performance distributed caching system. For reliability, a server's state is replicated in the main memory of other hosts so that the system can recover from the failure of a server. After a server reboots, its clients help it rebuild its internal state. The authors point out that as networks and processors get faster, but disks do not, relying on other hosts will be more efficient than using disks. >
Comparison of the Internal Energy Deposition of Venturi-Assisted Electrospray Ionization and a Venturi-Assisted Array of Micromachined UltraSonic Electrosprays (AMUSE)

The internal energy deposition of a Venturi-assisted array of micromachined ultrasonic electrosprays (AMUSE), with and without the application of a DC charging potential, is compared with equivalent experiments for Venturi-assisted electrospray ionization (ESI) using the “survival yield” method on a series of para-substituted benzylpyridinium salts. Under conditions previously shown to provide maximum ion yields for standard compounds, the observed mean internal energies were nearly identical (1.93–2.01 eV). Operation of AMUSE without nitrogen flow to sustain the air amplifier focusing effect generated energetically colder ions with mean internal energies that were up to 39% lower than those for ESI. A balance between improved ion transfer, adequate desolvation, and favorable ion energetics was achieved by selection of optimum operational ranges for the parameters that most strongly influence the ion population: the air amplifier gas flow rate and API capillary temperature. Examination of the energy landscapes obtained for combinations of these parameters showed that a low internal energy region (≤1.0 eV) was present at nitrogen flow rates between 2 and 4 L min−1 and capillary temperatures up to 250°C using ESI (9% of all parameter combinations tested). Using AMUSE, this region was present at nitrogen flow rates up to 2.5 L min−1 and all capillary temperatures (13% of combinations tested). The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the intact p-methylbenzylpyridinium ion obtained from a 5 µM mixture of thermometer compounds using AMUSE at the extremes of the studied temperature range was at least fivefold higher than that of ESI, demonstrating the potential of AMUSE ionization as a soft method for the characterization of labile species by mass spectrometry.
Metabolism of Parathyroid Hormone and Interpretation of Radioimmunoassays for PTH

With the development of radioimmunoassays that are specific for certain regions of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) molecule, the fate of PTH that is secreted into the circulating blood has been partially clarified.
Different cross-resistance patterns in the diamondback moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) resistant to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1C

Two strains of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), were selected using Cry1C protoxin and transgenic broccoli plants expressing a Cry1C toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Both strains were resistant to Cry1C but had different cross-resistance patterns. We used 12 Bt protoxins for cross-resistance tests, including Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1Bb, Cry1C, Cry1D, Cry1E, Cry1F, Cry1J, Cry2Ab, Cry9Aa, and Cry9C. Compared with the unselected sister strain (BCS), the resistance ratio (RR) of one strain (BCS-Cry1C-1) to the Cry1C protoxin was 1,090-fold with high level of cross-resistance to Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1F, and Cry1J (RR > 390-fold). The cross-resistance to Cry1A, Cry1F, and Cry1J in this strain was probably related to the Cry1A resistance gene(s) that came from the initial field population and was caused by intensive sprayings of Bt products containing Cry1A protoxins. The neonates of this strain can survive on transgenic broccoli plants expressing either Cry1Ac or Cry1C toxins. The other strain (BCS-Cry1C-2) was highly resistant to Cry1C but not cross-resistant to other Bt protoxins. The neonates of this strain can survive on transgenic broccoli expressing Cry1C toxin but not Cry1Ac toxin. The gene(s) conferring resistance to Cry1C segregates independently from Cry1Ac resistance in these strains. The toxicity of Cry1E and Cry2Ab protoxins was low to all of the three strains. The overall progress of all work has resulted in a unique model system to test the stacked genes strategy for resistance management of Bt transgenic crops.
Evolution of Antigenic Variation in African Trypanosomes

