cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Your Portfolio Overweighted? Know When to Say When

It is widely accepted that diversifying one9s portfolio by adding more securities leads to the elimination of idiosyncratic, but not systematic, risk. Previous studies suggest that holding up to just ten distinct stocks is enough to gain the full economic benefit of diversification. Moreover, these studies suggest holding different stocks in different industries to have effective diversification. In practice, however, many investors maintain a highly concentrated portfolio, particularly within a growth-oriented sector, like technology. This study presents a method of determining the minimum number of stocks to hold in various industries while still being diversified. The authors seek to determine the number of stocks necessary to eliminate idiosyncratic risk within an industry. The authors9 results show that industry-concentrated investors should hold no less than ten stocks in their portfolio. However, diversification across industries is still recommended, as systematic risk is lower when investors diversify across all sectors.
Important Elements of Hotel-Meeting Planner Contracts: An Exploratory Study

Contracts between meeting planners and hotels are getting longer and more complex to protect the interests of both parties. Unlike many other industries, there is no standard contract for use between meeting planners and hotels. This study was undertaken to try to ascertain (a) what elements the literature suggests should be contained in all contracts between meeting planners and hotels, and (b) what actually appears in real life contracts. The result was development of a 9-item checklist and comparison of real contracts with this list. It was found that although the bids were for an identical event there was significant variation in the elements included in the contracts as well as the operationalization of each element. However, this study found that none of the hotels in this sample included all nine elements in their contract, which provides educators and practitioners with the opportunity to provide assistance to hotel managers. Additional discussion addresses the accepted practices exchange (APEX) d...
Elastic-plastic analysis of deformation induced by thermal stress in eutectic composites: II. thermal Expansion

In part I a theory was developed to analyze the deformation produced in eutectic composites by temperature changes. Experimental determinations of the coefficient of expansion are used here to test the predictions of that theory. Measurements of length versus temperature in the absence of external stresses were made for Al-Al3Ni, Al-CuAl2, and Sb-Cu2Sb eutectic composites, and for monolithic 6061 Al. Hysteresis loops in the graph of composite coefficient of expansion vs temperature are seen when the expansion coefficients of the phases are different and plastic deformation occurs. The nature of the hysteresis is shown to depend upon heating and cooling rates, prior history and the relative values of the matrix and reinforcement expansion coefficients. The theory correctly predicts these qualitative effects. In Al-Al3Ni the available component data justify a quantitative comparison of calculated and experimentally determined coefficient of expansion-temperature curves. The values compare well, further verifying the analytical approach.
Crime Forecasting Using Data Mining Techniques

Crime is classically âunpredictableâ. It is not necessarily random, but neither does it take place consistently in space or time. A better theoretical understanding is needed to facilitate practical crime prevention solutions that correspond to specific places and times. In this study, we discuss the preliminary results of a crime forecasting model developed in collaboration with the police department of a United States city in the Northeast. We first discuss our approach to architecting datasets from original crime records. The datasets contain aggregated counts of crime and crime-related events categorized by the police department. The location and time of these events is embedded in the data. Additional spatial and temporal features are harvested from the raw data set. Second, an ensemble of data mining classification techniques is employed to perform the crime forecasting. We analyze a variety of classification methods to determine which is best for predicting crime âhotspotsâ. We also investigate classification on increase or emergence. Last, we propose the best forecasting approach to achieve the most stable outcomes. The result of our research is a model that takes advantage of implicit and explicit spatial and temporal data to make reliable crime predictions.
Increased Risk of Fracture in Patients Receiving Solid Organ Transplants

The success of organ transplantation is related to advances in immunosuppressive therapy. These medications are associated with medical complications including bone damage. The objective of this study was to estimate and compare age, gender-specific fracture incidence between transplant recipients, and a large sample representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized United States population using the 1994 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). This was a cohort study set in tertiary care centers. Five hundred and thirty-nine individuals who received abdominal organ and 61 heart transplants surviving at least 30 days at our institution from 1986 to 1996 were included in the study. Incident fractures were ascertained by mail, in-person interview, telephone survey, or medical record review. All fractures were verified. Organ-, age-, and gender-specific fracture numbers and rates and person-years of observation, were calculated for the transplant patients. Weighted age- and gender-specific fracture rates from the 1994 NHIS were applied to the number of person-years of observation for each organ-specific age and gender category of transplant patients to generate an expected number of fractures. The ratio of observed to expected number of fractures was used to compare fracture experience of transplant patients to that of the national sample from the 1994 NHIS. Fifty-six of 600 (9.3%) patients had at least one fracture following 1221 person-years of observation. The sites of initial symptomatic fracture were as follows: foot (n = 22), arm (n = 8), leg (n = 7), ribs (n = 6), hip (n = 4), spine (n = 3), fingers (n = 3), pelvis (n = 2), and wrist (n = 1). Fracture incidence was 13 times higher than expected in male heart recipients age 45-64 years; nearly 5 times higher in male kidney recipients age 25-44 and age 45-64 years; and 18 times and 34 times higher in female kidney recipients age 25-44 years and 45-64 years compared with NHIS data. We have shown an increased incidence of fractures and estimated the magnitude of this problem in patients undergoing solid organ transplantation. Our work defines the need for a long-term prospective study of fracture risk in these patients.
Energy calculations for the crystal structure of the high temperature phases (I and IV) of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)

