cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coping with Crisis? The Diffusion of Waterworks in Late Nineteenth-Century German Towns

The article examines the diffusion of waterworks in one hundred Rhenish Prussian towns. It exploits features of the institutions of local political representation to develop and estimate a median voter model of demand for water capacity. The results suggest that rising income of the median voter and demand of industrial users, rather than crises in public health, spurred the installation of improved water supply.
Ontology-Based Scalable and Portable Information Extraction System to Extract Biological Knowledge from Huge Collection of Biomedical Web Documents

Automated discovery and extraction of biological knowledge from biomedical web documents has become essential because of the enormous amount of biomedical literature published each year. In this paper we present an ontology-based scalable and portable information extraction system to automatically extract biological knowledge from huge collection of online biomedical web documents. Our method integrates ontology-based semantic tagging, information extraction and data mining together, automatically learns the patterns based on a few user seed tuples, and then extract new tuples from the biomedical web documents based on the discovered patterns. A novel system SPIE (Scalable and Portable Information Extraction) is implemented and tested on the PuBMed to find the chromatin protein-protein interaction and the experimental results indicate our approach is very effective in extracting biological knowledge from huge collection of biomedical web documents.
Recursive estimation of simultaneous equation models

Abstract A recursive instrumental variable estimator is derived. For simultaneous equation estimation, the choice of the instruments is discussed. A computationally simple and asymptotically efficient recursive estimator is proposed in this context.
Social support, occupational stress and anxiety

When occupational stressors, that is stress-producing environmental circumstances (SPECs) in the workplace, lead to anxiety, this anxiety is considered work-related strain. Social support is frequently recommended as a treatment of such strain, because it is expected to help in one of three ways: by directly reducing the anxiety, by interacting with SPECs to reduce the strength of their effects on anxiety, and by weakening the strength of the SPECs themselves. Future research on anxiety and social support in conjunction with work-related SPECs could shed new light on the relations among these three, variables by employing one or more of three approaches: designing investigations that allow stronger causal inference, testing hypotheses derived from theory, and examining potential cross-cultural differences in the nature of and reactions to social support.
An Inexpensive Modified Emergent-Fry Trap for Lake-Spawning Salmonids

Abstract Emergent-fry traps, designed for sampling salmonid fry, have been particularly valuable for evaluating the reproductive success of stocked lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in the Great Lakes. Traditional fry traps are constructed with a welded iron base and riveted walls and are therefore heavy and bulky as well as expensive. We describe an inexpensive new design with a semi-rigid base and soft, fabric walls that requires few specialized tools for construction. The soft design and light weight of the traps allow for easy stacking and transport. The weight can also be adjusted to suit sampling requirements. We deployed 15 rigid and 14 soft fry traps at two sites in Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York. Of the 286 fry collected, 187 were collected in rigid traps and 99 in soft traps. The numbers of fry collected per unit effort did not differ significantly between rigid and soft traps at either site. At one site, significantly greater numbers of soft traps than rigid traps contained fry (chi-square ...
Effects of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers on Cotton Growth Characteristics

Use of enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers (EENFs) in row crop agriculture has not been well studied despite increasing interest in these N sources to increase crop yield while decreasing N loss. A field study was conducted in Central Alabama from 2009 to 2011 to compare EENFs to standard N sources in a high-residue conservation cotton production system. Nitrogen fertilizers evaluated were: urea; ammonium sulfate; urea-ammonium sulfate; controlled-release, polymer-coated urea (Environmenally Smart Nitrogen, ESN); stabilized urea (SuperU); poultry litter; poultry litter + AgrotainPlus; and an unfertilized control. Detailed plant growth characteristics were determined before defoliation. Generally, standard fertilizers resulted in the largest number of bolls and the highest boll dry weight. ESN tended to perform as well as the standards. Both poultry litter treatments performed poorly during the first year; however, poultry litter + AgrotainPlus was similar to the standards by the third year of study. In this study, the more expensive EENFs produced yields similar to those of standard fertilizers, suggesting that the former may be economically impractical at present. However, EENFs could become viable alternative fertilizer sources given their ability to reduce N loss from agricultural fields via leaching, runoff, and nitrous oxide flux. Additional research is needed on the benefits of EENFs in row-crop production systems.
Supplementation with Ground Corn is Cost Effective for Increasing Weight Gain of Steers Grazing Bermudagrass

Weight gain of stockers generally declines in the middle to late grazing season and a reduction in grass digestible energy has been implicated. Steers grazed bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) during a 2-year experiment in west-central Arkansas. Animal and pasture responses were compared for treatments including supplementation with ground corn (2 lb per steer per day) over the whole grazing season (112 days), supplementation only in the late grazing season (56 days), and no supplementation (control). Two feeding intervals of 24 and 48 h also were compared for the supplementation treatments. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) declined throughout the grazing season in 2002 and during the first 80 days in 2001. Supplementation for the whole grazing season generally resulted in greater average daily gain (ADG) and weight gain per acre than late-season supplementation and the control. Weight gain did not differ between 24- and 48-h feeding intervals. Feeding ground corn to steers grazing bermudagrass can effectively increase ADG if fed for the whole grazing season at a rate of 2 lb per steer per day.
GATA transcription factors in hematologic disease.