The african trypanosomes are responsible for several important diseases of humans and animals. One of the ways in which these parasitic protozoa successfully compete with the immune system of their mammalian hosts is through a phenomenon known as antigenic variation (reviewed in Donelson and Rice-Ficht, 1985; Pays, 1985; Boothroyd, 1985). This describes their ability to alter the antigenic composition of the surface coat which completely envelops the parasites while in the bloodstream of the host. On any one trypanosome, at any one time, this coat is essentially homogeneous, being comprised of a single glycoprotein species, known as the variant surface glycoprotein or VSG (Cross, 1975; Vickerman and Luckins, 1969).
America’s Emerging Public/Private Infrastructure Strategy

One CLIENT infrastructure strategy is required that accommodates both public and private methods of project financing, as well as all the methods of project delivery. No single delivery method is ideologically supreme. Projects, cash flows, capital sources, and technologies need to be configured together using viable delivery methods that explore alternative combinations of the strategic variables in a coordinated search for technical, financial, and political stability. There is no longer any room for blind ideology to one particular delivery method, since it is the mix of technology, engineering, architecture, construction, and finance that keeps innovation alive in both public and private infrastructure collections. In constrained financial environments, the goal of both public and private CLIENTS is to improve the quality and cost performance of an entire portfolio, either to conserve resources for other uses or to expand the quality and scope of infrastructure service. Two hundred years of experience in the United States confirms the difficulties that are ultimately presented to CLIENTS, shareholders, citizens when just one delivery method is anointed, and all others excluded.1 The mix of delivery and finance options provides a variety of interdependent incentives for both the public and private sectors to better understand infrastructure needs and to structure more efficient and higher quality means to meet the unending demand for infrastructure.
Influence of the molecular weight of carboxymethylcellulose on properties and stability of whey protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions

The influence of the molecular weight (Mw; 270, 750, and 2,500 kDa) and concentration of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on the stability and properties of whey protein isolate (WPI)-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions were assessed by measuring ζ-potential, droplet size, apparent viscosity, protein surface coverage, and creaming stability. Emulsions were prepared to contain 5% oil, 0.5% WPI, and 0 to 0.5% CMC at pH 7. After emulsification, pH was adjusted to 5.2. In the absence of CMC, the WPI-stabilized emulsion was unstable to droplet flocculation and coalescence due to the relatively low droplet charge. Emulsions stabilized by mixed WPI-CMC had improved surface properties as well as reduced droplet flocculation, as indicated by increased negative charges and protein surface coverage as well as smaller droplet size. Increased viscosity due to nonadsorbed CMC also contributed to increased stability at high CMC concentration. The high-Mw CMC was more effective in enhancing surface properties and providing better stability against creaming compared with lower-Mw CMC. Maximum stability was achieved with mixed WPI-CMC stabilized emulsion containing 0.08% CMC 2,500 kDa.
Simultaneous Detection of Six Urinary Pteridines and Creatinine by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Clinical Breast Cancer Detection

Recent preliminary studies have implicated urinary pteridines as candidate biomarkers in a growing number of malignancies including breast cancer. While the developments of capillary electrophoresi...
Fabrication and Properties of Single, Double, and Triple Gate Polycrystalline-Silicon Thin Film Transistors

Polysilicon based Thin Film Transistors (poly-Si TFT’s) with superior electrical performance can be achieved by maximizing the number of intrinsic point defect injected into the material during high temperature processing. These point defects will migrate to grain boundaries (GB’s), enhance their mobility by facilitating climb, and allow the boundary to achieve a low energy configuration with a minimum of electrically active broken bonds. Proper processing of poly-Si TFT’s therefore requires a redesign of the conventional processing cycle where, working with single crystal silicon, one minimizes the concentration of intrinsic point defects which otherwise precipitate out as Oxidation induced Stacking Faults (OSF’s). TFT’s were fabricated under nine different processing cycles to study the relationship between device performance and fabrication conditions. Device performance increased with higher gate oxidation temperature, elimination of HCl flow during gate oxidation, post hydrogenation, and multiple gates. Using conventional MOS processing steps only, n-type (p-type) devices were fabricated, which were capable of handling 40 volts VDS with a leakage current of 2×10−11 (6×10−12) A/µm and effective electron (hole) channel mobilities of 130 (50) cm2/Vs.
Intergenerational Transmission of Educational Attitudes in Chinese American Families: Interplay of Socioeconomic Status and Acculturation.

