cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioreactor-free tissue engineering: directed tissue assembly by centrifugal casting

Casting is a process by which a material is introduced into a mold while it is liquid, allowed to solidify in a predefined shape inside the mold, and then removed to give a fabricated object, part or casing. Centrifugal casting could be defined as a process of molding using centrifugal forces. Although the centrifugal casting technology has a long history in metal manufacturing and in the plastics industry, only recently has this technology attracted the attention of tissue engineers. Initially, centrifugation was used to optimize cell seeding on a solid scaffold. More recently, centrifugal casting has been used to create tubular scaffolds and both tubular and flat multilayered, living tissue constructs. These newer applications were enabled by a new class of biocompatible in situ crosslinkable hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix. Herein the authors summarize the state of the art of centrifugal casting technology in tissue engineering, they outline associated technological challenges, and they d...
Cosmogenic and implanted radionuclides studied by selective etching of lunar soils

Abstract We have made new measurements of the concentrations of 14C and 10Be in lunar surface soils. We discuss the results of these new studies based on different acid etching methods, which provide useful information for future experiments. We also discuss the implications of these results for the production of these radionuclides by galactic and solar cosmic radiation, and the direct implantation of solar-energetic particles into lunar surface material.
Understanding Driver Behavior Through Application of Advanced Technological Systems

The use of the unecological removal research scenario in recent years has been forced because of technological limitations. However, with the advent of three-dimensional modeling programs and high-fidelity graphic systems, the ability to accurately represent real-world situations in computer-generated worlds has become easier, cheaper, and more realistic. A time-to-contact (TTC) experiment is reported in which the manner of removing an approaching vehicle from the environment was manipulated. One scenario, the disappearance condition, featured a traditional, instantaneous removal of a vehicle. The purpose of this research was to determine if a more ecological research scenario, one in which the approaching vehicle becomes occluded by a naturally occurring object (the occlusion condition), influences a driver's ability to estimate TTC accurately. The available visual information was essentially equivalent in both scenarios. If the level of ecological validity has no effect on estimates of TTC, estimates of...
P052: Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) over a 9 year period

Changes within the MRSA population of single hospitals have been observed with certain clones replacing others. Surveillance of the genetic diversity within a hospital provides useful epidemiological data. Staphylococcal chromosomic cassettes (SCCmec) of MRSA isolates are routinely determined at HUG.
Hidden Slow Pulsars in Binaries

The recent discovery of the binary containing the slow pulsar PSR 1718-19 orbiting around a low-mass companion star adds new light on the characteristics of binary pulsars. The properties of the radio eclipses of PSR 1718-19 are the most striking observational characteristics of this system. The surface of the companion star produces a mass outflow which leaves only a small 'window' in orbital phase for the detection of PSR 1718-19 around 400 MHz. At this observing frequency, PSR 1718-19 is clearly observable only for about 1 hr out of the total 6.2 hr orbital period. The aim of this Letter is twofold: (1) to model the hydrodynamical behavior of the eclipsing material from the companion star of PSR 1718-19 and (2) to argue that a population of binary slow pulsars might have escaped detection in pulsar surveys carried out at 400 MHz. The possible existence of a population of partially or totally hidden slow pulsars in binaries will have a strong impact on current theories of binary evolution of neutron stars.
Pseudoaneurysms of the mitral—aortic intervalvular fibrosa: Dynamic characterization using transesophageal echocardiographic and Doppler techniques

AbstractObjectives. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of echocardiographic and Doppler features of pseudoaneurysms involving the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa and to...
Desensitization of angiotensin-stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation in human vascular smooth muscle cells.

The effect of angiotensin II treatment on desensitization of phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated inositol phosphate accumulation has not been quantitated in human aortic vascular smooth muscle (HVSM) cells. We determined the angiotensin II pretreatment dose dependency and time course for desensitization of PLC activation in HVSM cells and the effect of protein kinase C (PKC) activators on angiotensin II-mediated inositol phosphate accumulation. Our results with PKC activators and direct G protein stimulators suggest that PKC activation may play a negative feedback role in desensitization of angiotensin II-activated signaling in HVSM cells by modifying the Gq transducer, PLC-β effector, or related proteins in the signaling pathway. However, neither angiotensin II nor PKC activator affected basal phosphorylation levels of PLC-β1 or PLC-β3 in HVSM cells; PLC-β isoenzymes were shown to be phosphorylated in unstimulated cells independent of PKC inhibition. We suggest that desensitization of G protein-stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation in HVSM differs from other cell types in which phosphorylation of PLC-β isoenzymes accompanies desensitization.
Mode Identification of Volatility in Time-Varying Autoregression

In many applications, time series exhibit nonstationary behavior that might reasonably be modeled as a time-varying autoregressive (AR) process. In the context of such a model, we discuss the problem of testing for modality of the variance function. We propose a test of modality that is local and, when used iteratively, can be used to identify the total number of modes in a given series. This problem is closely related to peak detection and identification, which has applications in many fields. We propose a test that, under appropriate assumptions, is asymptotically distribution free under the null hypothesis, even though nonparametric estimation of the AR parameter functions is involved. Simulation studies and applications to real datasets illustrate the behavior of the test.
CONTINUED SEARCH FOR THE VENUS AIRGLOW.

