cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TECfan: Coordinating Thermoelectric Cooler, Fan, and DVFS for CMP Energy Optimization

The cooling needs of modern processors are dominantly provided by cooling fans, which can only offer global cooling capability. Even for cooling down one single hot unit (i.e., local hot spot), the fan needs to run at a high speed level, which consumes a lot of cooling power. Fortunately, emerging technologies, such as thermoelectric cooler (TEC), offer effective local cooling, which can be integrated with the fan to improve the overall cooling efficiency. However, relying on only TEC and fan may not optimize the total energy consumption of a chip multiprocessor (CMP), because the CMP core power states impact both computing and cooling power consumption. Therefore, for optimizing CMP energy, it is necessary to intelligently manage the processor power states and coordinate it with the cooling system. In this paper, we propose TECfan, a hierarchical runtime optimization framework that integrates TEC, fan, and DVFS for the overall energy efficiency of CMP. TECfan coordinates TEC and fan for efficient cooling, and also exploits DVFS to adapt the computing power consumption and execution time. Specifically, we first formulate CMP energy optimization with temperature constraint as a nonlinear optimization problem. Since there are no known polynomial-time algorithms for such a problem, solving it online is prohibitive. Hence, a novel heuristic algorithm is designed to solve it with acceptable time overheads. Our experiment results show that TECfan leads to 29% less energy consumption for medium workload compared to a state-of-the-art solution and 27%less overall compared to fan-based cooling.
High-order numerical schemes based on difference potentials for 2D elliptic problems with material interfaces

Abstract Numerical approximations and computational modeling of problems from Biology and Materials Science often deal with partial differential equations with varying coefficients and domains with irregular geometry. The challenge here is to design an efficient and accurate numerical method that can resolve properties of solutions in different domains/subdomains, while handling the arbitrary geometries of the domains. In this work, we consider 2D elliptic models with material interfaces and develop efficient high-order accurate methods based on Difference Potentials for such problems.
Damping tie-line power oscillations by modulation feedback of wind generators

Abstract This paper uses the power modulation capability of wind generators for damping tie-line power oscillations. The type of wind generator investigated is the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) connected to the power grid through a dc link. First, the paper develops a small-signal aggregate model for the wind generator. Subsequently, three modulation signals are investigated in order to provide effective power modulation: the PMSG speed reference, the rotor blade pitch angle and the dc link voltage. The latter is a novel approach that utilizes the energy stored in the dc link capacitors in order to modulate the power injected into the grid. The paper investigates the relation between the wind turbine and PMSG dynamics and the ability of each modulation loop to provide effective damping. A design method of the feedback loops based on the damping torque concept is demonstrated in the paper. Analytical results on a two-area power system show that wind generation can enhance the system dynamic stability by damping tie-line power oscillations. The analytical results are verified through time-domain simulations of a detailed 3-phase model of the system. The proposed dc link voltage modulation is shown to be a very effective means to provide power modulation in dynamic conditions.
Urban Hypotheses and Spatiotemporal Characterization of Urban Growth in the Treasure Valley of Idaho, USA

Abstract Spatiotemporal patterns of urban growth can help identify impacts of urbanization, assess conceptual models of that growth, help predict future change, and inform associated urban management policies. Using multi-temporal spatial data (1938-2014), we categorized the newly urbanized area in Treasure Valley, Idaho into four urban growth forms and six urban land use classes. A time series analysis of new development revealed the existence of decadal-scale variability of urbanization at various levels of urban land use. Alternating dominance of dispersion and compaction processes were observed at the urban patch level. A similar periodicity was observed between edge-expansion and infill in terms of growth forms, and between residential and commercial development at the land use level. Our observations also indicate that recent urban densification is occurring in the Treasure Valley, similar to some other metropolitan regions in the United States.
RELIANT: a reliability analysis tool for VLSI interconnects

RELIANT is a CAD (computer-aided design) tool which predicts the failure rate of integrated circuit conductors. Circuit layout, device models, and electromigration process data are inputs to RELIANT. The interconnect patterns in a Caltech Intermediate Format (CIF) file are fractured into a number of characteristic segment types. An equivalent circuit is extracted and SPICE is used to determine the transient currents in each segment. Using parametric models for electromigration damage, the failure rate of the system is computed. RELIANT provides designers with feedback on the reliability hazards of a design. Results show the application of the tool to a standard-cell CMOS component. For modeling large VLSI interconnect systems, the incorporation of a switch-level simulator is discussed. >
Hospital-acquired Urinary Tract Infections in Neonatal ICU Patients: Is Voiding Cystourethrogram Necessary?

