cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hip abductor strength and fatigue are associated with activity levels more than 1 year after total hip replacement.

Despite improvements in pain and function, people who undergo total hip arthroplasty (THR) may not always return to desired levels of physical activity (PA). The factors associated with low activity levels are not fully understood. Abductor weakness and fatigue have both been proposed as factors that limit activity in older adults or people with hip osteoarthritis, but have not been investigated after THR. We hypothesized that abductor weakness and fatigue are associated with lower activity levels in people who have undergone a THR and that fatigue mediates the association between abductor strength and activity. We evaluated 16 subjects (24 ± 10 months post-THR; age 56.8 ± 8.4 yrs; BMI 31 ± 7 kg/m2 ). Fatigue was assessed using the PROMIS fatigue short-form 7a. Peak isometric hip abductor torque was assessed using a dynamometer with subjects in a sidelying position. We assessed activity level using the UCLA activity score. We used Pearson correlations to explore the associations among the variables. Next we used a three-step linear regression procedure to test whether or not fatigue acted as a mediator between abductor torque and UCLA activity scores. Higher abductor torque was associated with less fatigue (R2 = 0.275; p = 0.037) and with higher UCLA scores (R2 = 0.488, p = 0.003). Higher fatigue was associated with lower UCLA scores (R2 = 0. 307, p = 0.017), however there was no evidence of mediation. This suggests that addressing both abductor strength and fatigue may increase physical activity. Statement of Clinical Significance: Fatigue and abductor weakness should be evaluated in sedentary THR patients presenting for long-term follow-up. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1519-1525, 2018.
INTRODUCING: THE METAL-MATRIX HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR.

Powders and powder mixtures, including ceramic powders, can be consolidated into contiguous monoliths by dynamic compaction using explosively generated shock waves; many such powders can be explosively clad or bonded to metal containers as a simultaneous event during shock consolidation. These techniques may be employed as the bases of a novel processing technology for high temperature ceramic superconductor powders. The fact that shock wave compaction generates crystal defects contributes to the support of superconducting behavior in these materials. YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ channel rings are presently consolidated within a copper cladding. 7 references.
Resource and physiological constraints on global crop production enhancements from atmospheric particulate matter and nitrogen deposition

Abstract. Changing atmospheric composition, induced primarily by industrialization and climate change, can impact plant health and may have implications for global food security. Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) can enhance crop production through the redistribution of light from sunlight to shaded leaves. Nitrogen transported through the atmosphere can also increase crop production when deposited onto cropland by reducing nutrient limitations in these areas. We employ a crop model (pDSSAT), coupled to input from an atmospheric chemistry model (GEOS-Chem), to estimate the impact of PM and nitrogen deposition on crop production. In particular, the crop model considers the resource and physiological restrictions to enhancements in growth from these atmospheric inputs. We find that the global enhancement in crop production due to PM in 2010 under the most realistic scenario is 2.3, 11.0, and 3.4 % for maize, wheat, and rice, respectively. These crop enhancements are smaller than those previously found when resource restrictions were not accounted for. Using the same model setup, we assess the effect of nitrogen deposition on crops and find modest increases ( ∼ 2 % in global production for all three crops). This study highlights the need for better observations of the impacts of PM on crop growth and the cycling of nitrogen throughout the plant–soil system to reduce uncertainty in these interactions.
Providing meaningful information: Part D—Current awareness

Abstract Informationists have the tools they need to help their users combat information fatigue. After the theoretical underpinnings of what makes a successful current awareness service are covered, user and resource assessment techniques will be shared. Unique, modern approaches to current awareness, such as social media, gray literatures, open access literature, and disaster/change management literature will be discussed. Finally, a case study on using Twitter and Facebook to provide current awareness of the literature to students, clinicians, and researchers in a university setting will be presented.
System of Systems for Sensor and Actuator Networks

Sensor and actuator networks are often the backbone of control applications. They are used in many different fields, such as health care, home automation, and industrial control. Despite the prevalence of sensor and actuator networks, there is a lack of tools to support the rapid prototyping of sensing and control applications. We have developed a system to support a generic platform for rapid prototyping of sensing and control applications in which different sensors and actuators are brought together to perform specific functions. At the heart of the system-of-systems is the Control INterface to Devices and Instruments (CINDI), a small Linux-based box with a number of standard interfaces. The system was built with simplicity in mind and to support component reuse.
Core Excitons in Strained-Layer Superlattices

The physics of core excitons in semiconductors is reviewed, with emphasis on the fact that Hjalmarson-Frenkel ‘deep’ core excitons are observed, and co-exist with Wannier-Mott ‘shallow’ excitons which are not normally resolved experimentally. The theory of Hjalmarson-Frenkel excitons is extended to excitons in superlattices, and the Ga3d core exciton in GaAs 1-x P x /GaP strained-layer superlattices is predicted to change from a resonance in the conduction band (with apparent negative binding energy) to a bound state in the gap (positive binding energy), as the GaAs 1-x P x layer thickness decreases.
Structure-Function Analysis of the Curli Accessory Protein CsgE Defines Surfaces Essential for Coordinating Amyloid Fiber Formation