Abstract An attempt has been made to detect the airglow on Venus by means of differential photometric scans across the dark limb. No airglow was detected placing an upper limit of 100 kR on individual Unes or 0·5 kR/A on the continuum. The upper limit was imposed by scattered light in the telescope optics and the wide filters (200 A) employed. A great improvement would be possible with a specially designed telescope and narrower filters. There is no difficulty in principle in going to the limit imposed by photomultiplier noise, possibly to less than 100 R.
Does a neutrino have mass

Maybe. A new particle physics measurement reported at the spring (Washington, D.C.) meeting of the American Physical Society suggests that the elusive neutrino, a prominent member of the lepton class, may indeed be more of a quark. Frederick Reines of the University of California, Irvine, and his colleagues have described experiments done at the Savannah River reactor that, if confirmed, indicate mass and charge for the neutrino. The implications of this result could be overwhelming. Over and above the major reassessment of particle physics that will be required, the consequences on cosmic physics of the neutrino's having mass will be incredibly large.
High-Tech Persuaders: Proximity to Innovation and Communicators' Roles, Status, and Power

Researchers interviewed practitioners working in high-tech, innovative environments both individually and in focus groups. The study suggested that working in innovative environments and closely with innovators benefits practitioners' careers in terms of power, influence, and access to exclusive tools. Since the study suggested that working in the high-tech sector improves salaries and job satisfaction, practitioners may want to consider the innovativeness of an organization in employment decisions.
Meta‐analysis: formulating, evaluating, combining, and reporting

Meta-analysis involves combining summary information from related but independent studies. The objectives of a meta-analysis include increasing power to detect an overall treatment effect, estimation of the degree of benefit associated with a particular study treatment, assessment of the amount of variability between studies, or identification of study characteristics associated with particularly effective treatments. This article presents a tutorial on meta-analysis intended for anyone with a mathematical statistics background. Search strategies and review methods of the literature are discussed. Emphasis is focused on analytic methods for estimation of the parameters of interest. Three modes of inference are discussed: maximum likelihood; restricted maximum likelihood, and Bayesian. Finally, software for performing inference using restricted maximum likelihood and fully Bayesian methods are demonstrated. Methods are illustrated using two examples: an evaluation of mortality from prophylactic use of lidocaine after a heart attack, and a comparison of length of hospital stay for stroke patients under two different management protocols.
INVESTing in hypertension.

Hypertension is a common risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and the majority of patients with PAD are hypertensive. Recent consensus-based recommendations from the American Heart Association [1] indicate that the goal of antihypertensive therapy in patients with PAD should be to achieve a blood pressure (BP) less than 130/80 mm Hg. However, evidence from clinical trials for the optimal level of BP control in patients with PAD is lacking.
Attention & inscrutability : A commentary on john campbell, Reference and Consciousness for the pacific apa meeting, Pasadena, California, 2004

We assemble here in this time and place to discuss the thesis that conscious attention can provide knowledge of reference of perceptual demonstratives. I shall focus my commentary on what this claim means, and on the main argument for it found in the first five chapters of Reference and Consciousness. The middle term of that argument is an account of what attention does: what its job or function is. There is much that is admirable in this account, and I am confident that it will be the foundation, the launching-pad, for much future work on the subject. But in the end I will argue that Campbell’s picture makes the mechanisms of attention too smart: smarter than they are, smarter than they could be. If we come to a more realistic appraisal of the skills and capacities of our sub-personal minions, the “knowledge of reference” which they yield will have to be taken down a notch or two.
The formylation of 3-alkylindole-2-acetic esters

Abstract Methyl 2[2-(3- methyl)indolyl]acetate ( 1a ), on treatment with sodium hydride and methyl formate, gives methyl (Z) - 2[2 - (3 - methyl)indolyl] - 3 - hydroxyacrylate ( 2a ), which is in tautomeric solvent-dependent equilibrium with methyl 2[2 - (3 - methyl)indolinylidene] - 3 - oxopropanoate ( 6 ). On reaction with phosphoryl chloride in dimethyl formamide, ( 1a ) yields methyl (Z) - 2[2 - (3 - methyl)indolyl] - 3 - N,N - dimethylaminoacrylate ( 9 ) as expected, together with a more complex product derived from ( 9 ).
A FINITE ELEMENT FOR INCOMPRESSIBLE PLANE FLOWS OF FLUIDS WITH MEMORY