GATA family transcription factors play essential roles in broad developmental settings. GATA-1, one of the hematopoietically expressed members, is required for normal erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation. Over the past few years, mutations in the gene encoding GATA-1 have been linked to several human hematologie disorders, including X-linked dyserythropoietic anemia and thrombocytopenia, X-linked thrombocytopenia and β-thalassemia, and Down syndrome acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. This review summarizes the role of GATA-1 during normal hematopoiesis and discusses how disease-associated mutations may affect its function.
Epitaxial growth of CrO2

Abstract Oriented layers of CrO2 have been grown epitaxially on {100}, {110}, {210} and {001} surfaces of single crystal TiO2 (rutile) and on the {0001} planes of single crystal Al2O3 and Fe2O3 by the decomposition of CrO3 on the substrate contained in a pressure vessel. The area of these layers is limited primarily by the size of the single crystal substrates. Beside meeting structural requirements the substrate must not form stable compounds with molten CrO3 or the other chromium oxides resulting from CrO3 decomposition. The CrO2 layer begins to form during the decomposition of Cr2O5 by nucleation of oriented CrO2 at many sites on the substrate surface. Defects on the surface of the substrates limit the perfection of the oriented layer. Characterization of the films by both chemical analysis and x-ray techniques indicate that the epitaxial CrO2 is identical in all respects to the bulk material. The oriented layers have been used for magnetic measurements.
Infection control at autopsy: a guide for pathologists and autopsy personnel

Abstract The emergence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Hepatitis C, Creutzfeldt–Jacob Disease and antibiotic resistant tuberculosis, staphylococcus and enterococcus have increasingly focused attention on infectious hazards in healthcare occupations. Relatively few publications have dealt with hazards to, and infection control methods for, autopsy pathologists and technicians. It is important that those performing and in charge of autopsy services reacquaint themselves with the risks, routes of infection, and safe and sane control methods for performing autopsies. This review is a guide to autopsy infection control procedures and equipment for hepatitis, tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and prion associated diseases (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease [CJD] and variants). Tuberculosis is re-emerging as a hazard deserving particular attention by pathologists, because it is still too often unanticipated.
High-Efficiency Energy Conversion in a Molecular Triad Connected to Conducting Leads

We theoretically examine the light-to-electricity energy conversion in a molecular triad coupled to conducting leads. This coupling allows us to drive a current through the system. We derive the equations of motion for the electron density operators and determine the dependence of the current, quantum yield, and thermodynamic efficiency on temperature, the electrochemical potentials of the leads, as well as on the light intensity and frequency of the external electromagnetic field. For the molecular triad consisting of ferrocene, porphyrin, and fullerene molecules, we find that, in the case of relatively strong coupling to the leads, the power-conversion efficiency can exceed 40% and the quantum yield can be more than 90%, instead of the 25% quantum yield observed in experiments. Thus, this system is highly attractive for solar cell applications. The large predicted increase in the efficiency of this system is due to the stronger coupling to the contacts, which allows the triad to move more electrons thro...
Effects of Payment Changes on Trends in Post‐Acute Care

Objective To test how the implementation of new Medicare post-acute payment systems affected the use of inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and home health agencies.
Traumatic Events and Maternal Education as Predictors of Verbal Ability for Preschool Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Despite research on the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on children, little is known about its impact on cognitive development. In this study, 87 preschool-aged children and their mothers exposed to IPV within the last two years participated in interviews to ascertain verbal ability, history of violence, and exposure to trauma. When compared to a national sample of 1,700 same-age children not evaluated for exposure to traumatic events, children exposed to IPV scored significantly lower on verbal ability, as assessed with standardized measures. In order to understand variation in verbal ability, multiple regression models were tested. Both prior exposure to traumatic events and the level of mother’s education were significant predictors of verbal ability. However, level of education mediated the relationship between traumatic events and the child’s verbal ability.
The Role of Victims’ Emotions in Preschoolers’ Moral Judgments