Curli amyloid fibers are produced as part of the extracellular biofilm matrix and are composed primarily of the major structural subunit CsgA. The CsgE chaperone facilitates the secretion of CsgA through CsgG by forming a cap at the base of the nonameric CsgG outer membrane pore. We elucidated a series of finely tuned nonpolar and charge-charge interactions that facilitate the oligomerization of CsgE and its ability to transport unfolded CsgA to CsgG for translocation. CsgE oligomerization in vitro is temperature dependent and is disrupted by mutations in the W48 and F79 residues. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), we identified two regions of CsgE involved in the CsgE-CsgA interaction: a head comprising a positively charged patch centered around R47 and a stem comprising a negatively charged patch containing E31 and E85. Negatively charged residues in the intrinsically disordered N- and C-terminal "tails" were not implicated in this interaction. Head and stem residues were mutated and interrogated using in vivo measurements of curli production and in vitro amyloid polymerization assays. The R47 head residue of CsgE is required for stabilization of CsgA- and CsgE-mediated curli fiber formation. Mutation of the E31 and E85 stem residues to positively charged side chains decreased CsgE-mediated curli fiber formation but increased CsgE-mediated stabilization of CsgA. No single-amino-acid substitutions in the head, stem, or tail regions affected the ability of CsgE to cap the CsgG pore as determined by a bile salt sensitivity assay. These mechanistic insights into the directed assembly of functional amyloids in extracellular biofilms elucidate possible targets for biofilm-associated bacterial infections.IMPORTANCE Curli represent a class of functional amyloid fibers produced by Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative bacteria that serve as protein scaffolds in the extracellular biofilm matrix. Despite the lack of sequence conservation among different amyloidogenic proteins, the structural and biophysical properties of functional amyloids such as curli closely resemble those of amyloids associated with several common neurodegenerative diseases. These parallels are underscored by the observation that certain proteins and chemicals can prevent amyloid formation by the major curli subunit CsgA and by alpha-synuclein, the amyloid-forming protein found in Lewy bodies during Parkinson's disease. CsgA subunits are targeted to the CsgG outer membrane pore by CsgE prior to secretion and assembly into fibers. Here, we use biophysical, biochemical, and genetic approaches to elucidate a mechanistic understanding of CsgE function in curli biogenesis.
Specifying the Anterior Primitive Streak by Modulating YAP1 Levels in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Specifying the primitive streak (PS) guides stem cell differentiation in vitro; however, much remains to be learned about the transcription networks that direct anterior and posterior PS cells (APS and PPS, respectively) to differentiate to distinct mesendodermal subpopulations. Here, we show that APS genes are predominantly induced in YAP1-/- human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in response to ACTIVIN. This finding establishes the Hippo effector YAP1 as a master regulator of PS specification, functioning to repress ACTIVIN-regulated APS genes in hESCs. Moreover, transient exposure of wild-type hESCs to dasatinib, a potent C-SRC/YAP1 inhibitor, enables differentiation to APS-derived endoderm and cardiac mesoderm in response to ACTIVIN. Importantly, these cells can differentiate efficiently to normal beating cardiomyocytes without the cytoskeletal defect seen in YAP1-/- hESC-derived cardiomyocytes. Overall, we uncovered an induction mechanism to generate APS cells using a cocktail of ACTIVIN and YAP1i molecules that holds practical implications for hESC and induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation into distinct mesendodermal lineages.
Experimentation with reputation concerns – Dynamic signalling with changing types

Abstract This paper adapts the exponential/Poisson bandits framework to a model of reputation concerns. The result is a dynamic signalling game with changing types. We study a decision-maker who must choose the stopping time for a project of unknown quality when she is concerned both about social welfare and public beliefs about her ability, which is correlated with the project's quality. The decision-maker privately observes a Poisson process that is informative about whether the project will succeed or fail. In this setting the decision-maker has incentives to experiment for too long, both in the hope of a last-minute success, and because stopping hurts her reputation. We show, however, that exact efficiency can be achieved in equilibrium for a range of reputation concerns, provided they are not too strong. If the private signal is sufficiently informative, this range can be arbitrarily large. When efficiency cannot be achieved, distortions can take the form of excessive continuation.
Cost Efficiencies in the Management of Commodity Mutual Funds

This article examines the determinants of cost efficiencies in the U.S. commodity mutual fund industry from 2001 to 2016. Empirical results show that cost increases in the U.S. commodity mutual fund industry have been less than proportional to increases in fund assets, pointing to economies of scale for the industry. Average cost elasticity varies by fund size, existence of 12b-1 fees, load versus no-load funds, and institutional versus retail funds. Funds without a 12b-1 plan show larger economies of scale than funds with a 12b-1 plan. Institutional funds show greater economies of scale than retail funds since 2010.
Evidence of boiling and epithermal vein mineralization in Carlin-type deposits on the Getchell trend, Nevada