SUMMARY Flows of fluids with single-integral memory functionals are considered. Evaluation of the stress at a material point involves the deformation history of that point, and a dominant computational cost in finite element approximation is the construction of streamlines. It is shown that the simple crossed-triangle macro-element is in many ways an ideal finite element for the difficult non-linear, non-self-adjoint problem. The question as to whether this element produces convergent velocity and pressure solutions is addressed in the light of its failure to satisfy the discrete LBB condition. The effect of the element’s ill-disposed (‘spurious’) pressure modes is discussed, and a pressure smoothing scheme is given which gives good results in Newtonian and nonNewtonian flows at various Reynolds and Deborah numbers. As an example of the element’s success in modelling such flows, the problem of pressure differences in flows over transverse slots is studied numerically. The results are compared with experimental observations of such flows. The effect of fluid memory on the relation between first normal-stress differences and pressure differences is investigated.
Transcriptome Analysis of PPI-Responsive Esophageal Eosinophilia Reveals the Presence of an Eosinophilic Esophagitis Transcriptome Reversible By PPI Mono-Therapy and the Identification of PPI-Response Predictor Genes

FEBRUARY 2015 AB78 Abstracts S A T U R D A Y 250 Salivary Microrna As a Biomarker for Monitoring Response to Treatment in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Theodore E. Kelbel, MD, Gisoo Ghaffari, MD, Maria Sena, Faoud T. Ishmael, MD, PhD, FAAAAI; Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, SUNY Jamestown, NY, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA. RATIONALE: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a clinicopathological condition where endoscopic biopsies of the esophagus are required for diagnosis and monitoring the response to treatment. No non-invasive method of monitoring currently exists. MicroRNA (miRNA), regulate expression of many cytokines important in allergic disease and have been found in saliva. We hypothesize that salivary miRNAs are differentially expressed in EoE and can be used as biomarkers to monitor the response to treatment. METHODS: After IRB approval, fifteen adult patients with EoE (symptoms consistent with EoE, endoscopic biopsy with >_15 eosinophils per high powered field, and previous proton pump inhibitor therapy) were randomly enrolled to provide a saliva sample before and after 2 months of swallowed fluticasone therapy. Differences of miRNA expression were compared to healthy controls (n517) using Wilcoxin rank sum testing. Expression changes before and after treatment were analyzed by paired Ttest. A significance cutoff of 2-fold upregulation of miR-570-3p, -3613-5p, -4668-5p, and -30a-5p in EoE (p<0.01). After treatment, expression of miR-658 increased while expression of miR-3613-5p and -4668-5p decreased (p5 0.0027, 0.0314, and 0.0488 respectively). These results suggest miRNA expression differences can be seen at time of diagnosis and can change with treatment of EoE. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary miRNA represents a promising new tool for non-invasive, biomarkermonitoring of EoE. These differentially expressed miRNAs may have pathogenic roles in EoE.
Turning Movement Estimation in Real Time

Fast processors offer exciting opportunities for real-time traffic monitoring. Conventional transportation planning models that assume stable and predictable travel patterns do not lend themselves to on-line traffic forecasting. This paper describes how a new traffic flow inference model has the potential to determine comprehensive flow information in real time. Its philosophical basis is borrowed from the field of operational research, where it has been used for optimizing water and electricity flows. This paper shows how road traffic turning movement flows can be estimated from link detected flows at small recurrent intervals, in real time. The paper details the formulation of the problem, outlines the structure of the data set that provides the detector data for the model input and observed turning flows for the model evaluation. The theoretical principles that define the model are described briefly. Turning movement flow estimates, at 5-minute intervals, from two independent surveys are presented and analyzed. The results show an overall mean coefficient of determination of 79-82% between observed and modeled turning movement flows.
Relations Among Corporal Punishment, Perceived Parental Acceptance, and Psychological Adjustment in Jamaican Youths

This ethnocultural research analyzed relationships among perceived parental justness and harshness of corporal punishment, perceived parental acceptance-rejection, and psychological adjustment of Jamaican youths. The research explored two related questions: Are perceived harshness and justness of corporal punishment by themselves associated with variations in youths’ psychological adjustment? Or, is the relationship between parental punishment and youths’ psychological adjustment mediated through youths’ perceptions of parental (maternal and paternal) acceptance or rejection? The research is based on a sample of 97 youths ages 7 through 18 years in Jamaica, West Indies. Results of analyses showed that harshness of parental punishment by itself had little effect on variations in youths’ psychological adjustment. However, the harsher the punishment was perceived to be the more rejected the youths felt. And the more rejected they felt the more impaired their psychological adjustment was reported to be. Perce...
Mutational Analysis of Escherichia coliTopoisomerase IV I. SELECTION OF DOMINANT-NEGATIVE parE ALLELES

In order to define regions of ParE, one of the two subunits of topoisomerase IV, that are involved in catalysis during topoisomerization, we developed a selection procedure to isolate dominant-negative parE alleles. Both wild-type parC and mutagenized parE were expressed from a tightly-regulated lac promoter on a moderate-copy plasmid. Mutated parE alleles were rescued from those plasmids that caused IPTG-dependent cell death. The mutant ParE proteins could be divided into two groups when reconstituted with ParC to form topoisomerase IV, those that elicited hyper-DNA cleavage and those that affected covalent complex formation.
The NAD+ precursors, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide protect cells against apoptosis induced by a multiple stress inducer, deoxycholate.