Do victims’ emotions underlie preschoolers’ moral judgment abilities? Study 1 asked preschoolers (n = 72) to judge actions directed at characters who could and could not feel hurt and who did and did not cry. These judgments took into account only the nature of the action, not the nature of the victim. To further investigate how victims’ emotions might impact children’s moral judgments, Study 2 presented preschoolers (n = 37) with stories that varied in transgression type (Moral, Conventional, or None) and victim’s reaction (Crying Present or Crying Absent). As in Study 1, children’s judgments were affected primarily by transgression type, and not by emotion. In an analogous task, judgments of children with autism spectrum disorders (Study 3; n = 12) were affected by both transgression type and crying. Typically developing children’s moral judgments are thus concerned primarily with action type, not with emotional displays, but the judgments of children with autism spectrum disorders can be swayed by victims’ emotions.
Consistency checking in access control

As access control models have become more complex, tools should be developed to support the maintenance of policies. We have adapted a powerful privacy-aware role-based access control model to incorporate a context-restriction component to alleviate the policy maintenance complexity issue. We discuss how the process of entering policies and user-specified rules can be guided by a system that evaluates permission assignments when they are entered.
Optimizing Collective Communication in UPC

Message Passing Interface (MPI) has been the defacto programming model for scientific parallel applications. However, data driven applications with irregular communication patterns are harder to implement using MPI. The Partitioned Global Address Space (PGAS) programming models present an alternative approach to improve programmability. PGAS languages like UPC are growing in popularity because of their ability to provide shared-memory programming model over distributed memory machines. However, since UPC is an emerging standard, it is unlikely that entire applications will be re-written with it. Instead, unified communication runtimes have paved the way for a new class of hybrid applications that can leverage the benefits of both MPI and PGAS models. Such unified runtimes need to be designed in a high performance, scalable manner to improve the performance of emerging hybrid applications. Collective communication primitives offer a flexible, portable way to implement group communication operations and are supported in both MPI and PGAS programming models. Owing to their advantages, they are also widely used across various scientific parallel applications. Over the years, MPI libraries have relied upon aggressive software- /hardware-based and kernel-assisted optimizations to deliver low communication latency for various collective operations. However, there is much room for improvement for collective operations in state-of-the-art, open-source implementations of UPC. In this paper, we address the challenges associated with improving the performance of collective primitives in UPC. Further, we also explore design alternatives to enable collective primitives in UPC to directly leverage the designs available in the MVAPICH2 MPI library. Our experimental evaluations show that our designs improve the performance of the UPC broadcast and all-gather operations, by 25X and 18X respectively for 128KB message at 2,048 processes. Our designs improve the performance of the UPC 2D-Heat kernel by up to 2X times at 2,048 processes, and NAS-FT benchmark by 12% at 256 processes.
Beyond the West: Religiosity and the Sense of Mastery in Modern Taiwan

This study examines the association between religiosity and personal mastery in the Chinese context, testing two theses: relinquished control and personal empowerment. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 1,881 Taiwanese adults, I find that: (a) beliefs in karma and one supreme God and prayer are negatively associated with the sense of mastery and (b) the estimated net effect of some devotional activities, such as meditation, appear to be robust, statistically significant, and positive. Implications of this study are discussed.
Synthesis characterization and X-ray crystal structures of cis-1,4-diaminocyclohexane-platinum(II) nucleobase adducts

Abstract Platinum complexes of the type [Pt(cis-1,4-DACH)(L)2]X, where cis-1,4-DACH = cis-1,4-diaminocyclohexane; L = adenine (ade) (1), hypoxanthine (hyp) (2), 9-methylguanine (9-megua) (3), cytosine (cyt) (4), or 1-methylcytosine (1-mecyt) (5); and X = SO4 or Cl2 groups, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and by 1H, 13C, and 195Pt nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The crystals of [Pt(cis-1,4-DACH)(9-megua)2]SO4[9-megua-H]2SO4 (3) and [Pt(cis-1,4-DACH)(1-mecyt)2]Cl2 · 6H2O (5) were also subjected to single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The base/PtN4 coordination plane dihedral angles were 74.55° and 85.61° in complex 3 and 78.12° and 81.80° in complex 5. The platinum had distorted square planar geometry in both complexes; the two adjacent corners were occupied by the two nitrogen atoms of cis-1,4-DACH, and the other two corners were occupied by the two N7 atoms of 9-megua in complex 3 and the two N3 atoms of 1-mecyt in complex 5. The cis-1,4-DACH, which has a unique twist-boat configuration, formed a seven-member chelating ring with platinum, which led to considerable strain during bidentate cis-1,4-DACH binding. Cations of both complexes 3 and 5 adopted C2 molecular symmetry. These adducts were the models for the intrastand cross-links that were relevant to the binding of the Pt(II) antitumor drugs to DNA.
Mast cell-dependent tumor necrosis factor alpha production participates in allergic gastric inflammation in mice