Abstract Boiling in northeast (NE)-trending faults during Eocene gold mineralization at the Getchell and Twin Creeks deposits is indicated by cogenetic liquid-rich and vapor-rich fluid inclusions. Both primary and secondary fluid inclusions in orpiment record similar evidence of boiling. However, banding in paragenetically younger calcite indicates that boiling was episodic in addition to being localized to NE-trending faults. The presence of CO2-rich secondary fluid inclusions in fluorite from the Getchell mine is an artifact of boiling and a depth of ≤980 m is representative of the Late-stage in these Carlin-type deposits. An ∼0.5 m wide crystalline white-quartz vein in the DZ Fault, Twin Creeks mine contains cogenetic liquid-rich and vapor-rich fluid inclusions. Intergrown with the quartz is 42 Ma adularia and native gold that occurs both as disseminations within and along boundaries between quartz grains. This vein extends beyond the DZ Fault and cuts massive brown jasperoid of the HGO ore zone. The contrasting styles of mineralization (e.g., low-sulfidation epithermal versus Carlin type), crosscutting relationship, and precise adularia age provides an important constraint on the age of Carlin-type gold mineralization at the Twin Creeks mine.
Argonne National Laboratory Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2013

This report discusses the status and the accomplishments of the environmental protection program at Argonne National Laboratory for calendar year 2013. The status of Argonne environmental protection activities with respect to compliance with the various laws and regulations is discussed, along with environmental management, sustainability efforts, environmental corrective actions, and habitat restoration. To evaluate the effects of Argonne operations on the environment, samples of environmental media collected on the site, at the site boundary, and off the Argonne site were analyzed and compared with applicable guidelines and standards. A variety of radionuclides were measured in air, surface water, on-site groundwater, and bottom sediment samples. In addition, chemical constituents in surface water, groundwater, and Argonne effluent water were analyzed. External penetrating radiation doses were measured, and the potential for radiation exposure to off-site population groups was estimated. Results are interpreted in terms of the origin of the radioactive and chemical substances (i.e., natural, Argonne, and other) and are compared with applicable standards intended to protect human health and the environment. A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) dose calculation methodology, based on International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) CAP-88 Version 3 computer code, wasmore » used in preparing this report.« less
Resolving kinetic intermediates during the regulated assembly and disassembly of fusion pores

The opening of a fusion pore during exocytosis creates the first aqueous connection between the lumen of a vesicle and the extracellular space. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) mediate the formation of these dynamic structures, and their kinetic transitions are tightly regulated by accessory proteins at the synapse. Here, we utilize two single molecule approaches, nanodisc-based planar bilayer electrophysiology and single-molecule FRET, to address the relationship between SNARE complex assembly and rapid (micro-millisecond) fusion pore transitions, and to define the role of accessory proteins. Synaptotagmin (syt) 1, a major Ca2+-sensor for synaptic vesicle exocytosis, drove the formation of an intermediate: committed trans-SNARE complexes that form large, stable pores. Once open, these pores could only be closed by the action of the ATPase, NSF. Time-resolved measurements revealed that NSF-mediated pore closure occurred via a complex 'stuttering' mechanism. This simplified system thus reveals the dynamic formation and dissolution of fusion pores.
Chronic interleukin-1 exposure triggers selective expansion of CEBPA-deficient multipotent hematopoietic progenitors

The early events that drive hematologic disorders like clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative neoplasm, and acute myeloid leukemia are not well understood. Most studies focus on the cell-intrinsic genetic changes that occur in these disorders and how they impact cell fate decisions. We consider how chronic exposure to the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1; (IL-1), impacts Cebpa-deficient hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) in competitive settings. We surprisingly found that Cebpa-deficient HSPC did not have a hematopoietic cell intrinsic competitive advantage; rather chronic IL-1; exposure engendered potent selection for Cebpa loss. Chronic IL-1; augments myeloid lineage output by activating differentiation and repressing stem cell gene expression programs in a Cebpa-dependent manner. As a result, Cebpa-deficient HSPC are resistant to the pro-differentiative effects of chronic IL-1, and competitively expand. These findings have important implications for the earliest events that drive hematologic disorders, suggesting that chronic inflammation could be an important driver of leukemogenesis and a potential target for intervention.
A symmetrization approach to hypermatrix SVD

We propose a new hypermatrix singular value decomposition based upon the spectral decomposition of the symmetric products of transposes.
Subcutaneous Ports for Chronic Nerve Cuff and Intramuscular Electrode Stimulation in Animal Models.