Objective To evaluate the radiographic findings of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients diagnosed with hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (UTI). Materials and Methods Children with no preexisting genitourinary anomalies undergoing a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) for culture-documented UTI during NICU admission were identified. Demographics, microbiology results, and imaging findings were evaluated. Results A total of 147 NICU patients underwent VCUG during the study period. Of these, the indication for VCUG was UTI in 58 children. Neonates diagnosed with UTI were born at a mean gestational age of 28 3/7 ± 4 3/7 weeks, and underwent VCUG at a mean of age of 70.3 ± 42 days. Urine culture grew Enterococcus in 32 (55.2%), Enterobacter in 6 (10.3%), coagulase negative staphylococcus in 6 (10.3%), Escherichia coli in 5 (8.7%), and other in 9 infants (15.5%). All patients underwent a retroperitoneal ultrasound, which was read as normal in 31 patients (53.4%). Fourteen children (24.1%) diagnosed with UTI were found to have vesicoureteral reflux on VCUG. On univariate analysis, no patient characteristics were associated with VCUG positivity. On multivariate analysis, the effect of age at VCUG differed by renal-bladder ultrasound results. Patients with an abnormal ultrasound were 3.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.39-9.24) times more likely to have a positive VCUG for every 1 month increase in age. Conclusion Ultrasound anomalies are common in NICU patients diagnosed with UTI. The effect of age at VCUG differed by ultrasound result; the probability of vesicoureteral reflux in infants with sonographic abnormalities and UTI increases with age.
Detection of prostate cancer in multiparametric MRI using random forest with instance weighting

A prostate computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) based on random forest to detect prostate cancer using a combination of spatial, intensity, and texture features extracted from three sequences, T2W, ADC, and B2000 images, is proposed. The random forest training considers instance-level weighting for equal treatment of small and large cancerous lesions as well as small and large prostate backgrounds. Two other approaches, based on an AutoContext pipeline intended to make better use of sequence-specific patterns, were considered. One pipeline uses random forest on individual sequences while the other uses an image filter described to produce probability map-like images. These were compared to a previously published CAD approach based on support vector machine (SVM) evaluated on the same data. The random forest, features, sampling strategy, and instance-level weighting improve prostate cancer detection performance [area under the curve (AUC) 0.93] in comparison to SVM (AUC 0.86) on the same test data. Using a simple image filtering technique as a first-stage detector to highlight likely regions of prostate cancer helps with learning stability over using a learning-based approach owing to visibility and ambiguity of annotations in each sequence.
Austerity, luxury and uncertainty in the Indian emerald trade

This article examines the bodily practices of austerity in a Jain community that dominates a large portion of the international emerald trade. The material characteristics of emeralds make them refractory towards formal markets. These gemstones are impossible to value with consistency. Prices fluctuate wildly as the stones move from hand to hand and from continent to continent. Among the Jains, bonds forged by kinship and religious observance guarantee international, multi-million dollar contracts in the absence of any legal enforcement mechanism. Religious ethics ensure that people deal with each other in good faith and make good on their debts. These ethics are inculcated in part through bodily practices. The bodily practices of Jain traders also include jewelers’ sensual relationships with the stones themselves. The pursuit of salvation through austerity and the pursuit of profit through luxury are conjoined in a community dedicated to making sense of the inscrutable mineral characteristics of emeralds.
The availability of pharmacies in the United States: 2007–2015

Importance Despite their increasingly important role in health care delivery, little is known about the availability, and characteristics, of community pharmacies in the United States. Objectives (1) To examine trends in the availability of community pharmacies and pharmacy characteristics (24-hour, drive-up, home delivery, e-prescribing, and multilingual staffing) associated with access to prescription medications in the U.S. between 2007 and 2015; and (2) to determine whether and how these patterns varied by pharmacy type (retail chains, independents, mass retailers, food stores, government and clinic-based) and across counties. Methods Retrospective analysis using annual data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs. Pharmacy locations were mapped and linked to the several publically-available data to derive information on county-level population demographics, including annual estimates of total population, percent of population that is non-English speaking, percent with an ambulatory disability and percent aged ≥65 years. The key outcomes were availability of pharmacies (total number and per-capita) and pharmacy characteristics overall, by pharmacy type, and across counties. Results The number of community pharmacies increased by 6.3% from 63,752 (2007) to 67,753 (2015). Retail chain and independent pharmacies persistently accounted for 40% and 35% of all pharmacies, respectively, while the remainder were comprised of mass retailer (12%), food store, (10%), clinic-based (3%) or government (<1%) pharmacies. With the exception of e-prescribing, there was no substantial change in pharmacy characteristics over time. While the number of pharmacies per 10,000 people (2.11) did not change between 2007 and 2015 at the national-level, it varied substantially across counties ranging from 0 to 13.6 per-capita in 2015. We also found that the majority of pharmacies do not offer accommodations that facilitate access to prescription medications, including home-delivery, with considerable variation by pharmacy type and across counties. For example, the provision of home-delivery services ranged from less than <1% of mass retailers to 67% of independent stores and was not associated with county demographics, including ambulatory disability population and percent of the population aged ≥65 years. Conclusions Despite modest growth of pharmacies in the U.S., the availability of pharmacies, and pharmacy characteristics associated with access to prescription medications, vary substantially across local areas. Policy efforts aimed at improving access to prescription medications should ensure the availability of pharmacies and their accommodations align with local population needs.
The Racial Double Helix: Watson, Crick, and Brown v. Board of Education (Our No-Bell Prize Award Speech)