This longitudinal study examined the influence of parents' educational attitudes on adolescents' educational attitudes and identified antecedents (i.e., parent education, family income, and parent acculturation), consequences (i.e., academic achievement and engagement), and a potential moderator (i.e., adolescent acculturation) of the transmission process. The sample was 444 Chinese American mothers, fathers, and adolescents (12–15 at W1). Using path analysis, this study found significant two-way interactions among parent education, income, and acculturation in predicting parents' concurrent positive educational attitudes, which, in turn, predicted adolescents' attitudes at W2. The latter link was further moderated by W1 and W2 adolescent acculturation for mother–adolescent and father–adolescent dyads. Adolescents' positive educational attitudes at W2, in turn, were positively associated with their concurrent academic achievement and engagement.
A study on the difference pattern of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination among the MSM community in Anhui

Objective To understand the different pattern of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination from different relationship peers( boyfriend / regular sexual partners,casual homosexual partners,ordinary friend,general persons) to HIV / AIDS patients among the MSM( men who have sex with men) community in Anhui,as well as to analyze the form of stigma and discrimination.Methods A total of 184 HIV-positive MSM and 202 HIV-negative MSM in Anhui were investigated by anonymous face to face questionnaire.Results Statistical difference was found in the scores of HIV / AIDSrelated stigma and discrimination among different groups of HIV-negative MSM( F = 7.76,P 0.001),and the differences had a particular pattern that the HIV / AIDS-related stigma and discrimination got more serious when their relations were closer.The discrimination among homosexual partnership layer mainly displayed in the sex requirement refusal,and the discrimination among community ordinary friends and general persons mainly displayed gossip,verbal humiliation and ridicule.Conclusions HIV / AIDS-related stigma and discrimination to HIV / AIDS-positive MSM is common in MSM community and has the certain character and pattern,therefore the effective strategies and measures should be taken to eliminate the HIV / AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.
Refluxing Extraction of Bergenin from Astilbe chinensis

Optimal conditions of extracting bergenin from Astilbe chinensis by reflux method were examined.Single factor experiments and orthogonal text were carried out to investigate the influences of the extraction factors on the yield of bergenin,which was measured by HPLC.The results showed that the best optimal conditions were solvent 45% ethanol,time of refluxing 2.5 hours,ratio of material to solvent 1∶20,and times of extraction 2.The yielding content of bergenin was 2.41% at the optimal conditions.
The distribution and genesis of eroded phase soils in the conterminous United States.

Abstract The delineation and mapping of eroded phases of existing soil series has been an important activity throughout the history of soil survey activities in the United States, with implications for land management, crop production and the estimation of historical sediment losses and fluxes. An analysis of the SSURGO database shows that 462,979 km2 of eroded phase soils (16% of which were classified as severely eroded) are mapped in the conterminous United States, with 9% of 2013 cultivated lands occurring on eroded phase soils. Eroded phases of 2265 soil series in 9 soil orders (excluding Gelisols, Oxisols and Histosols) have been identified and mapped. Examining the distribution of eroded phase soils within survey-independent large-scale physiographic (EPA Level III Ecoregion) boundaries reveals consistent patterns in land-use histories and eroded soils, and that the pattern and distribution of eroded phase soils at regional to continental scales are responsive to the five soil forming factors. The proportion of ecoregion land area mapped as eroded phase was significantly affected by topography, with eroded phase soils peaking in ecoregions with topographic ruggedness indices (TRI, a normalized elevation difference index) between 1 and 2. Among TRI groups, the proportion of total ecoregion land area mapped as eroded phase was significantly related to the historical maximum cultivation intensity, while among a subset of ecoregions with significant histories of cultivation, eroded phase proportion was related to the rainfall-runoff erosivity (RUSLE R-Factor). Of the 2265 named soil series with mapped eroded phases, 73% had family particle size classes of fine, fine-loamy and fine-silty which corresponds with the peak in the RUSLE erodibility factor (K) with respect to particle size. Lastly, ecoregions with histories of significant cultivation for more than 100 years had greater proportions of their land area mapped as eroded phase. These results suggest that despite morphological constraints and subjective factors in the delineation of eroded phases, these soils should be viewed as unique pedological entities that hold lasting value for understanding the effects of accelerated erosion on soil morphology, crop production, and ecosystem services.
Science Outside the Lab: Helping Graduate Students in Science and Engineering Understand the Complexities of Science Policy