ObjectiveTracking recovery after nerve injury may require many intermittent assessments over long periods, preferably with non- or minimally invasive methods. We developed subcutaneous electrical c...
Living in Boston during COVID-19: Lifestyle, Ideology, and Context Drive Attitudes

In the Summer of 2020, the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) at Northeastern University, the Center for Survey Research (CSR) at University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) conducted a survey that captures the experiences of 1626 Bostonians during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey provides unique insights into how experiences and challenges varied across the populations and neighborhoods of a single city—something not currently available from any other source, in Boston or otherwise. In second report in this series, we identified a variety of differences across ethnicities and neighborhood in attitudes toward infection risk and social distancing guidelines, habits of mask-wearing, and understanding of asymptomatic spread of COVID19. In this fourth report, we focus on related factors that might be driving these differences, including sex, age, being at high risk for infection, income, education, household composition (e.g., marital status, number of children), and political ideology. Doing so revealed multiple new lessons about how we might understand and support differences across communities.
Chapter 24 – Pastoralism

Pastoralism (keeping domestic herbivores) is a fundamental subsistence pattern that dates back over 10,000 years to the global warming that ended the Pleistocene Epoch. Excluding dogs, the earliest domesticated animals were goats, sheep, and cattle. Livestock provide meat, milk, and other food products that are dietary staples for many populations. Livestock are also disease reservoirs of both ancient and emerging diseases that affect humans. Humans have adapted genetically to milk sugar (lactose) and to some of the zoonotic diseases transmitted by livestock. This demonstrates that livestock and humans have coevolved because of their intimate association over the past 100 centuries.
VStore++: Virtual Storage Services for Mobile Devices

This paper addresses media sharing via an approach that offers ‘fungible’ storage, where storage services implement virtual stores that are dynamically mapped to suitable ‘nearby’ or otherwise available physical devices. In particular, the novel VStore++ system provides seamless and flexible data storage, access, and sharing services, by exploiting virtualization technology to aggregate and make use of both ‘nearby’ and private storage (e.g., in a mobile user’s home), and public storage resources offered on remote cloud platforms.
Ammonia molecular beam epitaxy technology for UV light emitters

Ill-Nitride molecular beam epitaxy (MBE] is a flexible and fast research tool for development and demonstration of new alloys and device structures. While MBE is typically not used as a production technique for optoelectronic devices, excellent material quality can be achieved, as evidenced by extremely high IQE deep UV active regions [1], as well as laser quality active regions with emission wavelengths from the near UV to visible [2]. Ammonia MBE in particular also offers the ability to achieve highly doped layers with world record mobility [3]. In this paper, we will present recent research results using ammonia-assisted MBE that are relevant to developing high efficiency UV emitters.
Modeling Structured Environments Using Robot Vision

In this paper, we review the various methods for robust autonomous mobile robot navigation and scene modeling in structured environments. The techniques vary with availibility of a priori knowledge of the environment and the number of sensors with which the robot is equipped. The methods may be broadly classified into three categories: model based approaches, landmark based methods, and methods using information provided by the robot trajectory and its integration with sensor information for navigation and estimation of three dimensional (3D) position in the environment. Also, we describe the mobile robot ROBO-TEX, an autonomous mobile robot constructed in our laboratory. A successful implementation for constructing computer aided design (CAD) models of a structured scene as imaged by a single wide angle lens CCD camera while navigating is considered and evaluated. Finally, we discuss another navigation system that uses a stereo pair of fish-eye lenses, and discuss the merits of such a system over some of the other implementations for navigation and modeling of the scene.
Validation of the audience response system.

Audience response systems (ARS) are gaining popularity in multiple areas of education. Although its usefulness has been well reported, no study has investigated the accuracy of the technology. The purpose of this study was to validate ARS by assessing three key aspects: signal transmission from the keypad to the receiver, capture of a proper response by the receiver and association of that response to the proper device. One hundred volunteers were assigned roles of responder or observer. Each responder was given a unique answer combination for a series of five questions. The data was assessed for accuracies and inaccuracies. Average correct response rate was 98% with a confidence interval (CI) ranging from 0.9527 to 0.9928 (CI = 0.95). The 2% incorrect response rate was attributable to failed signal transmission. These failed transmissions originated from different devices. As more institutions utilise ARS and as its use continues to expand into higher calibre arenas, validity of the system becomes of utmost importance. Given the relatively high confidence level of the system function, ARS is a valid and accurate method of response collecting, but one must certainly consider the possible ramifications of failed signal transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Mechanical Verification of a Garbage Collector

We describe how the PVS verification system has been used to verify a safety property of a garbage collection algorithm, originally suggested by Ben-Ari. The safety property basically says that “nothing but garbage is ever collected”. Although the algorithm is relatively simple, its parallel composition with a “user” program that (nearly) arbitrarily modifies the memory makes the verification quite challenging. The garbage collection algorithm and its composition with the user program is regarded as a concurrent system with two processes working on a shared memory. Such concurrent systems can be encoded in PVS as state transition systems, very similar to the models of, for example, UNITY and TLA. The algorithm is an excellent test-case for formal methods, be they based on theorem proving or model checking. Various hand-written proofs of the algorithm have been developed, some of which are wrong. David Russinoff has verified the algorithm in the Boyer-Moore prover, and our proof is an adaption of this proof to PVS. We also model check a finite state version of the algorithm in the Stanford model checker Murphi, and we compare the result with the PVS verification.
Circadian pattern of prolactin secretion in postmenopausal women receiving estrogen with or without progestin