In support of our bid for an alternative major prize for Derrick Bell and to honor his career and scholarship, this Essay summarizes some of his contributions to the understanding of racial replication, together with those of a few of his friends, including ourselves. A midget, you see, standing on top of the shoulders of a giant, can occasionally see even farther than the giant. Part I explains how culture replicates itself. Part II considers a set of homeo-mechanisms having to do with interest-convergence (one of Bell's signature themes) or the structure of legal thought, both of the conservative and the liberal variety. Part III explores differential racialization, including the part played by breakthrough legal decisions like Brown.
Worldwide Frequency of Commonly Detected EGFR Mutations.

Context.— Recurrent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are seen in a subset of pulmonary adenocarcinomas. These mutations are targeted by EGFR inhibitors and are a biomarker for resp...
Actionable mutations in canine hemangiosarcoma.

Background Angiosarcomas (AS) are rare in humans, but they are a deadly subtype of soft tissue sarcoma. Discovery sequencing in AS, especially the visceral form, is hampered by the rarity of cases. Most diagnostic material exists as archival formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue which serves as a poor source of high quality DNA for genome-wide sequencing. We approached this problem through comparative genomics. We hypothesized that exome sequencing a histologically similar tumor, hemangiosarcoma (HSA), that occurs in approximately 50,000 dogs per year, may lead to the identification of potential oncogenic drivers and druggable targets that could also occur in angiosarcoma. Methods Splenic hemangiosarcomas are common in dogs, which allowed us to collect a cohort of archived matched tumor and normal tissue samples suitable for whole exome sequencing. Mapping of the reads to the latest canine reference genome (Canfam3) demonstrated that >99% of the targeted exomal regions were covered, with >80% at 20X coverage and >90% at 10X coverage. Results and conclusions Sequence analysis of 20 samples identified somatic mutations in PIK3CA, TP53, PTEN, and PLCG1, all of which correspond to well-known tumor drivers in human cancer, in more than half of the cases. In one case, we identified a mutation in PLCG1 identical to a mutation observed previously in this gene in human visceral AS. Activating PIK3CA mutations present novel therapeutic targets, and clinical trials of targeted inhibitors are underway in human cancers. Our results lay a foundation for similar clinical trials in canine HSA, enabling a precision medicine approach to this disease.
Risk of progression of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance into lymphoplasmacytic malignancies: determining demographic differences in the USA

Virtually all lymphoplasmacytic malignancies (LPM) defined by the presence of a monoclonal protein are preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).[1][1] Two large population-based landmark studies have determined the progression rates of the two types of MGUS, those with
The prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for primary melanoma varies by sex.

Background The immune response to melanoma is manifested locally by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Men and women are known to have varying patterns of immunity, yet sex-specific prognostic implications of TILs have not been explored. Methods Patients who had clinically localized primary melanoma with a Breslow thickness of 0.76 mm or more and underwent sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy at our institution were identified. The association between TILs (absent, nonbrisk, and brisk) and SLN positivity was evaluated by using logistic regression. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated by TIL status and sex. Results Among 1367 patients identified, 794 were men. TILs were brisk in 143 lesions, nonbrisk in 903, and absent in 321, which did not vary by sex ( P = .71). SLN positivity was associated with TILs among men (brisk, 3.8%; nonbrisk, 16.9%; and absent, 26.6% [ P P = .49). Interaction between brisk TILs and sex on SLN positivity was significant ( P = .029). Among men, presence of brisk TILs was associated with prolonged OS ( P = .038) but not after adjustment for SLN status ( P = .42). There was no association between TIL status and OS among women. Limitations Findings from this single-institution study have yet to be validated by other research groups. Conclusions The implications of TILs in predicting SLN positivity appear to be more relevant for men than for women.
Coated bifunctional catalysts for NOx SCR with C3H6: Part I: water-enhanced activity