Abstract Energy analysis is used to determine the low energy crystal structure for poly(tetrafluoroethylene) in the 15 7 conformation. It is also used to determine the energies of various conformational defects. The perfect structure has a motif of two left- and two right-handed molecular stems in a triclinic unit cell with parameters, a , b , and γ of 1.102 nm, 1.142 nm, and 121 degrees, respectively. A variety of other perfect structures with higher energies exist. None of these corresponds to the experimentally observed metrically hexagonal cell containing one rotationally disordered stem. Excess energies were calculated for rotationally disordering defects such as molecules with the 15 7 conformation in a crystal of 54 25 molecules (and vice versa ), rotated setting angle, reversed hand, and the 2 1 conformation. Subject to the model and the minimization techniques used, these energies ranged in order from near zero to approximately 2 kcal/mol defect CF 2 with those for the 54 25 crystal being about 38 percent greater than those for the 15 7 crystal. The intramolecular ‘interfacial’ energies for these defects ranged from near zero to approximately 2 kcal/mol interfaces. These numbers are approximately 33 percent greater in the 54 25 crystal. The defects decrease the specificity of packing of the molecules. They also increase the volume, energy, rotational disorder and equality of the dimensions of the unit cell. They drive the structure toward the experimentally observed one.
Differential acquisition of discriminated autoshaping as a function of stimulus qualities and locations

In each of two experiments, different groups of pigeons were required to discriminate between one of two basic kinds of stimulus differences: stimulus quality or stimulus location. For stimulus-quality groups, a key was illuminated by one of two colors on trials ending with food delivery and by the other color on trials ending with no food. For stimulus-location groups, a key was illuminated at one of two locations on trials ending with food delivery and at the other location on trials ending with no food. The birds began to respond differentially to the stimuli (i.e., peck the keys on food trials and not peck the keys on no-food trials) earlier in acquisiton if the stimulus qualities served as the signals for trial outcomes than if the stimulus locations served as those signals. The results from both experiments are consistent with predictions from a hypothesis regarding interactions among the qualities and locations of stimuli and responses (the “quality-location hypothesis”). Furthermore, the present results support other recent demonstrations of the important role that spatial relations among stimuli can play in classical conditioning.
The Impact Behavior of Thermoplastic Sheet Composites

Polypropylene sheet composites were produced by both the melt consoli dation and slurry deposition processes. The resulting composites had comparable flexural properties, based on the efficiency of...
Stanley's Simplicial Poset Conjecture, After M. Masuda

ABSTRACT M. Masuda recently provided the missing piece proving a conjecture of R.P. Stanley on the characterization of f-vectors for Gorenstein∗ simplicial posets. We propose a slight simplification of Masuda's proof.
Longitudinal Links Between Fathers’ and Mothers’ Harsh Verbal Discipline and Adolescents’ Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms

This study used cross-lagged modeling to examine reciprocal relations between maternal and paternal harsh verbal discipline and adolescents' conduct problems and depressive symptoms. Data were from a sample of 976 two-parent families and their children (51% males; 54% European American, 40% African American). Mothers' and fathers' harsh verbal discipline at age 13 predicted an increase in adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms between ages 13 and 14. A child effect was also present, with adolescent misconduct at age 13 predicting increases in mothers' and fathers' harsh verbal discipline between ages 13 and 14. Furthermore, maternal and paternal warmth did not moderate the longitudinal associations between mothers' and fathers' use of harsh verbal discipline and adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms.
Self-Consistent Method for Point Defects in Semiconductors: Application to the Vacancy in Silicon

We report the development of a method to calculate self-consistently the electronic structure of neutral point defects in semiconductors. The method is an adaptation of the original Koster-Slater idea. Calculations become feasible, practical, and accurate at the level of current band-structure and surface calculations when an LCAO basis set is used instead of Wannier functions. A detailed study of the isolated vacancy is Si is used to illustrate the method.
Sheet resistance requirements for the source/drain regions of 0.11-μm gate length CMOS technology