The bile salt, sodium deoxycholate (NaDOC), is a natural detergent that promotes digestion of fats. At high physiologic levels, NaDOC activates many stress-response pathways and induces apoptosis in various cell types. NaDOC induces DNA damage and activates poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), an enzyme that utilizes NAD+ as a substrate to repair DNA. NaDOC also induces oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and contributes to protein malfolding. The NAD+ precursors, nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAM) were found to protect cells against NaDOC-induced apoptosis. NA and NAM also decreased constitutive levels of both activated NF-κB and GRP78, two proteins that respond to oxidative stress. However, the mechanism by which NA and NAM protects cells against apoptosis does not involve a reduction in constitutive levels of oxidative stress. NA or NAM treatment increased the protein levels of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogense (GAPDH), a multi-functional enzyme, in the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively. NAM did not activate the promoter/response elements of 13 stress response genes nor reduce intracellular non-protein thiols, suggesting that it is non-toxic to cells. NAM thus has promise as a dietary supplement to help prevent disorders involving excessive apoptosis.
Paragangliomas: clinical overview.

Paragangliomas are rare tumors that arise from extra-adrenal paraganglia. The effective diagnosis and management of the paraganglioma patient involves the close collaboration of endocrinologists, endocrine surgeons, anesthesiologists, geneticists, laboratory specialists, radiologists, oncologists, and pathologists. Paragangliomas are diagnosed in the following clinical settings: signs and symptoms related to catecholamine hypersecretion, mass effect symptoms (e.g., with head and neck paragangliomas), incidental finding on imaging, or family screening for hereditary paraganglioma. Paragangliomas that hypersecrete catecholamines may cause signs and symptoms identical to those in patients with hyperfunctioning adrenal pheochromocytoma. When a catecholamine-secreting tumor is suspected in a patient because of paroxysmal symptoms, biochemical documentation of catecholamine and fractionated metanephrine hypersecretion should precede any form of imaging study. Catecholamine-secreting paragangliomas are found where chromaffin tissue is located (e.g., along the para-aortic sympathetic chain, or within the organs of Zuckerkandl at the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery, the wall of the urinary bladder, and the sympathetic chain in the neck or mediastinum). As many as 50% of para-gangliomas are hereditary and may be associated with familial paraganglioma, neurofibromatosis Type 1, von Hippel-Lindau disease, the Carney triad, and, rarely, with multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 2. Genetic testing should be considered in all patients with paraganglioma. The treatment of choice for paraganglioma is surgical resection; most tumors are benign and can be excised totally. Following surgical cure, annual biochemical testing assesses for metastatic disease, tumor recurrence or delayed appearance of multiple primary tumors.
Latitudinal range shifts of tree species in the United States across multi-decadal time scales

It is expected that some species will shift poleward in range due to climate change. However, despite numerous publications that project species distributions under climate change scenarios, there is less evidence for current latitudinal shifts by tree species, in part because ranges are dynamic and complex to measure. We developed a method to compare tree ranges using continental USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis tree surveys during an interval of approximately 28 years. We analyzed compositional differences in ecological subsections within latitudinal bands using repeated measures ANOVA and considered differences in bands at the outer northern and southern range edges combined with increased area to indicate range expansion. Out of a pool of 74 relatively common species, we detected 12 species that had significant increases and expansion in the northern outer band, 13 species that had significant increases and expansion in the southern outer band, and one species that increased and expanded in both northern and southern bands. However, seven species with significant increases in the northern outer band in the contiguous United States had distributions that extended within Canada so that shifts do not represent increases in the northernmost latitudinal band for these species. Uniform poleward migration was not detectable and the number of species shifting southward suggests influence of other driving factors than climate change, including assisted migration of tree species through landscaping and a cascade of range shifts along ecotonal boundaries due to fire exclusion and land use.
Emotion experience and expression across the adult life span: Insights from a multimodal assessment study.