Helping scientists and engineers challenge received assumptions about how science, engineering, and society relate is a critical cornerstone for macroethics education. Scientific and engineering research are frequently framed as first steps of a value-free linear model that inexorably leads to societal benefit. Social studies of science and assessments of scientific and engineering research speak to the need for a more critical approach to the noble intentions underlying these assumptions. “Science Outside the Lab” is a program designed to help early-career scientists and engineers understand the complexities of science and engineering policy. Assessment of the program entailed a pre-, post-, and 1 year follow up survey to gauge student perspectives on relationships between science and society, as well as a pre–post concept map exercise to elicit student conceptualizations of science policy. Students leave Science Outside the Lab with greater humility about the role of scientific expertise in science and engineering policy; greater skepticism toward linear notions of scientific advances benefiting society; a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the actors involved in shaping science policy; and a continued appreciation of the contributions of science and engineering to society. The study presents an efficacious program that helps scientists and engineers make inroads into macroethical debates, reframe the ways in which they think about values of science and engineering in society, and more thoughtfully engage with critical mediators of science and society relationships: policy makers and policy processes.
The Elusive Honey Bee Dance “Language” Hypothesis

In the mid-1930s, Karl von Frisch proposed the equivalent of an odor-search hypothesis for honey bee recruitment to food sources. A decade later he switched to the equivalent of a “dance language” hypothesis (though he apparently did not consider his conclusions as hypotheses in either case). The later and more exotic hypothesis rapidly gained acceptance, but it failed its first experimental tests in the mid-1960s; searching recruits did not behave as von Frisch indicated they should under the language hypothesis. His earlier and more conservative odor-search hypothesis meshed better with results obtained in those test experiments. Language advocates then ignored basic precepts of scientific process, rejected and/or ignored results not in accord with their favored hypothesis, and instead repeatedly sought additional supportive evidence. While so doing, they inadvertently accumulated yet more evidence counter to von Frisch's original intent. By invoking ad hoc modifications and qualifications, advocates weakened, rather than strengthened, the hypothesis they continued to embrace. That strict adherence to the language hypothesis has had an unfortunate result; the exclusive investment in that line of research by various governmental agencies has failed to provide practical help to beekeepers or growers in the past half-century.
Extensions of the regenerative method to new functionals

This paper briefly reviews the regenerative method for steady-state simulation, and then shows how regenerative structure can be used computationally to develop new estimators for the spectral density, moments of hitting times, and both discounted and average reward value functions. All our estimators typically exhibit the Monte Carlo method's usual "square root" convergence rate. This is in contrast to the usual sub-square root rate exhibited by, for example, spectral density estimators in the absence of regenerative structure.
Double trouble for CML

Combining two BCR-ABL1 inhibitors with nonoverlapping mechanisms of action eradicates CML and prevents recurrence.
An optimised SDD ATPG and SDQL computation method across different pattern sets