MOSFETs with partially contacted source/drain regions are often used in ASIC designs in order to improve the layout density of the gate arrays. Such contacting scheme adds resistance to current flow which reduces transistor current and hence degrades device performance. This paper presents the effect of source/drain region sheet resistance on the performance figure of merit (FOM) for partially contacted deep submicron CMOS transistors. These partially contacted transistors are modeled as distributed network of MOSFETs and resistances in order to study the impact of source/drain region resistance on drive currents. It is found that the source/drain sheet resistance plays a significant role in determining the FOM of these transistors. For example, our modeling shows that for 0.11 micrometer technology, a source/drain region sheet resistance of only 7 Ohms/sq. results in 1% degradation in performance FOM for diagonally contacted transistors with W/L of 20 and W s of 0.27 micrometer.
Transient deformation following the 30 January 1997 dike intrusion at Kīlauea volcano, Hawai’i

On 30 January 1997 an intrusion on Kīlauea volcano opened a new fissure within the East Rift Zone (ERZ) at Nāpau Crater, 3 km uprift from the ongoing eruptions at Pu’u ’Ō’ō. The fissure eruption lasted 22 h and opened a 5.1 km long, nearly vertical dike 1.9 m, extending from the surface to a depth of 2.4 km (Owen et al. 2000b). During the eruption, the lava pond at Pu’u ’Ō’ō drained, and eruptions ceased there. Pu’u ’Ō’ō eventually refilled in late February and eruptions resumed there on 28 March 1997. Continuous GPS data show a large transient following the 30 January 1997 dike intrusion. After lengthening 40 cm during the initial eruption, the baseline between two stations spanning the ERZ lengthened an additional 10 cm over the following 6 months. A coastal station KAEP also exhibited transient deformation, as it continued to move southward (5 cm) over the same 6-month period. The baseline between two stations spanning Kīlauea’s summit caldera contracted sharply during the eruption, but gradually recovered to slightly longer than its previous length 2 months after the intrusion. We use the extended network inversion filter (McGuire and Segall 2003) to invert continuous GPS data for volume change of a spherical pressure source under Kīlauea’s summit, opening distribution on a nearly vertical dike in the ERZ and potential slip on a decollement 9 km beneath the south flank. Following the 30 January intrusion, rift extension continued below the initial dike intrusion for the duration of the transient. Decollement slip, regardless of its assumed depth, is not required to fit the data. The modeled transient summit reinflation and rift opening patterns under Nāpau crater coincide with changes in observed behavior of Pu’u ’Ō’ō’s lava pond. Rift opening accelerated while Pu’u ’Ō’ō eruptions paused and began to decelerate after the lava pond reappeared nearly a month after the Nāpau eruption. The transient deformation is interpreted as resulting from shallow accommodation of the new dike volume.
Iron L-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Myoglobin Complexes and Photolysis Products

We demonstrate the first application of L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to the electronic characterization of biological photolysis products. The experimental L-edge XAS spectra of deoxymyoglobin (deoxy Mb), oxymyoglobin (MbO2), carbonmonoxymyoglobin (MbCO), and the low-temperature photoproducts (Mb*CO and Mb*O2) are presented and compared to simulated spectra using a ligand field multiplet calculation. This analysis indicates that MbCO and MbO2 are both low spin and does not support some previous studies which suggest that MbO2 has an intermediate spin. Both photoproducts, Mb*CO and Mb*O2, are different from deoxy Mb in the FeII electronic structure. In addition, different low-temperature photolysis intermediates are suggested for MbCO and MbO2. The L-edge XAS spectra for FeIII in aquometmyoglobin (met Mb) and azidomet myoglobin (MbN3) provide a comparison of the ferrous versus ferric myoglobin species. Finally, the special advantages of using soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy for understandi...
Thermal-Structural Design/Analysis of an Airframe-Integrated Hydrogen-Cooled Scramjet

This paper presents the salient features of a preliminary thermal-structural design and analysis study of a hydrogen-fueled, regeneratively cooled, airframe-integrated scramjet. This three-dimensional fixed geometry scramjet concept, which was developed at NASA Langley Research Center, is designed to operate over a flight Mach number range from 4 to 10. The thermal-structural study was focused on a scramjet application to one concept for a hypersonic research vehicle and was based on technology developed under the NASA Hypersonic Research Engine Project. State-of-the-art analytical methods consisting of lumped system and finite-difference steady-state thermal analyses and a finite-element structural analysis were used. The results of the study indicated that this scramjet concept is viable from both a structural mass and cooling requirement standpoint. However, advances in material and fabrication technology for hydrogen-cooled structures appear necessary for acceptable engine life for commercial application.
Uterine rupture during second-trimester abortion associated with misoprostol.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Misoprostol use is contraindicated in women at term with a history of a uterine scar. There are limited data regarding the use of this drug in the midtrimester. CASE: A 23-year-old woman with two prior cesareans presented at 23 weeks’ gestation for pregnancy termination by dilation and evacuation. She had laminariae placed the day before and was instructed to take 400 μg of misoprostol intravaginally at midnight, then 400 μg buccally at 6:00 am the day of the procedure. During the evacuation, uterine rupture was diagnosed. She underwent emergency laparotomy, and the uterus was repaired. CONCLUSION: Uterine rupture can occur when misoprostol is used in the second trimester in a woman with a uterine scar.
Using an AI-based tool to categorize digitized textual forms of organizational memory