Abstract The circadian rhythm of prolactin secretion was assessed in postmenopausal women before and after daily administration of ethinyl estradiol for 4 weeks given in the morning ( am ) or evening ( pm ) or in combination with a synthetic progestin, 17-medroxyprogesterone acetate. In response to am ethinyl estradiol, mean circulating levels of serum prolactin during sleep and awake phases of the day rose 2.5-fold compared to untreated control values. The sleep/wake ratios for serum prolactin were comparable prior to and after am administration of ethinyl estradiol. Altered time of administration, pm ethinyl estradiol or concomitant ethinyl estradiol and progestin treatment produced similar increases in mean prolactin levels, which were not different from the level observed during am administration of ethinyl estradiol. These findings indicate that estrogen replacement therapy, in a dosage recommended for treatment of the menopause, stimulated a sustained rise in serum prolactin over 24 hours. This enhanced release of prolactin was not influenced by the time of administration of estrogen or concomitant administration of 17-medroxyprogesterone acetate.
“Such Splendid Country,” The Esopus Region, a Multi‐Ethnic Colonial Landscape on the Hudson River, 1652–1670

The seventeenth‐century Esopus region, located half‐way between present‐day Albany to the north and Manhattan to the south in today's New York State, is mostly known as an area of Munsee‐Dutch conf...
Embracing Interference in Wireless Systems

From the Preface The wireless medium is a shared resource. If nearby devices transmit at the same time, their signals interfere, resulting in a collision. In traditional networks, collisions cause the loss of the transmitted information. For this reason, wireless networks have been designed with the assumption that interference is intrinsically harmful and must be avoided. This book, a revised version of the author's award-winning Ph.D. dissertation, takes an alternate approach: Instead of viewing interference as an inherently counterproductive phenomenon that should to be avoided, we design practical systems that transform interference into a harmless, and even a beneficial phenomenon. To achieve this goal, we consider how wireless signals interact when they interfere, and use this understanding in our system designs. Specifically, when interference occurs, the signals get mixed on the wireless medium. By understanding the parameters of this mixing, we can invert the mixing and decode the interfered packets; thus, making interference harmless. Furthermore, we can control this mixing process to create strategic interference that allow decodability at a particular receiver of interest, but prevent decodability at unintended receivers and adversaries. Hence, we can transform interference into a beneficial phenomenon that provides security. Building on this approach, we make four main contributions: We present the first WiFi receiver that can successfully reconstruct the transmitted information in the presence of packet collisions. Next, we introduce a WiFi receiver design that can decode in the presence of high-power cross-technology interference from devices like baby monitors, cordless phones, microwave ovens, or even unknown technologies. We then show how we can harness interference to improve security. In particular, we develop the first system that secures an insecure medical implant without any modification to the implant itself. Finally, we present a solution that establishes secure connections between any two WiFi devices, without having users enter passwords or use pre-shared secret keys.
The phoenix series large-scale methane gas burner experiments and liquid methane pool fires experiments on water

Abstract This paper summarizes a series of large-scale outdoor and indoor LNG pool fire experiments conducted at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two outdoor LNG spills on water with resulting pool fires of 21 m and 56 m in diameter were conducted to improve hazard predictions by obtaining measurements of flame height, smoke production, and burn rate. The experimental data indicates that LNG pool fires on water display different behavior than those on land by producing less smoke. Surface emissive powers of up to 286 kW/m 2 , flames heights of up to 146 m, and burn rates of about 0.147 kg/m 2 s were measured. Discussion is provided on the observed behavior of the two outdoor tests with regards to smoke production, wind effects, and hydrate production. The large-scale indoor experiments used a 3-m diameter gas burner with methane fuel to assess flame height to fire diameter ratios as a function of non-dimensional heat release rates for extrapolation to large-scale LNG fires. A flame height correlation was developed from this data.
Workflow composition of service level agreements for web services

Service-oriented architecture enables an environment where businesses can expose services for use by their collaborators and their peer organizations. In this dynamic environment, organizations require the use of service level agreements (SLAs) to assure the quality of service (QoS) standards of services provided by their collaborators. In an ad-hoc workflow scenario, a business may need to perform real-time composition of existing services in response to consumer requests. In this work, we suggest that, in parallel to traditional web service composition, the business must also compose the existing SLAs in order to ensure the service levels that must be guaranteed to new consumers. Ultimately, this approach to SLA composition must align with the overarching principles of the provider and the priorities of the consumer. In this paper, we introduce a model and representations of service level agreement attributes appropriate for managing a service provider's expectations when adding new partners. Our evaluations suggest that the SLA composition can efficiently run concurrently with traditional service composition. Highlights? We develop a model of service level objectives for web services. ? We develop an approach to compose SLAs based on user priorities. ? The SLA composition performs favorably in parallel with typical service composition. ? SLA composition can prevent entry of new services that invalidate existing SLAs.
Relation of handedness with season of birth of professional baseball players revisited.