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Immunoglobulin E-dependent gastric inflammation is characterized by neutrophil infiltration, and mast cells are required for this response. The aim of this study was to examine whether mast cell production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha participates in the recruitment of neutrophils during this response. METHODS: The levels of TNF-alpha messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein in gastric tissues were assessed by Northern blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In situ hybridization and histochemical staining were performed to identify the cells expressing TNF-alpha transcripts. Anti-TNF-alpha antibodies or cyclosporine A were used in an attempt to inhibit neutrophil infiltration. RESULTS: TNF-alpha mRNA and protein were increased in gastric tissues undergoing immunoglobulin E-dependent inflammation. Mast cells were required for the development of cells expressing TNF-alpha transcripts in the stomach. Seventy-nine percent of the cells in the mucosa and 100% of the cells in the submucosa expressing TNF-alpha mRNA were identified as mast cells. Anti-TNF-alpha antibodies inhibited neutrophil infiltration in the submucosa, and cyclosporine A inhibited the tissue expression of TNF-alpha mRNA and the influx of neutrophils into the submucosa and muscularis propria. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that mast cell-derived TNF-alpha is at least one of the mediators involved in the recruitment of neutrophils during immunoglobulin E-dependent gastric inflammation in the mouse. (Gastroenterology 1997 Nov;113(5):1560-9)
Formation of buds from callus tissue in the potato

Potato plants, with all organized buds removed, produced bud-forming callus on stems, roots and seed pieces. With the exception of roots, callus developed only on surfaces of cuts which exposed the vascular system. Formation of callus on stems and tubers tended to be restricted to cut surfaces facing the base. Differences in callus and wound periderm ormation are discussed and reinterpretation of wound periderm formation is suggested.
Der Nachweis von Eisen in Zink- oder Nickel-Überzügen auf Stahl mit der Mikrosonde

Die Bestimmung von Eisenanteilen in Zink- und Nickel-¨berzugen mit der Mikrosonde ist moglich. Bei Messungen mit der L-Strahlung lassen sich Gehalte < = 0.05% nachweisen. Die ubliche Auswertung der K-Strahlung fuhrt zu fehler-haften Ergebnissen, weil die energiereicheren Strahlungen von Zink und Nickel sich bis zu 30 μm im Material ausbreiten und dann das Eisen im Grundwerkstoff zur Eigenstrahlung anregen. Uber dem Abstand vom Grund-werkstoff werden Konzentrationsverlaufe vorgetauscht.
Emergency Lane-Change Maneuvers of Autonomous Vehicles

This paper addresses the issue of collision avoidance using lane-change maneuvers. Of particular interest is to determine the minimum distance beyond which an obstacle cannot be avoided at a given initial speed. Using a planar bicycle model, we first compute the sharpest dynamically feasible maneuver by minimizing the longitudinal distance of a lane transition, assuming given initial and free final speeds. The minimum distance to an obstacle is then determined from the path traced by the optimal maneuver. Plotting the minimum distance in the phase plane establishes the clearance curve, a valuable tool for planning emergency maneuvers. For the bicycle model, the clearance curve is shown to closely correlate with the straight line produced by a point mass model. Examples demonstrate the use of the clearance curve for planning safe avoidance maneuvers.
Not So Fast: Reassessing Gender Essentialism in Young Adults

We examined young adults’ essentialist reasoning about gender categories. Previous developmental results suggest that until age 9 or 10, children show marked essentialist reasoning about gender, but this disappears by early adulthood. In contrast, results from social cognition suggest that essentialist thinking about social categories persists into adulthood. To address this discrepancy, 69 undergraduates engaged in a switched-at-birth task under speeded or delayed conditions. Delayed participants made essentialist decisions about physical but not behavioral properties and replicated past findings. Speeded participants showed markedly higher essentialist responding for behavioral properties compared with delayed participants. These findings suggest that gender essentialism does not necessarily diminish in adulthood but instead may be suppressed by more explicit reasoning processes.
Women’s values in contraceptive choice: a systematic review of relevant attributes included in decision aids

Women can choose from a range of contraceptive methods that differ in important ways. Inadequate decision support may lead them to select a method that poorly fits their circumstances, leading to dissatisfaction, misuse, or nonuse. Decision support interventions, such as decision aids, may help women choose a method of contraception that best fits their personal circumstances. To guide future decision aid development, we aim to summarize the attributes of contraceptive methods included in available decision aids as well as surveys and interviews of women actively choosing a contraceptive method. We conducted a systematic review to identify attributes of contraceptive methods that may be important to women when engaging in this decision making process. We performed a database search of MEDLINE/PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, OVID CENTRAL, Ovid PsycInfo, EBSCO CINAHL, Popline, and Scopus from 1985 until 2013 to identify decision aids, structured interviews and questionnaires reporting attributes of contraceptive options that are of importance to women. A free-text internet search was also performed to identify additional decision support tools. All articles and tools were reviewed in duplicate for inclusion, and a summary list of attributes was compiled. We included 20 surveys, 1 semistructured interview report and 19 decision aids, reporting 32 unique attributes. While some attributes were consistently included in surveys/interviews and decision aids, several were included more often in decision aids as opposed to surveys/interviews (e.g., STI prevention, noncontraceptive benefits, how the method is used, requirement of a healthcare provider), and vice versa (e.g., a woman’s vicarious experience with contraceptive methods). Key attributes mentioned in both surveys/interviews and decision aids include efficacy (29 total mentioned) and side effects/health risks (28 total mentioned). While a limited number of decision support tools were formally evaluated, many were not rigorously studied. Many attributes were identified as potentially important to women choosing a method of contraception, but these were inconsistently included in the reviewed resources. Formal evaluation of decision support tools for contraceptive choice and involvement of users in the development process may lead to more user-centered design and implementation.
Unilateral Bronchiolitis Obliterans: A Case Report