Digitized textual information is an increasingly common repository for organizational memory. This paper describes an AI-based tool that was developed at the University of Arizona which can be used to organize, categorize and extract digitized textual information from a group support system (GSS) called GroupSystems V. The first sections describe two experiments which measured the tool's ability to categorize ideas and compared its performance with human facilitators. Later sections describe two field studies that used the tool with real organizations.
Androgenesis as a mechanism for chromosome set manipulation in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract A variety of parameters were examined to determine the optimal protocol for the induction of androgenesis in brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) in order to produce inbred lines. Nuclear DNA in the egg was inactivated with 60 Co gamma radiation, the irradiated eggs were fertilized with normal sperm, and the first mitotic division in the newly formed zygote was blocked by hydrostatic pressure to restore diploidy. The optimal 60 Co gamma radiation dosage to inactivate the maternally derived nuclear DNA was 8.8×10 4 R. The highest percent of embryos reaching the eyed stage occurred when eggs were treated at 8500 psi for 3 min beginning 7.5 h post-fertilization at 10°C. Electrophoretic examination of protein variation in 18 newly emerged sac fry (putative androgens) from four separate treatments revealed all to be of paternal derivation. Nucleoli counts of newly hatched fry were twice as high in pressure treated putative diploids as in untreated putative haploids.
Comparison of objective outcomes following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication versus laparoscopic gastric bypass in the morbidly obese with heartburn.

Background: Heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects approximately 25–50% of morbidly obese patients. Although objective physiologic testing has been reported extensively in patients following Nissen fundoplication, there are no previous reports of such testing in morbidly obese patients. A life-saving surgical alternative for the morbidly obese patient is gastric bypass surgery, which usually improves heartburn symptoms in addition to many serious health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea. We hypothesized that, in morbidly obese patients, gastric bypass surgery would be as effective as Nissen fundoplication in reducing both heartburn symptoms and esophageal acid exposure, as reflected by the DeMeester score. Methods: Between 1995 and 2000, all patients undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LN) and laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB) in our practice underwent preoperative and postoperative esophageal physiologic testing. Patients were included in this study that were morbidly obese and had significant heartburn symptoms or objective evidence of acid reflux, and had repeat esophageal physiologic testing after either LN or LGB. Data were obtained through retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Results: Twelve patients met the inclusion criteria: six patients who had LN and six who had LGB. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 55 kg/m2 in the LGB group and 39.8 in the LN group. After surgery, the mean DeMeester score decreased from 64.3 to 2.8 in the LN group (p = 0.01) and from 34.7 to 5.7 in the LGB group (p = 0.1). Both groups’ mean postoperative DeMeester scores were normal after surgery, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.3). Both groups experienced a significant improvement in heartburn symptoms postoperatively. The mean preoperative symptom score improved from 3.5 to 0.5 in the LN group (p = 0.01) and from 2.2 to 0.2 in the LGB group (p = 0.003). There was no difference in the mean postoperative symptom scores between the groups (p = 0.35). After surgery, mean LES resting pressures increased from 12.9 to 35.5 (p = 0.003) in the LN group and from 23.6 to 29.7 (p = 0.45) in the LGB group. There were no complications in either group. Conclusion: Results of this study show that laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication are both effective in treating heartburn symptoms and objective acid reflux in morbidly obese patients. The health benefits of weight loss after laparoscopic gastric bypass should make this operation the procedure of choice in the morbidly obese patient with heartburn.
A multi-story power delivery technique for 3D integrated circuits

Integrating circuits in the vertical direction can alleviate interconnect related problems and enable heterogeneous chips to be stacked in a single package with a small form factor. This paper addresses the power delivery issues in 3D chips revealing some interesting facts and design challenges. A multi-story power delivery technique that can reduce the worst case DC noise by 45% and lower the overhead power consumed in the power supply network by 65% is proposed. A test chip layout in an SOI process, showing a 5.3% area overhead, demonstrates the feasibility of the scheme.
Skeletal mineralogy in a high-CO2 world

Abstract Increasing atmospheric pCO2 reduces the saturation state of seawater with respect to the aragonite, high-Mg calcite (Mg/Ca > 0.04), and low-Mg calcite (Mg/Ca
Marriage and Family Therapy Research in Health Care: Investigating the Accuracy of Self and Family Reports of Medical Use