Abstract Bifunctional catalysts comprising metal-exchange zeolites coated by metal oxides have been prepared and shown to be active catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with propylene. Characterization of the materials by various means shows that oxide nano-particles adhere to the external surface of the zeolite and create a fine permeable coating which does not block the zeolite pores. When ceria is used, the combination of phases lowers the maximum activity temperature of the deNOx reaction as much as 150 °C relative to the metal-zeolite only. In addition, a unique activity enhancement in the presence of water is observed. These effects are observed in different zeolite systems to various degrees indicating that the nature of the exchanged metal or zeolite framework is not critical. In particular, CeO2/Cu-ZSM-5 displays a maximum of activity at a temperature as low as 250 °C. The benefits of low temperature and water-enhanced activity obtained by the coating technique exceed those displayed by other bifunctional materials combining cerium and zeolites through different approaches.
Problems in Professional and Ethical Standards and Guidelines Regarding Culturally Competent Practice with Racial, Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Groups

Historically, disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups (Institute of Medicine, Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2002) and sexual minorities (Avery et al, Am J Public Health 91(6):990, 2001) have been problematically served by mental health interventions. This problem is even more complex because an additional aspect is that there are often more barriers for members of minority groups for accessing behavioral health services (Benuto and O’Donohue, Enhancing behavioral health in Latino populations. Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2016). To adapt mental health services to better serve individuals from minority groups, there has been a movement to incorporate cultural considerations into professional guidelines and ethical standards in a variety of disciplines within the fields of behavioral health (e.g., Griner and Smith Psychother Theory Res Pract Train, 43(4):531–548, 2006; Betancourt et al, Public Health Rep, 2016). However, despite these efforts over a number of years, the wide variety of standards and guidelines developed related to these activities have both strengths and also limitations and flaws, including unclear function and scope, conflict with other important values, a lack of empirical evidence related to the extent to which these documents actually have any effect in producing desired competence outcomes, inconsistent restrictions on professionals to judge and thus target potentially maladaptive behaviors and values in minority cultures, a problematic assumption of homogeneity within each minority culture, and the assumption that an understanding of universal values will not suffice to improve these services. This chapter will examine each of these issues with respect to some of the major documents in the behavioral health field, provide specific examples of how these problems exist within current documents and standards, as well as provide suggestions for future development of more sound standards.
The Effects of Dual-Task Cognitive Interference and Environmental Challenges on Balance in Huntington's Disease.

Background Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by chorea, balance and gait impairments, and cognitive deficits, which increase fall risk. Dual task (DT) and environmentally challenging paradigms reflect balance related to everyday life. Furthermore, the impact of cognitive deficits on balance dysfunction and falls in HD is unknown. Objective To determine the impact of DT interference, sensory feedback, and cognitive performance on balance and falls in HD. Methods Seventeen participants with HD (55 ± 9.7 years) and 17 age-matched controls (56.5 ± 9.3 years) underwent quantitative balance testing with APDM inertial sensors. Postural sway was assessed during conditions of manipulated stance, vision, proprioception, and cognitive demand. The DT was a concurrent verbal fluency task. Neuropsychological assessments testing multiple cognitive domains were also administered. Results HD participants exhibited significantly greater total sway area, jerk, and variability under single-task (ST) and DT conditions compared to controls (P = 0.0002 - < 0.0001). They also demonstrated greater DT interference with vision removed for total sway area (P = 0.01) and variability (P = 0.02). Significantly worse postural control was observed in HD with vision removed and reduced proprioception (P = 0.001 - 0.01). Decreased visuospatial performance correlated with greater total sway and jerk (P = 0.01; 0.009). No balance parameters correlated with retrospective falls in HD. Conclusions HD participants have worse postural control under DT, limited proprioception/vision, and greater DT interference with a narrowed base and no visual input. These findings may have implications for designing motor and cognitive strategies to improve balance in HD.
Participation, government legitimacy, and regulatory compliance in emerging economies: A firm-level field experiment in Vietnam

This paper employs a field experiment in single-party–ruled Vietnam to test whether providing a broad-based representative sample of firms the opportunity to comment on draft regulations increases their subsequent compliance. We find three main outcomes of this treatment. First, treated firms exhibited greater improvement in their views of government’s regulatory authority. Second, these firms were more likely to allow government-affiliated auditors to examine their factories. Third, treated firms demonstrated greater compliance on the factory floor. Access and compliance were not explained by the receipt of advance information about the regulation’s requirements, and none of the three outcomes required that firms offer substantive comments.
Crossing the Shapeless River on a Government Craft: How Military-Affiliated Students Navigate Community College Transfer