Bronchiolitis obliterans is an infrequent form of chronic bronchiolitis. It is distinguished by pathologic findings of partially or completely obstructed bronchi and bronchioles by fibrous tissue. It can lead to unilateral hyperlucent lung syndrome (Swyer-James) and has been described in all age groups, but tends to be a disease of young adults. There is no known predilection for sex or geographic area. 1-3
Augmentation of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in dogs with prostheses of different stiffnesses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biological and bio-mechanical properties of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction augmented with Dacron prostheses of three different stiffnesses. The ACLs of 36 adult mongrel dogs were removed and the ligament was reconstructed. In 18 dogs, one knee was reconstructed with patellar tendon alone, and the contralateral knee with Dacron augmented patellar tendon. In the remaining 18 dogs, reconstruction was with Dacron augmented patellar tendon with Dacron alone being used for the contralateral control knee. Death was 3 months after surgery, and the reconstructions were examined biologically and biomechanically. The mechanical data were compared with immediate postoperative data obtained from 45 reconstructed fresh cadaveric knees. Tensile testing demonstrated that an increase in failure load was found when the implanted patellar tendon graft was compared with the cadaveric reconstruction. The strength of the Dacron augmented reconstruction showed little change while the Dacron alone graft decreased in strength during the period of implantation. No clear difference was found between the performance of augmentation devices of different stiffnesses. Microangiography showed that grafts were totally revascularized in patellar tendon alone, but not well revascularized in Dacron augmented patellar tendon and Dacron alone reconstruction. The presence of the Dacron appeared to have an adverse effect on revascularization.
Effect of phenylephrine on aqueous humor flow

The effect of topical 2.5% phenylephrine hydrochloride, an alpha adrenergie agonist, on the rate of aqueous humor flow was studied in the eyes of 22 normal human subjects. The drug and a placebo were administered by random assignment from coded containers with the fellow eye serving as the control. Intraocular pressure, anterior chamber volume, corneal thickness and the rate of clearance of topically applied fluorescein from the anterior chamber were measured. Four of the 22 subjects underwent a study of the effect of phenylephrine on the permeability to fluorescein of the blood-aqueous barrier. No statistically significant effect of the drug was found on the rate of aqueous humor flow, intraocular pressure, anterior chamber volume, corneal thickness or permeability of the blood-aqueous barrier.
Reconstruction of 3D genome architecture via a two-stage algorithm

The three-dimensional (3D) configuration of chromosomes within the eukaryote nucleus is an important factor for several cellular functions, including gene expression regulation, and has also been linked with cancer-causing translocation events. While visualization of such architecture remains limited to low resolutions, the ability to infer structures at increasing resolutions has been enabled by recently-devised chromosome conformation capture techniques. In particular, when coupled with next generation sequencing, such methods yield an inventory of genome-wide chromatin contacts or interactions. Various algorithms have been advanced to operate on such contact data to produce reconstructed 3D configurations. Studies have shown that these reconstructions can provide added value over raw interaction data with respect to downstream biological insights. However, only limited, low-resolution reconstructions have been realized for mammals due to computational bottlenecks. Here we propose a two-stage algorithm to partially overcome these computational barriers. The central idea is to initially utilize existing reconstruction techniques on an individual chromosome basis, using intra-chromosomal contacts, and then to relatively position these chromosome-level reconstructions using inter-chromosomal contacts. This two-stage strategy represents a natural approach in view of the within- versus between- chromosome distribution of contacts. It can increase resolution ≈ 20 fold for mouse and human. After describing the algorithm we present 3D architectures for mouse embryonic stem cells and human lymphoblastoid cells. We evaluate the impact of several factors on reconstruction reproducibility and explore a variety of sampling schemes. We further analyze replicate data at differing resolutions obtained from recently devised in situ Hi-C assays. In all instances we demonstrate insensitivity of the whole-genome 3D reconstruction obtained by the two-stage algorithm to the sampling strategy used. Our two-stage algorithm has the potential to significantly increase the resolution of 3D genome reconstructions. The improvements are such that we can progress from 1 Mb resolution to 100 kb resolution, notable since this latter value has been identified as critical to inferring topological domains in analyses performed on the contact (rather than 3D) level.
Particle-inspired motion updates for grid-based Bayesian trackers