Health care research applied to couples and families has been hampered by the high cost of obtaining and hand reviewing medical charts. Fortunately, self-report of medical use has been shown to be a useful measure of medical utilization with individuals. However, no such research has been reported to see if the same is true for couples and families. Self-reported medical use for 130 clients seen at a marriage and family therapy clinic and their report of family members' medical use, was compared with medical records. Results showed that self-report, spouse reports, and parent reports of medical visits were significantly correlated with medical records. These results suggest that researchers and clinicians may reliably use self and family member's reports instead of reviews of medical charts.
Further characterization of the pigment in pseudomelanosis duodeni in three patients

Pseudomelanosis duodeni is a rare condition in which dark pigment accumulates in macrophages located in the lamina propria of the duodenal mucosa. Three cases are reported here and the literature is reviewed. No clinical association can be found that points clearly to the underlying etiology. Electron probe x-ray microanalysis was used to study the pigment in macrophage granules in 2 of our patients and demonstrated high iron and sulfur content. Iron accumulation in ferritinlike particles was detected in absorptive cell lysosomes. A possible mechanism for the accumulation of absorbed iron by macrophages is considered.
Transcriptional regulation of the channel catfish virus genome direct repeat region

Channel catfish virus (CCV), a member of the herpesvirus family, causes a severe haemorrhagic disease in juvenile channel catfish. In this report, we confirm that CCV gene expression is temporally regulated into immediate-early (IE), early and late phases, similar to that of other herpesviruses. The transcriptional regulation of the 14 genes within the direct repeat region of the CCV genome was determined by Northern hybridization analysis of RNA isolated from infected cells in the presence or absence of metabolic inhibitors. Two CCV genes within the direct repeat, ORFs 1 and 3, expressed IE transcripts. Early RNAs were encoded by ORFs 2-9 and 11-14. ORFs 4, 7 and 10-13 expressed late transcripts after the onset of viral DNA replication. A time-course study conducted without metabolic inhibitors confirmed that CCV direct repeat transcription is temporally regulated. The characterization of CCV transcription during cytolytic infection in vitro will provide a foundation for the analysis of CCV gene expression in tissues of acutely and latently infected catfish.
Imaging genetics and development: challenges and promises.

Excitement with the publication of the human genome has served as catalyst for scientists to uncover the functions of specific genes. The main avenues for understanding gene function have been in behavioral genetics on one end and on the other end, molecular mouse models. Attempts to bridge these approaches have used brain imaging to conveniently link anatomical abnormalities seen in knockout/transgenic mouse models and abnormal patterns of brain activity seen in humans. Although a convenient approach, this article provides examples of challenges for imaging genetics, its applica- tion to developmental questions, and promises for future directions. Attempts to link genes, brain, and behavior using behavioral genetics, imaging genetics, and mouse models of behavior are described. Each of these approaches alone, provide limited information on gene function in complex human behavior, but together, they are forming bridges between animal models and human psychiatric disorders. Hum Brain Mapp 31:838-851, 2010. V C 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comprehensive performance analysis of Spatio-Temporal Data Mining approach on multi-temporal coastal remote sensing datasets

The present study discusses about the new textural feature extraction, its improvement and a comprehensive analysis of our previous Machine Learning based Spatio-Temporal (STML-HAB) Data Mining approach for HAB detection mentioned in Ref. [2]. This study is an elaborative analysis extending our first results presented in Ref. [2]. The additional Wavelet and GLCM textural features helped in improving the performance up to an accuracy of 0.9259 ‘K’ using SeaWiFS sensor data. This is a significant improvement of almost 17% compared to our first results with an accuracy of (0.7513 ‘K’).
A NOTE ON THE USE OF CORPUS LUTEUM TO PREVENT THE PAINFUL BREASTS OF MENSTRUATION

Coincident with the increasing interest in endocrinopathies there has come widespread development of organotherapy. Much has been accomplished; far more remains to be unraveled and properly evaluated. Probably we have barely scratched the surface in this promising sphere of therapeutics, but unfortunately a great deal of indiscriminate use of ductless gland extracts has ensued, much of which will be deservedly discarded. At present, Corpus Luteum, is receiving much attention and many remarkable results have been claimed for it. It would seem to be of considerable value in ameliorating or even eliminating the disagreeable symptoms of the menopause; especially the artificial menopause. It has been recommended by one eminent authority as very useful in combating the vomiting of pregnancy, although some dispute this. It has been advocated in sterility, and in an occasional selected case may prove successful. Some authors have found it beneficial in functional amenorrhea; and also in dysmenorrhea. It has been ...
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B Primes Cytokine Secretion and Lytic Activity in Response to Native Bacterial Antigens