Many community college entrants, attracted by these institutions’ variety of academic offerings and low cost, intend to earn a baccalaureate degree but never transfer to a four-year institution. A ...
Bridging the pond: measuring policy positions in the United States and Europe

Recent work has pioneered the use of expert surveys to estimate cross-national party positions in a common ideological space. In this paper, we report findings from an original dataset designed to evaluate bridging strategies between European and American party placements. Specifically, we compare the use of “anchoring vignettes” (fictional party platforms) with an alternative approach that asks comparativist scholars who live in the US (whom we call transatlantic or TA experts) to place parties and parties in their country of expertise on a series of issues scales. The results provide an optimistic assessment of the ability of TA experts to serve as valid bridges across the Atlantic. The resulting cross-comparable estimates of party positions show instances of both convergence and divergence between American and European party systems, including parallels between systems on the cross-cutting issue of international economic integration.
Generalizing the Effects of Group Contingencies Across Instructional Settings for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract Group contingencies are an effective way to prevent and address problem behavior; however, the extent to which these effects transfer to settings where the intervention is not implemented ...
Intracavity optogalvanic detection of 14C using a stabilized 14CO2 laser

Intracavity optogalvanic detection of 14C utilizes the narrow band specificity of 14CO2 laser resonances in the infrared spectrum, coupled with greatly enhanced sensitivity from amplified effective path lengths in optical cavities. Background (nonresonant) interactions are also enhanced in such cavities, making proper separation of signals from background imperative. Intracavity Optogalvanic Spectroscopy (ICOGS) is similar to cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) with certain crucial differences. An ICOGS model, based on a basic CO2 laser and optogalvanic effect physics, is presented. Experimental results using a laboratory instrument with a continuous flow of small CO2 samples in a buffer gas illustrate the model. It is shown that acquisition of optimized signal-to-background ratios for the quantitation of 14CO2 in samples of order 10 μg is achievable, considerably smaller than with CRDS.
Reevaluation of Basketmaker II origins

Abstract The origins of maize farming strategies broadly labeled Basketmaker II have long intrigued archaeologists. Early twentieth century researchers excavating sheltered sites in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest found material culture associated with aceramic farmers that included sophisticated textiles as well as elaborate and exotic mortuary offerings in a region sparsely occupied by foragers. Although early researchers speculated that the San Pedro phase of what is now known as the Early Agricultural Period played a significant role in the emergence of Basketmaker II, data bearing on the topic were scarce for decades. Recent, well-documented excavations in the southern Tucson Basin in advance of urban development have strengthened the argument that pulses of influence, likely including population movement, occurred during this period. Here, we explore the relationship between the Late Archaic, Early Agricultural Period and Basketmaker II maize-dependent economies in search of Basketmaker origins. A complex and dynamic picture emerges calling into question both migration and diffusion arguments for the appearance of Four Corners Basketmaker II.
Dietary Methionine in T Cell Biology and Autoimmune Disease.

Dietary methionine and its subsequent metabolism have profound effects on metabolic disease, cancer, and healthspan. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Roy et al. (2020) report methionine as a nutritional factor for activated T cells that maintains H3K4 methylation and mediates functions that affect autoimmune disease.
When Do Posttraumatic Stress and Related Problems Abate During School-Based Group Therapy for Elementary Students?

The Bounce Back program (Langley et al. in J Consult Clin Psychol 83:853, 2015) effectively reduces post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and internalizing problems among Elementary students (Langley et al. in J Consult Clin Psychol 83:853, 2015; Santiago et al. in School Psychol Q 33:1–9, 2018). Some school settings may modify the program to accommodate challenges such as logistic difficulties (e.g., a busy academic schedule) and clinicians’ discomfort with parts of the protocol (i.e., the trauma narrative). Thus, research is needed to answer the question, “Can we expect to observe change if we implement a modified Bounce Back program?” Our objectives were to (1) replicate treatment outcomes, (2) examine the timing of symptom reduction to determine whether symptoms abated before and/or after the trauma narrative, and (3) test whether baseline factors predicted incremental benefits of the trauma-narrative for PTS reduction. Twenty K-5 th grade students (47.4% Hispanic/Latino, 36.8% African-American, and 63.2% White; 68% boys) attending an urban Title I Elementary school completed the Bounce Back program and reported symptoms at pre, mid therapy (immediately before the trauma narrative), and post therapy (immediately following the program). Consistent with other trials of the Bounce Back program, students in the current sample experienced significantly reduced PTS symptoms, distress, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Significant change in PTS and distress occurred in the first part of treatment before the trauma narrative and did not occur during the second part of treatment. The full course of treatment was needed for significant change on secondary outcomes of internalizing and externalizing problems. Distress and bereavement assessed at baseline did not predict incremental benefits of the second half of treatment. Findings yield implementation implications and directions for future research.
Critical pedagogy beyond the multitude: Decolonizing Hardt and Negri