The computational cost of the motion update has limited the application of grid-based Bayesian trackers. Drawing inspiration from particle filters, an algorithm for efficient grid-based motion updates is developed. The algorithm's complexity is linear in the number of grid cells and independent of the time increment for the motion update. It has the flexibility to model any Markov motion process. The accuracy of the algorithm and its sensitivity to implementation parameters is assessed, and trade-offs between accuracy and computational cost are explored.
Calculation of voltage drops in the vias of a multichip package

A methodology for calculation of the voltage drops in the vias of a multichip package is presented. The vias are treated as lumped-circuit elements, and the excess capacitance and inductance of the vias are not considered. Numerical techniques were employed to determine the voltage and current waveforms of the signal path between two chips. After the current waveforms for the vias were determined, the voltage drop in ground was obtained by multiplying the current by the internal partial impedance. It was found that the peak noise is very small (in the range of 0.0005 V for a parallel-terminated line) for an input of 1 V due to the utilization of multiple power and ground vias in the design considered. it is point out that the location of the vias (relative to the drivers) has to be carefully chosen when the peak voltage drops are to be minimized. >
Discrete event control under nondeterministic partial observation

Most prior work on control of discrete event systems assume that sensors are reliable so that they can be modeled as a deterministic (point-valued) observation mask. However in certain harsh environments such as nuclear systems, sensors may not be reliable. This results in a nondeterministic (set-valued) observation mask. In this paper, we allow the observation mask to be nondeterministic to capture unreliability of sensors. In this setting finding a supervisor to enforce a given specification has the additional challenge of deciding which observations of a trace of the specification must be enabled (note a trace of the specification is enabled as long as one of its observations is enabled). We propose a method to deal with this challenge by introducing the notion of lifting, and defining the lifting of events, plant, specification, and observation mask. A lifted-specification is said to be safe if its projection on the original events equals the given specification. We show that a supervisor exists if and only if exists a lifted-specification that satisfies closure, safety, controllability, observability, together with a new property called conformity. The class of such languages is not closed under union or intersection, but is closed under union over an increasing chain. As a result, finding a desired liftedspecification can be difficult. We propose a work around this difficulty by replacing the property of observability with the stronger property of normality. The corresponding class of languages is shown to be closed under union, and its nonemptiness serves as a constructive sufficient condition for the existence of a supervisor. We also provide an automaton representation of a control policy based on a nondeterministic observation mask.
Pharmacology of Nicotine: Addiction, Smoking-Induced Disease, and Therapeutics

Nicotine sustains tobacco addiction, a major cause of disability and premature death. Nicotine binds to nicotinic cholinergic receptors, facilitating neurotransmitter release and thereby mediating the complex actions of nicotine in tobacco users. Dopamine, glutamate, and gamma aminobutyric acid release are particularly important in the development of nicotine dependence, and corticotropin-releasing factor appears to contribute to nicotine withdrawal. Nicotine dependence is highly heritable. Genetic studies indicate roles for nicotinic receptor subtypes, as well as genes involved in neuroplasticity and learning, in development of dependence. Nicotine is primarily metabolized by CYP 2A6, and variability in rate of metabolism contributes to vulnerability to tobacco dependence, response to smoking cessation treatment, and lung cancer risk. Tobacco addiction is much more common in persons with mental illness and substance abuse disorders, representing a high proportion of current smokers. Pharmacotherapeutic a...
Differential Regulation of White-Opaque Switching by Individual Subunits of Candida albicans Mediator

The multisubunit eukaryotic Mediator complex integrates diverse positive and negative gene regulatory signals and transmits them to the core transcription machinery. Mutations in individual subunits within the complex can lead to decreased or increased transcription of certain subsets of genes, which are highly specific to the mutated subunit. Recent studies suggest a role for Mediator in epigenetic silencing. Using white-opaque morphological switching in Candida albicans as a model, we have shown that Mediator is required for the stability of both the epigenetic silenced (white) and active (opaque) states of the bistable transcription circuit driven by the master regulator Wor1. Individual deletions of eight C. albicans Mediator subunits have shown that different Mediator subunits have dramatically diverse effects on the directionality, frequency, and environmental induction of epigenetic switching. Among the Mediator deletion mutants analyzed, only Med12 has a steady-state transcriptional effect on the components of the Wor1 circuit that clearly corresponds to its effect on switching. The MED16 and MED9 genes have been found to be among a small subset of genes that are required for the stability of both the white and opaque states. Deletion of the Med3 subunit completely destabilizes the opaque state, even though the Wor1 transcription circuit is intact and can be driven by ectopic expression of Wor1. The highly impaired ability of the med3 deletion mutant to mate, even when Wor1 expression is ectopically induced, reveals that the activation of the Wor1 circuit can be decoupled from the opaque state and one of its primary biological consequences.
Rotational Excitation II: Approximation Methods

In this chapter, we shall describe several of the most useful quantal approximations for use in treating rotational excitation in atom-molecule collisions. In order to keep this discussion within manageable proportions, we shall not attempt to describe all the approximations developed in the past few years but rather focus on those which, in our admittedly prejudiced view, are the most useful, general, and computationally viable. As a result, there are a number of approximations which we will not discuss in any detail.
A letter to Jeremy Hunt.