Superantigens stimulate T-lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production, but the effects of superantigen exposure on cell function within a complex, highly regulated immune response remain to be determined. In this study, we demonstrate that superantigen exposure significantly alters the murine host response to bacterial antigens in an in vitro coculture system. Two days after exposure to the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin B, splenocytes cultured with Streptococcus mutans produced significantly greater amounts of gamma interferon (IFN-I³) and interleukin-12 than did sham-injected controls. The majority of IFN-I³ production appeared to be CD8 + T-cell derived since depletion of this cell type dramatically reduced the levels of IFN-I³. To study host cell damage that may occur following superantigen exposure, we analyzed cytotoxicity to â€œbystanderâ€ fibroblast cells cultured with splenocytes in the presence of bacterial antigens. Prior host exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxin B significantly enhanced fibroblast cytotoxicity in the presence of bacteria. Neutralization of IFN-I³ decreased the amount of cytotoxicity observed. However, a greater reduction was evident when splenocyte-bacterium cocultures were separated from the bystander cell monolayer via a permeable membrane support. Increased cytotoxicity appears to be primarily dependent upon cell-cell contact. Collectively, these data indicate that overproduction of inflammatory cytokines may alter the activity of cytotoxic immune cells. Superantigen exposure exacerbates cytokine production and lytic cell activity when immune cells encounter bacteria in vitro and comparable activities could possibly occur in vivo.
Recording spikes from a large fraction of the ganglion cells in a retinal patch

To understand a neural circuit completely requires simultaneous recording from most of the neurons in that circuit. Here we report recording and spike sorting techniques that enable us to record from all or nearly all of the ganglion cells in a patch of the retina. With a dense multi-electrode array, each ganglion cell produces a unique pattern of activity on many electrodes when it fires an action potential. Signals from all of the electrodes are combined with an iterative spike sorting algorithm to resolve ambiguities arising from overlapping spike waveforms. We verify that we are recording from a large fraction of ganglion cells over the array by labeling the ganglion cells with a retrogradely transported dye and by comparing the number of labeled and recorded cells. Using these methods, we show that about 60 receptive fields of ganglion cells cover each point in visual space in the salamander, consistent with anatomical findings.
Pathogenic infection of Macaca nemestrina with a CCR5-tropic subtype-C simian-human immunodeficiency virus

Background: Although pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) have been used in AIDS research for years, less is known about the early immunopathogenic events in this species, as compared to rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Similarly, the events in early infection are well-characterized for simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV), but less so for chimeric simian-human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIV), although the latter have been widely used in HIV vaccine studies. Here, we report the consequences of intrarectal infection with a CCR5-tropic clade C SHIV-1157ipd3N4 in pigtailed macaques. Results: Plasma and cell-associated virus was detectable in peripheral blood and intestinal tissues of all four pig-tailed macaques following intrarectal inoculation with SHIV-1157ipd3N4. We also observed a rapid and irreversible loss of CD4+ T cells at multiple mucosal sites, resulting in a marked decrease of CD4:CD8 T cell ratios 0.5–4 weeks after inoculation. This depletion targeted subsets of CD4 + T cells expressing the CCR5 coreceptor and having a CD28 - CD95 + effector memory phenotype, consistent with the R5-tropism of SHIV-1157ipd3N4. All three animals that were studied beyond the acute phase seroconverted as early as week 4, with two developing crossclade neutralizing antibody responses by week 24. These two animals also demonstrated persistent plasma viremia for >48 weeks. One of these animals developed AIDS, as shown by peripheral blood CD4+ T-cell depletion starting at 20 weeks post inoculation. Conclusion: These findings indicate that SHIV-1157ipd3N4-induced pathogenesis in pig-tailed macaques followed a similar course as SIV-infected rhesus macaques. Thus, R5 SHIV-C-infection of pig-tailed macaques could provide a useful and relevant model for AIDS vaccine and pathogenesis research.
Efficient FPGA implementation of convolution

This paper presents a direct method of reducing convolution processing time using hardware computing and implementations of discrete linear convolution of two finite length sequences (NXN). This implementation method is realized by simplifying the convolution building blocks. The purpose of this research is to prove the feasibility of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that performs a convolution on an acquired image in real time. The proposed implementation uses a modified hierarchical design approach, which efficiently and accurately speeds up computation; reduces power, hardware resources, and area significantly. The efficiency of the proposed convolution circuit is tested by embedding it in a top level FPGA. Simulation and comparison to different design approaches show that the circuit uses only 5mw that saves almost 35% of area and is four times faster than what is implemented in [5]. In addition, the presented circuit uses less power consumption and has a delay of 20ns from input to output using 32nm process library. It also provides the necessary modularity, expandability, and regularity to form different convolutions for any number of bits.
How can we prevent cancer