Summary We reexamined the relationship between month and season of birth and handedness in male professional baseball players listed in Lahman's Baseball Archive Vol. 4.5 database. The sample of 8,016 individuals (left-handed = 1,658; right-handed =6,358) played major league baseball between 1900–2001. A slightly higher, but statistically significant, percentage of left-handed players were born in June compared to other months, and in the winter-spring months, but we were unable to corroborate Rogerson's spring and early summer categorization of handedness as related to birth season. The data did not support the hypothesis that the prevalence of left-handedness is related to season of birth.
62. Cancer impairs dermal wound healing in mice

The success of cancer treatment is dependent upon tissue repair (e.g., following surgery, radiation), which if disrupted, can result in treatment delays and dangerous comorbidities. Scant data exist on tissue repair during cancer. Many cancers suppress the function and quantity of immune cells that are integral to wound healing (e.g., neutrophils, macrophages, T-cells) both locally and in the circulation. We hypothesized that cancer impairs dermal healing and does so through immune cell dysregulation. Oral cancer cells (106) or PBS were injected (s.c.) into the flank of adult female immunocompetent mice. Sixteen days post-tumor induction, two 3.5 mm excisional wounds were placed through the dorsal skin; other mice remained unwounded. Wound tissues or unwounded skin, blood, and tumors were collected 1 or 5 days later. Tumors significantly impaired wound closure by 20–40%. Tumors reduced gene expression of inflammatory factors (IL-10, TLR4, CCL2) in wounds, and increased such factors (CCL3, CCL22, CXCL2, CXCL10) in unwounded skin. The presence of a wound, in turn, reduced IL-6, TNFalpha, and CCL22 gene expression in the tumors themselves. Tumors and wounding, both independently and interactively, also changed the numbers of circulating leukocytes. These data indicate that tumors affect systemic and healthy and damaged skin immunity, and conversely, are immunologically altered themselves by the presence of a wound. This work aims to identify immunological targets by which to promote successful cancer treatment.
A possible relationship between KCl symport and basolateral K(+)-conductance in Necturus gallbladder epithelial cells.

Abstract 1. 1. Apical membrane potential (Va), transepithelial potential (VT), fractional apical voltage ratio (FVa = ΔVa/ΔVT), tissue resistance (RT), and intracellular Cl− (aCli) and K+ (aKi) activities were measured in isolated gallbladders maintained between oxygenated bicarbonate-free physiological media (23°C, pH 7.2 or 8.2) in a divided chamber. The basolateral membrane potential (Vb) was calculated from the measured values of Va and VT. 2. 2. Cl− removal from the serosal medium (which should accelerate coupled basolateral KCl exit) significantly depolarized Vb, decreased aCli, decreased FVa, increased RT, and attenuated the depolarization of Vb (ΔVb) induced by high K+ added to the serosal side. These changes are consistent with a decrease in the K+-conductance of the basolateral membrane (gKb). 3. 3. Addition of furosemide (an inhibitor of KCl cotransport) to the serosal medium induced significant increases in Vb, FVa and high K+-induced ΔVb, indicating an increase in gKb. 4. 4. In the presence of serosal furosemide, Cl− removal from the serosal medium did not significantly alter Vb, aCli or ΔVb from their corresponding values when serosal Cl− was present. 5. 5. Serosal furosemide had no significant effect on aKi and aCli measured with double-barreled ion-selective microelectrodes. 6. 6. These results suggest the possibility of a reciprocal relationship between gKb and the rate of basolateral KCl cotransport. This may contribute to the maintenace of aKi in gallbladder epithelial cells.
Calibration of a monocentric city model with mixed land use and congestion

Abstract A model of a monocentric city with traffic congestion is specified and calibrated to metropolitan Chicago for 1956. The computations suggest that the market allocation of households to locations (i.e., rings) differed from an efficient location pattern. In 1956 the Chicago CBD had employment of 593,000, which was 29% of employment in the metropolitan area. The remaining employment was widely dispersed. A more efficient allocation places up to 11.5% more households in the rings nearest to the CBD, given the location pattern of employment. Other policies, such as increasing work trips by public transit and charging time-of-day tolls to shift the rush hour to other times, are shown to reduce congestion costs and to reduce the amount of population redistribution needed to achieve an efficient population distribution.
Sectioning insects with sclerotized cuticle.