It’s the middle of the night. I can’t sleep. The time has come to put pen to paper. What good will it do? Probably very little. At least it will make me feel that I have done my bit to save the profession I love so dearly. Let’s start with this whole 7-day-a-week working; in your words, as part of ‘21st century medicine’. You mentioned in the RCGP Conference that ‘if a patient wakes up on a Saturday morning with a problem, they want it sorting that day …’ What problem, might I ask you, needs sorting that day by a GP? The sore throat that developed that morning? The headache they have from the Friday night out? The inconvenient spot that has appeared on their nose before a big party? These people, all of …
The Roles of Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy and Lymphadenectomy in the Treatment of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Objective Using a population-based registry, we evaluated the impact of neoadjuvant radiotherapy and lymphadenectomy on survival of patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).
Elimination of birefringence induced scale factor errors in the in-line Sagnac interferometer current sensor

This paper presents theoretical and experimental results showing the effects of linear and circular birefringence on the sensing coil of an in-line Sagnac interferometer current sensor. Linear birefringence induces local scale factor variations along the length of the sensing coil which can be suppressed with circular birefringence. We show that by winding the sensing coil with tension in a helix configuration, these variations may be effectively reduced to zero for ordinary single mode fiber. In our opinion, this method of implementation overcomes the need to use annealed fiber in the sensing coil.
Terminal Doppler weather radar (TDWR) coverage of satellite airports

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) system detects and reports hazardous weather in and around airport terminal approach and departure zones. The TDWR identifies and warns air traffic controllers (ATCs) of low altitude wind shear hazards caused by microbursts and gust fronts, in addition to reporting on precipitation intensities and providing advanced warning of wind shifts. The ATCs use the TDWR reports to warn pilots who are potentially affected by the hazardous weather patterns. TDWR antennas are located near but not on a primary airport site. Usually there is at least one secondary-or satellite-airport within the hazardous weather detection range of the TDWR. Since it is not economically practicable to provide these satellite airports with TDWR systems, this FAA-sponsored analysis examines the feasibility of extending primary airport TDWR coverage to serve satellite airports.
Preclinical and Early Human Studies of Calcium and Colon Cancer Prevention

Colorectal cancer continues to be a major cause of tumor mortality in the United States and other countries; despite attempts to improve the screening of high-risk populations, the incidence of this disease is still very high. Therefore, chemoprevention continues to be an important goal for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer. Among recent chemopreventive approaches, the administration of calcium and vitamin D continue to be evaluated in both preclinical and clinical studies. Many experimental findings described below have indicated associations between high calcium and vitamin D intake and decreased risk for colorectal cancer.
The Sociological Study of Mental Illness

For both laypeople and mental health professionals, the nature, causes, and cures of mental illness are found in the symptoms of specific disordered individuals. Mental illness, as a cultural category, is rooted in the personality or, more recently, in the brain. These individualistic conceptions of mental illness are entrenched in both common sense and in the large and powerful mental health professions—psychiatry, psychology, social work, and nursing—that define, study, and treat mental illness. Sociologists who study mental disorders must confront deeply rooted asociological models that have a high degree of social legitimation.
A Historian's Perspective on Archives and the Documentary Process

The respective processes employed by film documentarians and print-based historians in presenting the past are in many ways distinct. Nevertheless, film makers and print-based historians are increasingly engaged in a dialogue with each other, a dialogue that involves archivists as well. While there exist problematic aspects of the use of archival materials in film, there are also documentarians who are appreciative of archives and sensitive to issues of historical context and specificity. The making of a recent film, The Uprising of '34, provides a model for the creative interaction between film makers and archival materials, and suggests ways to strengthen the relationship between film makers, print-based historians, and archivists.
Does Prohibiting 'Lock-In' Improve Aftermarket Outcomes? Evidence from the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act