Cancer is a genetic disease caused by a multistep process involving activation of oncogenes, loss of function of tumor suppressor genes, and alterations of modifier genes, for example, genes involved in DNA repair and genomic stability. Thus, most human tumors carry alterations in multiple genes affecting cell proliferation, cell survival, and genomic stability. In malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system and in soft tissue sarcomas, the process often is initiated by the activation of an oncogene, for example c-MYC in Burkitt lymphoma (1) or BCL2 in follicular lymphoma (2). In solid tumors the process often is initiated by the loss of function of a tumor suppressor gene (3).
The Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta, in the Virgin Islands (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract The best known and most destructive exotic ant species in the US is the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Recently, this species has been reported from several islands in the West Indies, including St. Croix, US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Guana Island, British Virgin Islands (BVI). In the present study, we report new records of S. invicta on St. Croix (13 sites) and the first records of S. invicta from 3 other of the Virgin Islands: St. Thomas, USVI (7 sites), St. John, USVI (2 sites), and Tortola, BVI (6 sites). Solenopsis invicta appears to be well established in disturbed open environments on all 4 islands. It is important that people in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere in the West Indies, particularly healthcare professionals, are aware of the presence of S. invicta, can recognize the symptoms of S. invicta stings, and know proper treatments for adverse reactions to the stings, including rare but potentially deadly anaphylactic shock.
Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Wood Consumption and Worker Survival as Affected by Temperature and Soldier Proportion

The effect of temperature and soldier proportion on worker survival, soldier production, and wood consumption of the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was evaluated in the laboratory with termites from a single colony. Soldier production was influenced by temperature and the initial proportion of soldiers. On average, termites had a significantly higher survival rate when the initial soldier proportion was <20%. Soldier caste development was at its highest at 30°C, and when treatment started with no soldiers in the colony. Termite survival was significantly higher at 30°C than at 25 and 33°C after 12 d of testing. There was a significant interaction of temperature and soldier proportion on termite survival after 36 d. C. formosanus could support higher proportions of soldiers with an increase in temperature. There was no significant decrease in survival rates with increasing numbers of soldiers at 25 and 33°C. At 60 d, survival at 20 and 25°C declined significantly when soldier proportions exceeded 20%. At 30 and 33°C, termite survival did not decline significantly when soldier proportions increased from 20 to 30% (30°C) or 40% (33°C). Consumption rates increased significantly with rising temperature up to 30°C. Consumption rates tended to increase as soldier proportion increased. There was no significant interaction between temperature and soldier proportion on wood consumption rate.
Improving Application Concurrency on GPUs by Managing Implicit and Explicit Synchronizations

Originally designed to be used as dedicated coprocessors, GPUs have progressively become part of shared computing environments, such as HPC servers and clusters. Commonly used GPU software stacks (e.g., CUDA and OpenCL), however, are designed for the dedicated use of GPUs by a single application, possibly leading to resource underutilization when multiple applications share the GPU resources. In recent years, several node-level runtime components have been proposed to target this problem and allow the efficient sharing of GPUs among concurrent applications. The concurrency enabled by these systems, however, is limited by synchronizations embedded in the applications or implicitly introduced by the GPU software stack. This work targets this problem. We first analyze the effect of explicit and implicit synchronizations on application concurrency and GPU utilization. We then design runtime mechanisms to bypass these synchronizations, along with a memory management scheme that can be integrated with these synchronization avoidance mechanisms to improve GPU utilization and system throughput. We integrate these mechanisms into a recently proposed GPU virtualization runtime named Sync-Free GPU (SF-GPU), thus removing unnecessary blockages caused by multitenancy, ensuring any two applications running on the same device experience limited to no interference, maximizing the level of concurrency supported. We also release our mechanisms in the form of a software API that can be used by programmers to improve the performance of their applications without modifying their code. Finally, we evaluate the impact of our proposed mechanisms on applications run in isolation and concurrently.
Variational Nodal Methods for Neutron Transport

Nodal diffusion and transport methods are formulated variationally in terms of the even-parity form of the neutron transport equation and applied to problems in X-Y geometry. The resulting function...
ISOSPIN FORBIDDEN RESONANCES IN THE REACTION $sup 93$Nb(p,$alpha$)$sup 90$Zr.

Isospin forbidden resonances ($\ensuremath{\Delta}T=1$) have been observed in the reaction $^{93}\mathrm{Nb}(p,\ensuremath{\alpha})^{90}\mathrm{Zr}$. Angular distributions to the ${0}^{+}$ ground state measured at the ${4}^{+}$ (59-keV) and ${2}^{+}$ (334-keV) analog resonances indicate that the ${2}^{+}$ isospin analog state is formed via a pure ${d}_{\frac{5}{2}}$ capture whereas the ${4}^{+}$ isospin analog state is formed by a coherent admixture of ${d}_{\frac{5}{2}}$, ${s}_{\frac{1}{2}}$, and ${d}_{\frac{3}{2}}$ components.
Lobster shell and hemolymph composition under normal and acidotic conditions.