This investigation represents a multimodal study of age-related differences in experienced and expressed affect and in emotion regulatory skills in a sample of young, middle-aged, and older adults (N 96), testing formulations derived from differential emotions theory. The experimental session consisted of a 10-min anger induction and a 10-min sadness induction using a relived emotion task; participants were also randomly assigned to an inhibition or noninhibition condition. In addition to subjective ratings of emotional experience provided by participants, their facial behavior was coded using an objective facial affect coding system; a content analysis also was applied to the emotion narratives. Separate repeated measures analyses of variance applied to each emotion domain indicated age differences in the co-occurrence of negative emotions and co-occurrence of positive and negative emotions across domains, thus extending the finding of emotion heterogeneity or complexity in emotion experience to facial behavior and verbal narratives. The authors also found that the inhibition condition resulted in a different pattern of results in the older versus middle-aged and younger adults. The intensity and frequency of discrete emotions were similar across age groups, with a few exceptions. Overall, the findings were generally consistent with differential emotions theory.
Effects of hyperthermia and membrane-active compounds or low pH on the membrane fluidity of Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells heated in the presence of the membrane-active agents procaine, ethanol, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and glycerol were analysed for changes in fluorescence polarization of the lipid probe (1-[4(trimethylamino)phenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, an indicator of plasma membrane fluidity). Cells were heated in normal and acid (pH 6·6) medium. Procaine, ethanol, BHT and low pH sensitized cells to heat-killing. Procaine, ethanol and BHT decreased fluorescence polarization (increased plasma membrane fluidity) significantly. Polarization distributions for cells heated with these sensitizers were broadened substantially and were skewed toward lower polarization values. Glycerol, a heat-protector, inhibited changes in fluorescence polarization due to heating at temperatures up to 45·0°C. Heating cells at either 42 or 45°C in pH 6·6 medium had no significant effect on the fluorescence polarization compared with controls, while survival was reduced substantially. Thus, heat-sensiti...
Falsely Elevated Tacrolimus Levels Caused by Immunoassay Interference Secondary to β‐Galactosidase Antibodies in an Infected Liver Transplant Recipient

Careful interpretation of tacrolimus levels is essential to ensure optimal immunosuppressive therapy while avoiding toxicity. Interference with tacrolimus assays may be an underreported event that has the potential to result in negative patient outcomes through unnecessary modifications of therapy. We describe a 55-year-old liver transplant recipient who had falsely elevated tacrolimus levels that led to the eventual disruption of his immunosuppressive therapy and subsequent rejection of his allograft.Although his increased tacrolimus levels did not correlate with clinical signs and symptoms of tacrolimus toxicity, interruption of therapy in this patient was supported by an acute infection and a slight elevation in serum creatinine concentration. Tacrolimus levels were analyzed by using an antibody conjugated magnetic immunoassay method, and levels as high as 79.7 ng/ml were observed, despite discontinuation of tacrolimus. We conducted an evaluation for assay interference by using an alternative assay method(microparticle enzyme immunoassay), by testing plasma samples that were not hemolyzed, and by analyzing levels of an unrelated drug that uses the same technology as the initial tacrolimus assay. beta-galactosidase antibodies were ultimately confirmed as the cause of the immunoassay interference. Inpatients receiving tacrolimus, spuriously high tacrolimus levels should be carefully evaluated, and drastic adjustments to therapy should be made only within the context of clinical toxicity.
Development of the chemical control of breathing in the Virginia opossum.

Abstract The ventilatory responses to inspired hypoxic, hypercapnic and asphyxiant gas mixtures were measured in maturing pouch young of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) by plethysmographic techniques. Even the youngest animals studied (5 days old, 350 mg) increased ventilation in response to all three chemical stimuli. By the 15–20th day, a strong response to hypoxia with co-existent hypereapnia was observed and evidence for hypoxic-hypercapnic interaction was obtained. The hypoxic response (either with hypocapnia or hypereapnia) diminished greatly in the adult as did the phenomenon of stimulus interaction. The hypercapnic response was, in contrast, greater in the adult than through much of pouch life, a difference which would be in part accounted for by the hypometabolic effect of CO2 in the young but not in mature animals. The change in hypoxic and asphyxiant responses with age may indicate the presence of modifying influences which arise with maturation of the central nervous system, especially in those cerebral regions rostral to the pons.
Impact of Dietary Essential Amino Acids in Man

Dietary essential amino acids have two distinct nutritional functions: (1) substrates act as protein building blocks, and (2) they act as nutritional signals to evoke physiological reactions. The amino acid requirements of adults are stated in the 1985 FAO/WHO/UNU report. The amino acid values were primarily based on N balance studies. However, a number of tracer techniques and approaches have emerged to estimate the requirements, and the general conclusion from these studies is that the adult requirements for individual essential amino acids are considerably greater than the standards derived from earlier N balance studies. The final conclusion regarding each requirement is still under discussion. Dietary essential amino acids, including BCAAs, have important physiological signaling effects. Enhancing the essential amino acid composition improved glucose tolerance, decreased lipogenesis, and prevented hepatic steatosis in mice with diet induced obesity. There is clinical evidence suggesting that the supplementation of essential amino acids or BCAAs has beneficial effects on body weight, body fat, lean body mass, and insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, the BCAA, especially leucine-enriched balanced amino acid supplements are nutritionally recommended for the management of sarcopenia in elderly subjects. To reap the health benefits of essential amino acids (both as building blocks of proteins and as physiological signals), choosing food ingredients based on their amino acid composition is a potential new approach that could be combined with amino acid supplementation.
Pre-silicon validation of on-die decoupling capacitors in high speed microprocessors