Small delay defect (SDD) ATPG has been around for a few years now; however, its adoption is not prevalent due to various reasons. (i) Unique detection with SDD ATPG patterns over transition delay fault (TDF) ATPG patterns is often not easy to establish due to the large volume of the former and the insistence on coverage due to the latter. (ii) Lack of a seamless method to target SDD patterns for nodes which are embedded in paths with small slack and TDF patterns for the other nodes further inhibits SDD ATPG. In this paper, we present methods to address both these limitations. We describe a method for targeted SDD pattern generation for SDQL (statistical delay quality level) improvement across logic modules in multiple clock domains (at different frequencies) based on slack intervals. We also describe a method to incorporate patterns corresponding to other fault models suitably (namely TDF and PDF - path delay fault) to improve the SDQL metric without significant pattern volume inflation. Results on a large SOC indicate a reduction in the test pattern volume ranging from 45% to 92%, and an SDQL improvement ranging from 48% to 85%, as compared to standard methods in use today.
“The world that reveals that it is a world”: On The Art of Mono-ha and New Materialism

Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between art, perception and human engagement with matter in the art of Mono-ha through the use of raw, untreated natural and industrial materials in their sculptures. The nature of human-matter relations in Mono-ha is reconsidered with a New Materialist approach. Keywords Art. New materialism. Mono-ha; Japanese art. Matter.
Drawing in VR

In the previous chapters, we learned the basics of the 3D API in Processing, as well as some techniques that we can apply to create interactive graphics in VR.
Error in medicine: the role of the morbidity and mortality conference.

The morbidity and mortality conference serves an important educational role for physicians and underscores the importance of error disclosure in improving patient safety. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Information Diffusion on Twitter: Pattern Recognition and Prediction of Volume, Sentiment, and Influence

Characterizing, predicting, and quantifying the impact of postings, tweets, messages, etc. on social media platforms is a topic of growing interest due to the increasing reliance on using social media as a means for various purposes by individuals and organizations alike. In this paper, we describe an information diffusion model on the social network of Twitter. The model treats information diffusion on social media as a multivariate time series problem and deals mainly with three different dimensions of Twitter data and the different patterns of information diffusion. These dimensions are the volume of tweets, the sentiment of tweets and influence of tweets. To discover different patterns of information diffusion on Twitter, time series clustering is used where Dynamic Time Warping distance is adopted as the distance measure. To predict different parameters of each of the three dimensions, the linear time series model of Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and the non-linear time series model of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Networks are used and their performance is compared. Results indicate that LSTM models achieve far better performance and hold great potential to be utilized for real-world applications.
Translating literature into causal graphs: Toward automated experiment selection

Biologists synthesize research articles into coherent models—ideally, causal models, which predict how systems will respond to interventions. But it is challenging to derive causal models from articles alone, without primary data. To enable causal discovery using only literature, we built software for annotating empirical results in free text and computing valid explanations, expressed as causal graphs. This paper presents our meta-analytic pipeline: with the “research map” schema, we annotate results in literature, which we convert into logical constraints on causal structure; with these constraints, we find consistent causal graphs using a state-of-the-art, causal discovery algorithm based on answer set programming. Because these causal graphs show which relations are underdetermined, biologists can use this pipeline to select their next experiment. To demonstrate this approach, we annotated neuroscience articles and applied a “degrees-of-freedom” analysis for concisely visualizing features of the causal graphs that remain consistent with the evidence—a model space that is often too large for a machine to compute quickly, or for a researcher to examine exhaustively.
Extraction techniques and analysis of anthocyanins from food sources by mass spectrometry: An update.