SummaryThe effects of increased CO2 tension on the hemolymph and shell of fasting intermolt lobsters were examined. The citrate and calcium contents of the hemolymph were not increased. The pattern of distribution of ions observed in the dry shell of control lobsters was not altered by an increased environmental and body fluid CO2 tension but a decrease in hemolymph pH occurred. After 100 minutes of exposure to CO2, an increase in hemolymph inorganic phosphate was observed, and, after 140 minutes, an increase in hemolymph bicarbonate occurred. It can be concluded that, although exposure to an aqueous environment with an increased CO2 tension results in changes in the concentration patterns of some hemolymph ions, little effect is produced on the calcified tissues of the lobster.
Leveraged Leases Using the DisplacedEquity Method

The recent financial regulations on leveraged financing have focused on the area of risk management, specifically, underwriting standards, timely reporting of work-in-progress transactions, valuation methods, and reporting and analysis. Therefore, now is an opportune time to analyze the structure and the attributes of leveraged lease financing. This article analyzes domestic leveraged leases, or DLLs, using the displaced equity method. Specifically, the article examines the financial and related issues that a lessor needs to evaluate when financing an asset utilizing the DLL. Finally, it illustrates the evaluation of a DLL utilizing a spreadsheet model with an example that derives cash flows, identifies the critical variables, and evaluates their impact on the rate of return to the lessor.
A multiple-vortex-ring model of the DFW microburst

A multiple-vortex-ring model of the winds associated with a microburst is verified by matching the model-generated winds to those encountered at the Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) microburst. The basis of the model consists of time-invariant vortex ring filaments embedded in irrotational flow. Each ring's viscous core is modeled by distributing the vorticity over a small distance (relative to the ring diameter) radially from the filaments. Parameters such as the size and strength of the vortex rings are identified using a modified Newton-Raphson technique. The parameters identified from the analysis of the DFW microburst encounter indicate a large ring with a radius of 8500 ft and a smaller ring with a radius of 1700 ft.
The emotional carryover effect in memory for words

Emotional material rarely occurs in isolation; rather it is experienced in the spatial and temporal proximity of less emotional items. Some previous researchers have found that emotional stimuli impair memory for surrounding information, whereas others have reported evidence for memory facilitation. Researchers have not determined which types of emotional items or memory tests produce effects that carry over to surrounding items. Six experiments are reported that measured carryover from emotional words varying in arousal to temporally adjacent neutral words. Taboo, non-taboo emotional, and neutral words were compared using different stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), recognition and recall tests, and intentional and incidental memory instructions. Strong emotional memory effects were obtained in all six experiments. However, emotional items influenced memory for temporally adjacent words under limited conditions. Words following taboo words were more poorly remembered than words following neutral words when relatively short SOAs were employed. Words preceding taboo words were affected only when recall tests and relatively short retention intervals were used. These results suggest that increased attention to the emotional items sometimes produces emotional carryover effects; however, retrieval processes also contribute to retrograde amnesia and may extend the conditions under which anterograde amnesia is observed.
Profile of an M.D.

It is not surprising that the medical student of today is looking for a pattern of practice that will allow him to attend medical meetings and postgraduate courses and will also allow him to have a normal family life. Medical schools emphasize the continuing responsibility of physicians for postgraduate education, and society in general emphasizes retirement, recreation, family life, and home environment.
Investigating Similarities and Differences Between Volunteer Behaviors: Development of a Volunteer Interest Typology

Given that volunteers perform a diverse range of behaviors aimed at helping distinct causes, a more nuanced understanding of how types of volunteer behaviors are similar and different would enrich both basic and applied perspectives on volunteerism. We created and validated an inventory of individuals’ interests in eight different types of volunteering: administrative volunteering, helping animals, interpersonal helping (autonomy or dependency), donating, physical volunteering (built or natural environments), and political volunteering. Grouping these eight types of positions into two general categories (interpersonal and skills-based volunteer positions), we also examined convergent and discriminant validity, linking interest in these positions to constructs from the volunteerism literature (i.e., prosocial personality, volunteer motivations, and volunteer satisfaction). This research demonstrates that volunteer behaviors can be classified into types, certain individuals are interested in different types...
Fertility in cryptorchidism: an experimental model.

AbstractBecause the long-term efficacy of treatment for cryptorchidism is difficult to evaluate in humans, we developed an animal model to study the effects of cryptorchidism on fertility. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated within the first few days of life to create either mechanical or endocrinological cryptorchidism. The ability to father offspring was used as a measure of fertility. Significant differences in fertility between rats with bilateral cryptorchidism and controls were observed, regardless of whether the cause was mechanical or endocrinological. Rats with unilateral cryptorchidism were significantly less fertile than those that underwent unilateral orchiectomy. Further development of this model will permit prospective evaluation of different treatment modalities in cryptorchidism.
Efficient preparation of size tunable PEGylated gold nanoparticles

A facile, one-step self-assembly of polymer nanoreactors is reported for the fabrication of uniform PEGylated gold nanoparticles. Nanoreactor assembly occurs within milliseconds and gold nanoparticles are produced within minutes at room temperature. The presented approach enables continuous synthesis of size tunable gold nanoparticles with tailorable surface chemistry.