The work of Hardt and Negri offers the field of education important theoretical resources for reconceptualizing subjectivity as a site of politics. Yet recent shifts on the Left toward more articul...
Salesperson Nonverbal Cue Emulation and Customer Perceptions: Conceptual Foundations and Proposed Research Program

Despite the fact that nonverbal communication is a critical part of a salesperson’s communication arsenal, a paucity of work exists in the area. In particular, little is known about the potential impact of mimicry on salesperson relational success with customers. This paper aims to provide an initial conceptualization and framework based on a cue emulation effect. To examine the effect we draw heavily on Cognitive Valence Theory and other backgrounds to derive a set of propositions. The overall goal is to set a solid conceptual rationale for the development of future empirical work in the domain of nonverbal cue emulation in sales.
Midkine is neuroprotective and influences glial reactivity and the formation of Müller glia‐derived progenitor cells in chick and mouse retinas

Recent studies suggest midkine (MDK) is involved in the development and regeneration of the zebrafish retina. We investigate the expression patterns of MDK and related factors, roles in neuronal survival, and influence upon the formation of Muller glia-derived progenitor cells (MGPCs) in chick and mouse model systems. By using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we find that MDK and pleiotrophin (PTN), a MDK-related cytokine, are upregulated by Muller glia (MG) during later stages of development in chick. While PTN is downregulated, MDK is dramatically upregulated in mature MG after retinal damage or FGF2 and insulin treatment. By comparison, MDK and PTN are downregulated by MG in damaged mouse retinas. In both chick and mouse retinas, exogenous MDK induces expression of cFos and pS6 in MG. In the chick, MDK significantly decreases numbers dying neurons, reactive microglia, and proliferating MGPCs, whereas PTN has no effect. Inhibition of MDK-signaling with Na3 VO4 blocks neuroprotective effects with an increase in the number of dying cells and negates the pro-proliferative effects on MGPCs in damaged retinas. Inhibitors of PP2A and Pak1, which are associated with MDK-signaling through integrin β1, suppressed the formation of MGPCs in damaged chick retinas. In mice, MDK promotes a small but significant increase in proliferating MGPCs in damaged retinas and potently decreases the number of dying cells. We conclude that MDK expression is dynamically regulated in Muller glia during embryonic maturation, following retinal injury, and during reprogramming into MGPCs. MDK mediates glial activity, neuronal survival, and the re-programming of Muller glia into proliferating MGPCs.
Quantum Calculations of VX Ammonolysis and Hydrolysis Pathways via Hydrated Lithium Nitride

Recently, lithium nitride (Li3N) has been proposed as a chemical warfare agent (CWA) neutralization reagent for its ability to produce nucleophilic ammonia molecules and hydroxide ions in aqueous solution. Quantum chemical calculations can provide insight into the Li3N neutralization process that has been studied experimentally. Here, we calculate reaction-free energies associated with the Li3N-based neutralization of the CWA VX using quantum chemical density functional theory and ab initio methods. We find that alkaline hydrolysis is more favorable to either ammonolysis or neutral hydrolysis for initial P-S and P-O bond cleavages. Reaction-free energies of subsequent reactions are calculated to determine the full reaction pathway. Notably, products predicted from favorable reactions have been identified in previous experiments.
Rethinking Special Education's "Least Restrictive Environment" Requirement

The federal 'Individuals with Disabilities Education Act' promotes the education of students with disabilities together with their nondisabled peers, requiring education in the "least restrictive e...
Epilogue: Forests and the human habitat: the case for building a global consensus

In the midst of the heady political changes that have marked the early years of this decade, including the end of the cold war, the reunion of the two Germany’s, and the rekindling of dormant ancient hatreds and ambitions in Yugoslavia, Rwanda-Burundi and elsewhere, the world has discovered a series of emergent global environmental problems for which there is no precedent and no cure short of a degree of global co-operation never previously sought or achieved. Success in addressing them offers the world virtually unlimited prospects for further improvement of the human enterprise; failure offers a bleak future beset by intensified tribal clashes over the bare necessities of life as the human habitat becomes progressively impoverished. In acknowledgement of this dilemma, articulated so sharply as the need for sustainable development by the Brundtland Commission, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development attempted to prepare three international conventions for adoption at the June 1992 meetings in Brazil. The topics were the atmosphere, biodiversity, and forests. As we outline below, success in addressing the atmosphere and biodiversity depends on success in addressing forests, the topic on which the least progress was made.
Small Scale Sedimentary Features in the Arkansas Barite District