Abstract This article reviews recent developments in methods of sample preparation and analytical methodologies for the quantification of anthocyanins and their extraction from food sources. Various methods for sample extraction and purification are highlighted and evaluated. The use of UV-diode array, along with improved liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry (MS) and/or the combination of both methods have facilitated the identification of analytes. The use of one-dimensional and two-dimensional HPLC has significantly improved resolution with a shorter amount of time. Other LC × LC combinations to improve orthogonality are also discussed. The most efficient anthocyanin extraction method from food sources is pressurized liquid extraction. Moreover, electrospray ionization (ESI) and MS2/time-of-flight are currently the most popular instruments used for identification of anthocyanins; being positive mode of ESI the most widely used procedure for anthocyanin identification. Several databases for mass spectrometry polyphenol identification have been described for reference.
Experimental and Numerical Study of Stall Flutter in a Transonic Low-Aspect Ratio Fan Blisk

Experiments are performed on a modern design transonic shroudless low-aspect ratio fan blisk that experienced both subsonic/transonic and supersonic stall-side flutter. High-response flush mounted miniature pressure transducers are utilized to measure the unsteady aerodynamic loading distribution in the tip region of the fan for both flutter regimes, with strain gages utilized to measure the vibratory response at incipient and deep flutter operating conditions. Numerical simulations are performed and compared with the benchmark data using an unsteady three-dimensional nonlinear viscous computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis, with the effects of tip clearance, vibration amplitude, and the number of time steps-per-cycle investigated. The benchmark data are used to guide the validation of the code and establish best practices that ensure accurate flutter predictions.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Francisco Suárez y los derechos Humanos. Corrientes historiográficas y perspectivas críticas actuales

Jesuit Francisco Suarez as eminent theologian, philosopher and jurist of his time plays an important role as a precedent in the construction of the categories of modern thought. One of these categories, not contemporary of Francisco Suarez, are human rights. Many authors anticipate some of its fundamental elements already in the thinking around the Law developed by Francisco Suarez in his main treatises on legal and political philosophy such as De Legibus and Defensio fidei. In this article we will try to connect the virtuality of the suarist approach in the field of human rights, exploring in his work these antecedents and the direction in which they are directed, as well as the possibilities of dialogue that opens around the construction of the conception of human rights in the current context.
Lower extremity muscle activity during descent from varying step heights

Abstract During step descent, lower extremity musculature is critical for positioning the foot and ankle for initial contact and stabilizing the structures following contact. Although continuous stair descent has been extensively examined, curb/single transition steps where many injuries occur requires further study. The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of landing strategy and step height on lower extremity muscle activity of uninjured individuals during transition step descent. Twenty-two participants walked along a level walkway, stepped down a single step (heights: 5-cm, 15-cm, 25-cm) landed with the heel or forefoot, and continued walking. Muscle activity of the leading leg’s peroneals, tibialis anterior, and medial gastrocnemius were recorded 200 ms before and after initial contact. Two-way Repeated Measures ANOVAs within the three step heights and two landing strategies were run for both the pre- and post-contact periods. Step height by landing strategy interactions existed during the pre-contact periods for all three muscles. During the post-contact period, all muscle activity increased with each step height increment. Additionally, the medial gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior demonstrated significant landing strategy differences. This study highlights the importance of considering both landing strategy and step height when designing or interpreting investigations of transition step negotiation.
A Short History of Qat and Its Use

The origins of the qat plant are obscure, and much of what has been surmised about the early history of its use is speculative. As presently known, the most ancient mention of a drug which may have been qat comes from Egypt. R. Cotterville-Girandet theorized, on the basis of linguistic evidence, that qat was the drug which was forbidden to the priests of Isis at the ancient Temple of Philae at Aswan. He attempted to identify the letters kd, which designated the forbidden plant, with the Arabic letter q (qaf), and t. This linguistic hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that the rites of Isis emphasized sleep as therapy required for seeing divine revelations in dreams. Since qat use inhibits sleep, its interference with sleep therapy would naturally arouse opposition. However, Rodinson feels that the linguistic evidence for this is too slender (1977:76). It must also be noted that the environment around the Philae Temple at Aswan does not seem the proper one for the plant’s growth. Despite such doubts, however, it would seem that the idea does warrant further investigation.