Adult insects of different orders including beetles were fixed in a mixture of a saturated solution of picric acid in 90% alcohol, 75 parts; formalin, 25 parts; nitric acid (cone), 8 parts, 4–6 days and even up to 10 days depending upon the hardness of the cuticle (addition of 5% mercuric chloride to this mixture is recommended when prolonged immersion is required), or in Carnoy and Lebruns' fluid 24–48 hours and then transferred to a solution of 3–6 parts of nitric acid in 100 parts of 90% alcohol (3–6 days). After dehydration in different grades of alcohol, the insects were double embedded in celloidin and paraffin, either by (1) clove oil for 1 day, then to a saturated solution of celloidin in clove oil matured for at least 2 months for 20–40 days, or (2) the conventional ether-alcohol-celloidin mixture for 7 days; followed by hardening in chloroform. The difficulty in the proper infiltration of paraffin into celloidin hardened by chloroform around the insect is avoided by keeping the block overnight i...
On empirical Bayes procedures for selecting good populations in a positive exponential family

Abstract This paper deals with the problem of selecting good populations with respect to a control from k ( ⩾ 2 ) populations. The random variable associated with population π i is assumed to be positive-valued and has density of form f ( x i | θ i ) = c ( θ i ) exp ( - x i / θ i ) h ( x i ) with unknown parameter θ i , for each i = 1 , … , k . A nonparametric empirical Bayes approach is used to construct the selection procedures. The performance of the procedures is investigated by studying their regret Bayes risks r n . Under the simple assumption on the prior G i of ∫ θ 3 G i ( θ ) ∞ , we show that nr n → m , where m is a constant that can be calculated explicitly. The result indicates that the rate O ( n - 1 ) can be easily obtained for nonparametric procedures under weak conditions.
9-BBN: An amino acid protecting group for functionalization of amino acid side chains in organic solvents.

9-Borabicyclononane (9-BBN) has been utilized to protect functionalized amino acids for potential chemoselective side chain manipulation. The 9-BBN group imparts organic solubility to otherwise hydrophilic molecules and is tolerant of a wide range of reaction conditions. The high degree of solubility of these molecules in THF is particularly noteworthy. It is cleaved with either aqueous HCl or by exchange with ethylenediamine in methanol.
Displacement front stability of steam injection into high porosity diatomite rock

Steamflood displacement in porous media is considered to be stable, as compared to other gas-flooding techniques. Stability on the microscopic and core scale lends stability to steam movement on the reservoir scale. Initial aspects of this work use analytical methods to examine frontal stability in high-porosity rocks. Analytical methods indicate stable steam fronts for typical reservoir properties, but they also predict unstable displacement in high-porosity rock. The second portion of this work uses pattern level thermal simulation to study the stability of steam drives in high-porosity rocks. Two different permeability models (an isotropic model and a thief model) are compared at three average porosities (25%, 50% and 70%). Small thermal conductivities are shown to induce the formation of the steam fingers. More importantly, the simulation results show that as the rock porosity increases, steamfront stability decreases. This is exemplified by earlier breakthrough times for models that have greater average porosity. While the stability of a steam front does decrease, analysis indicates that the difference is likely not significant, around a 20% reduction in breakthrough time, compared to other aspects. For example, reservoir heterogeneity has a much greater impact on breakthrough time than does the relatively unstable displacement front associated with high-porosity rock.
Interfacing Strategies For Optical Digital Data Devices In Mass Storage Systems

Part 1: Review of the CRAY-1A/StorageTek (STK) 0,0'3 interface strategy. Part one of the paper is based on a previous publication and will discuss the problems involved in constructing a high-speed data path between a CRAY-1A and the STK optical digital data disk (0D3) utilizing Network Systems Corporation (NSC) HYPERchannel* adapters. The test connection architecture, data structures, data rate experience, and resulting inter-face designes for a Local Device Network (LDN) will be discussed. Part 2: Examination of the interface strategy currently being implemented for a CRAY X-MP/ 4800 Part two of the paper will discuss an interface strategy being put in place for two large-scale computers, a CRAY X-MP/4800 and a CRAY-1A using a new NSC adapter. This strategy can be expanded to a number of large-scale host computers within a local network. At present, this interface does not deal with any optical device. It is being constructed to interface high-speed host computers to IBM-compatible storage devices which are also accessed by a Mass Storage Control Processor (MSCP) node in the NCAR Local Network (NLN). This portion of the paper emphasizes the interface that will be in place whenever an OD**3 device becomes available. Thus, we hope to show (ahead of device availability) what a typical large user of such OD 3 devices expects in the way of interface requirements and logical data formatting of the devices.
Metabolism of 1-C14 Octanoic and 1-C14 Palmitic Acid by Rat Intestinal Slices.∗

SummaryMeasurements were carried out on the in vitro metabolism of C14-octanoic and C14-palmitic acid by rat intestinal slices. Significantly more octanoic acid was catabolized to CO2 and water soluble products and less recovered as lipid soluble products compared to when palmitic acid was the substrate. Analysis of these lipid soluble products by thin layer chromatography revealed that more of the palmitic acid was esterified to triglyceride compared to octanoic acid. Further analysis of the lipid soluble products by gas liquid chromatography demonstrated that a small but significant amount (9%) of the label from C14-octanoic acid was recovered in fatty acids with chain lengths of 10-20 carbon atoms. This suggests that some of the C14-octanoic acid may have been catabolized to C14-acetate which was then incorporated into long chain fatty acids. In contrast, virtually all of the label from C14-palmitic acid was recovered as such, indicating that very little mucosal catabolism of palmitic acid had occurred.
Public Opinion About Laws to Prohibit Weight Discrimination in the United States