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses small-scale details on sedimentary features. The observations are a result of field work in the Arkansas barite belt. Small-scale features of the Mississippian barite beds of Arkansas are described. Their top-bottom or geopetal nature shows that they must have originated during sedimentation and diagenesis. These hitherto unknown features of primary sedimentation and the wide-spread regional distribution at distinct stratigraphic and paleogeographic loci rule out the conventional epigenetic theory. The three basic small-scale geometric patterns pertaining to the barite in the Mississippian Stanley Shale of Arkansas are (1) continuous beds of variable thickness and grade; (2) lenticular and worm-like bodies; and (3) nodules of pure barite.
Potassium Concentrations in Fertilized Trout Lakes1

A series of experiments was performed on a group of six Michigan trout lakes to determine if biological productivity could be increased by the application of commercial fertilizers to the lakes. Measurements of potassium concentrations in the lakes before and after fertilization indicated that the potassium went into solution in proportion to the amounts of fertilizer added and gradually subsided from epilimnial waters while increasing in hypolimnial waters. Residual effects of fertilization on increased potassium concentrations in both epilimnial and hypolimnial waters were evident for nearly one year following fertilization. Bottom muds showed no marked increases in adsorbed potassium following fertilization. Adsorptive capacities of muds consisting primarily of inorganic materials were considerably greater than organic muds. Intensive phytoplankton blooms occurred following fertilization, but the potassium in the fertilizer probably did not contribute to the blooms because the amounts of potassium put into the lakes were only a small fraction of naturally occurring amounts already present in the lake waters.
Preliminary Experiments in Spatial Robot Juggling

In a continuing program of research in robotic control of intermittent dynamical tasks, we have constructed a three degree of freedom robot capable of “juggling” a ball falling freely in the earth's gravitational field. This work is a direct extension of that previously reported in [7, 3, 5, 4]. The present paper offers a comprehensive description of the new experimental apparatus and a brief account of the more general kinematic, dynamical, and computational understanding of the previous work that underlie the operation of this new machine.
Analysis of contaminants on CaF/sub 2/ surfaces by infrared laser induced desorption

Adsorbed molecular contaminants on CaF2 surfaces were analyzed using laser-induced-desorption-time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The desorption thresholds were determined from a degenerate threshold model. The results suggested that contaminants were being removed from surface defects.
Analysis of a Universal Class of Hash Functions

In this paper we use linear algebraic methods to analyze the performance of several classes of hash functions, including the class H2 presented by Carter and Wegman [2]. Suppose H is a suitable class, the hash functions in H map A to B, S is any subset of A whose size is equal to that of B, and x is any element of A. We show that the probability of choosing a function from H which maps x to the same value as more than t other elements of S is no greater than min (1/t2, 11/t4).
Thermal Decomposition of T‐Butylamine Borane Studied by in Situ Solid State NMR

Development of suitable materials to store hydrogen for automotive use has received pointed attention over the past decade. Significant progress has been made with the discovery of novel chemical hydrides, complex metal hydrides, and adsorption substrates which continue to optimize both thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrogen sorption. Chemical hydrides typically offer the largest theoretical gravimetric capacities. Autrey et al. have recently shown that mechanical milling of alkali metal hydrides with ammonia borane can further lower the decomposition temperature. In all cases, however, many challenges remain in order to meet the current US DOE performance targets. Amine boranes are being considered for hydrogen storage materials since they contain significant quantities of hydrogen which potentially can be released at low temperatures (80-150 C) via chemical reactions. Ammonia borane, NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3}, is one of the most promising in this class as it decomposes to release greater than two moles of pure hydrogen gas (14 wt%) below 160 C. Although isoelectronic to ethane, NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3} is a solid at room temperature due to the di-hydrogen bonding network formed between the amine protons and boron hydrides in the solid state lattice. Further, it has been shown that the hydrogen release mechanism involves transformation more » and isomerization to an ionic dimer where a hydride migrates from one boron to the adjacent boron in the dimer. The greatest challenge to the use of ammonia borane as a hydrogen fuel is the regeneration path from spent fuel to ammonia borane again. The proposed chemical synthesis involves complicated organometallic reactions to form boron hydrogen bonds from the thermodynamically stable polyimidoborane products (BNH){sub n}. Recent theoretical calculations suggested that incorporation of carbon atoms into the (BNH)n product would be less thermodynamically stable. These (CBNH)n compounds are potentially less energy intensive making regeneration of the amine borane fuel more feasible [22]. In the present study, tert-butylamine borane is investigated by heteronuclear in situ solid state NMR to understand hydrogen release from a hydrocarbon containing amine borane. tbutylamine borane has similar physical properties to amine borane with a melting point of 96 C. A single proton has been replaced with a t-butylamine group resulting in a weakening of the dihydrogen bonding framework. t-butylamine borane has a theoretical gravimetric hydrogen density of 15.1%; however, isobutane can also be evolved rather than hydrogen. If decomposition yields one mole isobutane and two moles hydrogen, 4.5 wt% H2 gas will be evolved. More importantly for the present work, the resulting spent fuel should be comprised of both (BNH)n and (CBNH)n polyimidoboranes. « less
Oscillatory dynamics of the biologically active zone in in situ bioremediation