Power supply noise (PSN) is the switching noise that causes power supply voltage fluctuations. PSN can couple to the evaluation nodes of a circuit, causing functional errors and physical damage. For an under-damped low-loss network, this can manifest itself in the form of a slowly decaying transient noise or a potentially more dangerous resonant noise. As power supply voltage and threshold voltage continue to scale down in nanometer technology, noise margins decrease as well, rendering the control of PSN critical in determining the performance and reliability of high speed VLSI circuits. High frequency Ldi/dt induced PSN can often be combated with placement of small on-die decoupling capacitors (DCAP) [1]. While there exist many solutions for placement and analysis of DCAP in ASIC and SoC designs [2] [3] [4], there has so far been no formal algorithm for speedy validation of DCAP placement in a pre-silicon custom design. This paper seeks to describe such an algorithm showing a 92x improvement in runtime when compared with a brute force approach.
Sampling bias in VGP longitudes

I derive probability densities for virtual geomag- netic pole (VGP) longitudes for a general statistical model of local magnetic field variations. I show that even for very simple statistically homogeneous models of secular varia- tion, the distribution of VGP longitudes is peaked 90 o away from the sampling longitude. Thus, when sites are distri- buted unevenly, a non-uniform overall distribution of VGP longitudes is to be expected. Analysis of the recent geomag- netic field indicates that this bias can be significant, particu- laxly when random errors in paleomagnetic data are allowed for. It is possible that some of the deviations from unifor- mity seen in recent compilations of paleomagnetic reversal and secular variation data are a statistical artifact resulting from the distortion of the VGP transformation, and the non~ uniformity of paleomagnetic sampling sites.
Catholicism and the Making of the U.S. Pacific

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in the context of the development of U.S. power in the Pacific, some American Protestants began to articulate a new approach to Catholicism and American national identity. In Southern California, Anglo-American boosters began to celebrate the region's history of Spanish Franciscan missions, preserving and restoring existing mission buildings while selling a romantic mission story to tourists and settlers. In the Philippines, U.S. imperial officials, journalists, and popular writers tempered widespread critiques of contemporary Spanish friars, celebrating the friars' early missionary precursors as civilizing heroes and arguing that Filipino Catholic faith and clerical authority could aid in the maintenance of imperial order. Against persistent currents of anti-Catholicism and in distinct and locally contingent ways, American Protestants joined Catholics in arguing that the United States needed to evolve beyond parochial religious bigotries. In both places, in popular events and nationally circulating publications, the celebration of particular constructions of Catholic histories and authority figures served to reinforce U.S. continental expansion and transoceanic empire.
Endocranial Anatomy of the Charadriiformes: Sensory System Variation and the Evolution of Wing-Propelled Diving

Just as skeletal characteristics provide clues regarding behavior of extinct vertebrates, phylogenetically-informed evaluation of endocranial morphology facilitates comparisons among extinct taxa and extant taxa with known behavioral characteristics. Previous research has established that endocranial morphology varies across Aves; however, variation of those systems among closely related species remains largely unexplored. The Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies) are an ecologically diverse clade with a comparatively rich fossil record, and therefore, are well suited for investigating interspecies variation, and potential links between endocranial morphology, phylogeny, ecology and other life history attributes. Endocranial endocasts were rendered from high resolution X-ray computed tomography data for 17 charadriiforms (15 extant and two flightless extinct species). Evaluation of endocranial character state changes on a phylogeny for Charadriiformes resulted in identification of characters that vary in taxa with distinct feeding and locomotor ecologies. In comparison with all other charadriiforms, stem and crown clade wing-propelled diving Pan-Alcidae displayed compressed semicircular canals, and indistinct occipital sinuses and cerebellar fissures. Flightless wing-propelled divers have relatively smaller brains for their body mass and smaller optic lobes than volant pan-alcids. Observed differences between volant and flightless wing-propelled sister taxa are striking given that flightless pan-alcids continue to rely on the flight stroke for underwater propulsion. Additionally, the brain of the Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, a taxon with a unique feeding ecology that involves continuous forward aerial motion and touch-based prey detection used both at day and night, is discovered to be unlike that of any other sampled charadriiform in having an extremely large wulst as well as a small optic lobe and distinct occipital sinus. Notably, the differences between the Black Skimmer and other charadriiforms are more pronounced than between wing-propelled divers and other charadriiforms. Finally, aspects of endosseous labyrinth morphology are remarkably similar between divers and non-divers, and may deserve further evaluation.
Meta-Evaluations of Performance Audits of Government Tourism-Marketing Programs

A meta-evaluation is an assessment of evaluation practices. Meta-evaluations include assessments of validity and usefulness of two or more studies focused on the same issues. This article describes specific recommendations on how to achieve effective performance audits of government tourism-marketing departments and programs, as well as how to achieve effective tourism-marketing programs.
Antiretroviral use during pregnancy for treatment or prophylaxis