Weight discrimination is pervasive in American society and impairs quality of life for obese persons. With approximately two-thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, vast numbers of people are vulnerable to weight prejudice and its consequences. Currently, no laws exist to prohibit weight discrimination. This study conducted an online survey with a national sample of 1,001 adults (representing demographics of the United States) to examine public support for six potential legislative measures to prohibit weight discrimination in the United States. Results indicated substantial support (65% of men, 81% of women) for laws to prohibit weight discrimination in the workplace, especially for legal measures that would prohibit employers from refusing to hire, terminate, or deny promotion based on a person's body weight. Laws that proposed extending the same protections to obese persons as people with physical disabilities received the least support, suggesting that Americans may not be in favor of considering obesity as a disability. Findings also highlight specific predictors of support (related to sex, age, education, income, body weight, and political ideology). These findings can be used to inform policy makers in efforts to develop antidiscrimination laws. Such measures will rectify health disparities for overweight Americans and facilitate public health efforts to address obesity.
Transcriptional mapping of early RNA from regions of the Shope fibroma and malignant rabbit fibroma virus genomes.

Abstract Malignant rabbit fibroma virus (MV) is a recombinant poxvirus derived from Shope fibroma virus (SFV) and rabbit myxoma virus ( D. S. Strayer, E. Skaletsky, G. F. Cabirac, P. A. Sharp, L. B. Corbeil, S. Sell, and J. L. Leibowitz, 1983a , J. Immunol. 130 , 399–404; W. Block, C. Upton, and G. McFadden, 1984 , Virology 140 , 113–124). We report here the transcriptional mapping of early RNAs transcribed from the SFV sequences within MV and from the corresponding regions in SFV. Hybridization analysis and S1 nuclease mapping of RNA using viral DNA probes were used to define 5′ and 3′ ends of the various transcripts. The RNAs described here are transcribed in one direction in a densely arranged head to tail fashion similar to that described for some vacinia virus early transcriptional units. At late times of infection the early SFV RNAs are not detected whereas the early MV RNAs are present in minor amounts. The early SFV and MV transcripts range in size from 3170 to 425 nucleotides (nt) long. All of the longer transcripts are produced as a result of read through transcription. Three MV transcripts contain fused SFV and rabbit myxoma virus sequences due to transcription through the recombination junction region in the MV genome. Two other MV transcripts are transcribed from a unique initiation site near another recombination junction region resulting in RNAs that are composed of SFV sequences having unique 5′ ends.
Cortical Dynamics of Boundary Segmentation and Reset: Persistence, Afterimages, and Residual Traces

In previous work with a neural-network model of boundary segmentation and reset, the percept of persistence was linked to the duration of a boundary segmentation after stimulus offset. In particular, the model simulated the decrease of persistence duration with an increase in stimulus duration and luminance. Further evidence is revealed for the neural mechanisms involved in the theory. Simulations show that the model reset signals generate orientational afterimages, such as the MacKay effect, when the reset signals can be grouped by a subsequent boundary segmentation that generates illusory contours through them. Simulations also show that the same mechanisms explain properties of residual traces, which increase in duration with stimulus duration and luminance. The model hereby discloses previously unsuspected mechanistic links between data about persistence and afterimages, and helps to clarify the sometimes controversial issues surrounding distinctions between persistence, residual traces, and afterimages.
The rate of transfer of unesterified cholesterol from rat erythrocytes to emulsions modeling nascent triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and chylomicrons depends on the degree of fluidity of the surface

Abstract We have measured the rate of transfer of unesterified cholesterol from rat erythrocyte to triolein emulsions modeling nascent triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Emulsions (mean diameter ≈ 130 nm) were prepared with low cholesterol content (less than 2%) and various phosphatidylcholines that resulted in fluid (egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine) at transition (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) and solid (distearoyl phosphatidylcholine) surfaces at 37° C. Emulsions were incubated for 0, 20, 60, and 180 min with rat erythrocytes. Incubation mixtures initially contained approximately equal masses of phospholipid in the emulsion surfaces and the outer layer of plasma membrane of rat erythrocytes. There was a gradual and significant increase (P > egg yolk phosphatidylcholine-low cholesterol- > dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine-low cholesterol-triolein. There was no significant change in the composition of the surface phase of distearoyl phosphatidylcholine-low cholesterol-triolein emulsions. Therefore, transfer of unesterified cholesterol to the surface phase of emulsions during incubation with intact rat erythrocytes at 37° C in the absence of transfer proteins and plasma proteins is attributable to the degree of surface fluidity of emulsions.