[1] In situ bioremediation is a promising biotechnology for removing aqueous phase contaminants from groundwater. The system of three partial differential equations used to model bioremediation has a traveling wave solution which loses stability in a Hopf bifurcation, giving rise to oscillating fronts. To understand the origin of these oscillations, we construct a simplified model of the biologically active zone, a time delay differential equation with state-dependent delay. Despite its simplicity the new model mimics the dynamical characteristics of the bioremediation equations remarkably well and yields an approximate parametric expression for the oscillation onset point.
ErbB (HER) Receptors Can Abrogate Antiestrogen Action in Human Breast Cancer by Multiple Signaling Mechanisms

It has been reported that overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (erbB1) or its homologous receptor, HER2 (erbB2), can confer antiestrogen resistance to estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast cancer cells. Aberrant signaling by receptors of the erbB network up-regulates a number of signaling pathways, which include phospholipase C-gamma1, Ras-Raf-mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase-mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase and its target, the serine/threonine kinase Akt, stress-activated protein kinases, signal transducers and activators of transcription, and c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK). Akt has been reported to induce estrogen-independent transcription of ER. Here we show that transfection of ER-positive, HER2 gene-amplified BT-74 cells with an expression vector encoding dominant-negative (K179M) Akt1 partially restored the ability of tamoxifen to inhibit estradiol-stimulated ER reporter activity. Infection of MCF-7 cells with an adenovirus encoding myristoylated, constitutively active Akt induced ER reporter activity in the absence of estradiol and resulted in tamoxifen resistance of these cells in culture. Data will be presented to suggest that, in addition to mitogen-activated protein kinase, Akt is an important mediator of HER2-mediated antiestrogen resistance in human breast cancer cells.
Combining multiple classifiers for faster optical character recognition

Traditional approaches to combining classifiers attempt to improve classification accuracy at the cost of increased processing. They may be viewed as providing an accuracy-speed trade-off: higher accuracy for lower speed. In this paper we present a novel approach to combining multiple classifiers to solve the inverse problem of significantly improving classification speeds at the cost of slightly reduced classification accuracy. We propose a cascade architecture for combining classifiers and cast the process of building such a cascade as a search and optimization problem. We present two algorithms based on steepest-descent and dynamic programming for producing approximate solutions fast. We also present a simulated annealing algorithm and a depth-first-search algorithm for finding optimal solutions. Results on handwritten optical character recognition indicate that a) a speedup of 4-9 times is possible with no increase in error and b) speedups of up to 15 times are possible when twice as many errors can be tolerated.
ASTM photovoltaic standards development status

ASTM technical subcommittee E44.09, titled Photovoltaic Electric Power Systems, has been developing consensus standards for photovoltaic measurements and characterization for both cells and modules since 1978. This work presents a brief summary and lists the current status of each of the E44.09 standards and draft documents. >
Validity and reliability of kinect for measuring shoulder joint angles

Virtual reality-based physical rehabilitation, or virtual rehabilitation, provides several advantages over conventional therapy. These include the capacity to provide patient-specific treatment that adapts with functional improvements over practice, obtain quantitative measures of progress, deliver real-time performance feedback through varying modalities, and improve adherence by heightening patient motivation and entertainment. By exploiting commercially available gaming technology, virtual rehabilitation systems can even be developed at a low cost and conveniently used in the home for outpatient therapy. The Microsoft Kinect is one such gaming technology that has gained recent popularity within the virtual rehabilitation community. This highly advanced, and yet low cost, sensor enables users to interact with the system by monitoring 3D body movements, making its clinical utility highly attractive to the rehabilitation community. Before the use of this technology can be translated into the clinical setting, ensuring its precision and accuracy of measuring joint motion is paramount. The present study aimed to test the reliability and validity of upper extremity joint angle measurements with the Kinect for shoulder rehabilitation. Results indicate that while the Kinect is reliable for measuring shoulder joint angles in the frontal view, it is only valid for non-occlusive poses compared to the gold (magnetic tracker) and clinical (goniometer) standards for the shoulder.