Introduction: Antiretrovirals are recommended for all pregnant women either for treatment of HIV-1 infection or for prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Distinguishing between HIV-1-infected pregnant women who meet treatment criteria and those who do not (who use antiretrovirals during pregnancy for prophylaxis) is accomplished by assessing the HIV-1 disease stage and has important implications regarding when antiretroviral drugs are initiated during pregnancy, what drugs are used and antiretroviral use after delivery. Areas covered: This review addresses antiretroviral use by HIV-1-infected women during pregnancy. Specifically, the review focuses on antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1-infected pregnant women who meet criteria for treatment and antiretroviral prophylaxis for HIV-1-infected pregnant women (to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1). The review primarily addresses antiretroviral use in resource-rich settings, but use in resource-poor settings is briefly addressed. Expert opinion:...
Dysfunctional Attitudes and Expectancies in Deficit Syndrome Schizophrenia

The deficit syndrome was proposed over 20 years ago as a separate negative symptom syndrome within schizophrenia with a distinct neurobiological pathophysiology and etiology. Recent research, however, has indicated that psychological factors such as negative attitudes and expectancies are significantly associated with the broad spectrum of negative symptoms. Specifically, defeatist beliefs regarding performance mediate between neurocognitive impairment and both negative symptoms and functional outcome. Additionally, asocial beliefs predict asocial behavior and negative expectancies regarding future pleasure are associated with negative symptoms. The present study explored whether these dysfunctional beliefs and negative expectancies might also be a feature of the deficit syndrome. Based on a validated proxy method, 22 deficit and 72 nondeficit patients (from a pool of 139 negative symptom patients) were identified and received a battery of symptom, neurocognitive, and psychological measures. The deficit group scored significantly worse on measures of negative symptoms, insight, emotion recognition, defeatist attitudes, and asocial beliefs but better on measures of depression, anxiety, and distress than the nondeficit group. Moreover, the deficit group showed a trend for higher scores on self-esteem. Based on these findings, we propose a more comprehensive formulation of deficit schizophrenia, characterized by neurobiological factors and a cluster of psychological attributes that lead to withdrawal and protect the self-esteem. Although the patients have apparently opted-out of participation in normal activities, we suggest that a psychological intervention that targets these negative attitudes might improve their functioning and quality of life.
The Burschenschaft and German Political Culture, 1890–1914

In the history of the Burschenschaft published in 1939, Georg Heer wrote that with the coming of the National Socialists to power “the goals of the German Burschenschaft had been achieved; the National Socialist German Student Union had now taken over its tasks.” Of course Heer was not free to write what he wished about the 1935 dissolution of the Burschenschaft, but his interpretation is consistent with the ideas of many historians about this important organization within the history of German nationalism. Something had gone terribly wrong with this organization, despite its clear liberal and middle-class origins.
Real-time capacity of networked data fusion

In networked data fusion systems, results must be produced by end-to-end deadlines. As such, latency is an important attribute contributing to quality-of-information (Qol) in these systems. A key question is how much work can be completed on time given some amount of distributed resources and the logical workflow topology of the data fusion graph. To answer this question, this paper presents the concept of realtime capacity; a performance metric in line with the recently introduced operational information content capacity (OICC) of a networked data fusion system. It extends results developed by the authors recently in the real-time systems community to analyze the capacity of various data fusion workflow topologies. A simple closed-form expression for a topology-dependent realtime capacity bound is derived and is shown to be accurate via extensive simulations.
Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with combined suppression and inhibition of sex hormones: A randomized, controlled trial

We tested the hypothesis that a combination of sex hormone suppression and inhibition of their target receptors might improve survival for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Eighty-five consequent, previously untreated HCC patients with inoperable disease, were randomized to receive the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LR-RH)-analogue triptorelin and the antiestrogen tamoxifen (33 patients) or triptorelin plus the antiandrogen flutamide (23 patients), or only placebo (29 patients) in a double blind fashion. All groups were comparable as to age, sex, tumor extension, underlying cirrhosis and biochemical parameters. The tamoxifen (TMX) group had a significantly longer survival (282 days) compared with flutamide (112 days) and with placebo (127 days) groups (P = .0238, log rank test). The upper quartile of patients in the TMX group lived 384 days or longer, and most of them (57.1%) were women (P < .0005), in contrast to the upper quartile of the placebo (170 days, 16.7% women) and the flutamide group (134 days, 33.3% women). The calculated tumor volume doubling time (TVDT) was significantly higher in the TMX group (296 days) than in the other two groups (99 and 101 days for placebo and flutamide groups, respectively, P = .023). In a Cox proportional hazards model, the TMX treatment, along with the baseline Okuda's HCC stage, the hepatitis B surface antigen, the portal vein diameter, the carcino embryonic antigen (CEA) and a self-assessment score of quality of life, were covariates predicting survival. Although the degree of serum sex hormone suppression was not a significant predictor of survival, the interaction of female sex and TMX treatment, it was (P = .0052).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Implicit–Explicit Multistep Methods for Fast-Wave–Slow-Wave Problems

AbstractImplicit–explicit (IMEX) linear multistep methods are examined with respect to their suitability for the integration of fast-wave–slow-wave problems in which the fast wave has relatively low amplitude and need not be accurately simulated. The widely used combination of trapezoidal implicit and leapfrog explicit differencing is compared to schemes based on Adams methods or on backward differencing. Two new families of methods are proposed that have good stability properties in fast-wave–slow-wave problems: one family is based on Adams methods and the other on backward schemes. Here the focus is primarily on four specific schemes drawn from these two families: a pair of Adams methods and a pair of backward methods that are either (i) optimized for third-order accuracy in the explicit component of the full IMEX scheme, or (ii) employ particularly good schemes for the implicit component. These new schemes are superior, in many respects, to the linear multistep IMEX schemes currently in use.The behavio...
Local potentiation of excitatory synapses by serotonin and its alteration in rodent models of depression

The causes of major depression remain unknown. Antidepressants elevate concentrations of monoamines, particularly serotonin, but it remains uncertain which downstream events are critical to their therapeutic effects. We found that endogenous serotonin selectively potentiated excitatory synapses formed by the temporoammonic pathway with CA1 pyramidal cells via activation of serotonin receptors (5-HT(1B)Rs), without affecting nearby Schaffer collateral synapses. This potentiation was expressed postsynaptically by AMPA-type glutamate receptors and required calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation of GluA1 subunits. Because they share common expression mechanisms, long-term potentiation and serotonin-induced potentiation occluded each other. Long-term consolidation of spatial learning, a function of temporoammonic-CA1 synapses, was enhanced by 5-HT(1B)R antagonists. Serotonin-induced potentiation was quantitatively and qualitatively altered in a rat model of depression, restored by chronic antidepressants, and required for the ability of chronic antidepressants to reverse stress-induced anhedonia. Changes in serotonin-mediated potentiation, and its recovery by antidepressants, implicate excitatory synapses as a locus of plasticity in depression.
Phosphatidylserine is a critical modulator for Akt activation

Akt activation relies on the binding of Akt to phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) in the membrane. Here, we demonstrate that Akt activation requires not only PIP3 but also membrane phosphatidylserine (PS). The extent of insulin-like growth factor–induced Akt activation and downstream signaling as well as cell survival under serum starvation conditions positively correlates with plasma membrane PS levels in living cells. PS promotes Akt-PIP3 binding, participates in PIP3-induced Akt interdomain conformational changes for T308 phosphorylation, and causes an open conformation that allows for S473 phosphorylation by mTORC2. PS interacts with specific residues in the pleckstrin homology (PH) and regulatory (RD) domains of Akt. Disruption of PS–Akt interaction by mutation impairs Akt signaling and increases susceptibility to cell death. These data identify a critical function of PS for Akt activation and cell survival, particularly in conditions with limited PIP3 availability. The novel molecular interaction mechanism for Akt activation suggests potential new targets for controlling Akt-dependent cell survival and proliferation.
Understanding dynamic capabilities: progress along a developmental path

The aim of dynamic capabilities research is ambitious: to understand how firmscan sustain a competitive advantage by responding to and creating environmen-tal change (Teece, 2007). As one of the most central and difficult questionswithin the strategy domain, this might well be characterized as the Holy Grailof strategic management. The topical domain of dynamic capabilities, in conse-quence, is as broad and as complex as any in the field. It spans the domains ofstrategy process and content, and involves multiple levels of analysis, from man-agerial decision-processes, to organizational routines, to competitive inter-actions and environmental change. The complexity of the topic is matched,fittingly, by the complexity of the theoretical underpinnings. Undoubtedly, thishas generated some confusion. It is therefore not surprising that the critique ofArend and Bromiley (A&B) in the preceding essay reflects some of this confu-sion. Here, we address this by clarifying the dynamic capabilities concept, inrelation to its development and the challenges faced.We first survey the development path of dynamic capabilities research, anddiscuss the different theoretical bases of this emerging area of scholarship. Thenwe clarify issues regarding the definition of dynamic capabilities and discuss thelink between dynamic capabilities and firm performance. As part of our analy-sis, we address the two main conclusions of A&B regarding dynamic capabil-ities research. The first is that we should abandon the dynamic capabilitiesapproach if it does not ‘quickly develop a theoretical foundation’. The second isthat regardless of the pace of theory development, we should replace theseefforts with ‘work on strategic change tied to fuller theories of strategic organ-ization’. In what follows, we explain why these conclusions are premature andunwarranted. We also address other issues raised by A&B, focusing on the mainissues raised in the body of their commentary.