Because a patient must have a prescription to purchase contact lenses, prescribing eye care professional (ECPs) have incentives to take advantage of locked-in patients. I use the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA) – which outlawed lock-in – as a natural experiment to perform (to my knowledge) the first empirical examination of the effect of lock-in on aftermarket prices. Examination of the pre- and post-FCLCA price gap between ECPs and online sellers indicates that pricing in the contact lens market has not systematically changed since FCLCA. One conjecture from these results is that search costs may be responsible for persistent ECP premiums in this market. To the extent that they are generalizable, these results also indicate that the current antitrust treatment of power derived from proprietary aftermarkets may be welfare reducing.
Evidence for a major role of Mg~(2+) in bFGF-mediated angiogenesis

Aim The mechanism of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)in mediating increase of intracellular free magnesium ([Mg2+]i) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and the relationship between Mg2+and angiogenesis were investigated in this study.Methods The change of[Mg2+]i in HUVECs were quantitatively detected in intracellular cation measurement system via loaded with the fluorescent magnesium indicator mag-fura-2. Endothelial cells were primarily acquired by infusion of collagen enzyme solutioninto the lumens of human umbilical veins and cultured in M199 with 0.2 fetal bovine serum. The role of bFGF in angiogenesis was observed in presence of 0,1 mmol·L-1 or 2 mmol·L-1 of extracellular Mg2+.Results bFGF dose-dependently increased [Mg2+]i, and there was not any significant difference among the groups of 0,1 mmol·L-1and 2 mmol·L-1 of extracellular Mg2+;similar results were obtained in groups done with Na+ and Ca2+. Pretreatment with bFGF receptor-2 (KDR) inhibitor (SU1498) blocked the increase of [Mg2+]i induced by bFGF.Unlike in the group of 0 mmol·L-1extracellular Mg2+,the apparent angiogeneses were observed in the groups of 1 mmol·L-1 and 2 mmol·L-1 extracellular Mg2+ in the presence of bFGF.bFGF-induced angiogenesis was significantly blocked with SU1498 in the presence of 1 mmol·L-1 extracelluar Mg2+.Conclusions These results suggest that the increase of [Mg2+]i by bFGF come from intracellular Mg2+ pools mediated by KDR-dependent signaling pathways,thereby resulting in the bFGF-induced angiogenesis.
The Condition of Residents Income Distribution of China and Corresponding Fiscal-taxation Regulating Policy

The paper comprehensively analyzes the condition of income distribution of our country in detail at the present stage,which includes the following respects as the change of residents'whole income level,the structural change of residents'income distribution,the change of residents'income source,and the constitution of urban familys'property,etc.As for the analsis,the author summarizes appraisal of our country's income disribution condition at present,and puts forward the fiscal-taxation regulating policy accordingly.
ELF3 modulates type II collagen gene (COL2A1) transcription in chondrocytes by inhibiting SOX9-CBP/p300-driven histone acetyltransferase activity.

ABSTRACTAim: We showed previously that E74-like factor 3 (ELF3) protein levels are increased in osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage, that ELF3 accounts for inflammatory cytokine-driven MMP13 gene expression, and that, upon induction by interleukin-1β, ELF3 binds to the COL2A1 promoter and suppresses its activity in chondrocytes. Here, we aimed to further investigate the mechanism/s by which ELF3 represses COL2A1 transcription in chondrocytes. Methods and Results: We report that ELF3 inhibits Sox9-driven COL2A1 promoter activity by interfering with the activator functions of CBP/300 and Sox9. Co-transfection of the pGL2B-COL2A1 (–577/+3428 bp) reporter construct with Sox9 and with Sox5 and/or Sox6 increased COL2A1 promoter activity, and ELF3 overexpression significantly reduced the promoter transactivation. Co-transfection of ELF3 with the pLuc 4x48 enhancer construct, containing the 89-bp COL2A1 promoter and lacking the previously defined ELF3 binding sites, decreased both basal and Sox9-driven promoter activit...
In vitro inhibition of aldosterone-stimulated sodium transport by steroidal spirolactones.

The spirolactones SC 9420 and SC 14266 both are effective inhibitors of the aldosterone-induced increase in in vitro sodium transport as measured in the isolated toad bladder. These compounds appear to be specific antagonists of aldosterone as the shortcircuit current response to exogenous vasopressin and glucose repletion were not altered by concentrations of spirolactone sufficient to inhibit the electrophysiologic effects of aldosterone. The results of kinetic analysis of aldosterone-spirolactone interaction fulfilled the criteria for competitive inhibition. Assuming that the tissue receptors for aldosterone are homogeneous, the relative affinity for these receptors was estimated by the ratio of the dissociation constants of aldosterone (KD) and spirolactone (Ki). Using two separate derivations, each from independent data, the resulting ratios for aldosterone: SC 14266 were in reasonable agreement, i.e., 1:235 and 1:336. The average maximal effective aldosterone concentration (2 x KD) was calculated to be 1 x 10-8 M, while the inhibitor constant (Ki) for the spirolactone SC 14266 was 1 x 10-6 M by direct plot and 2.6 x 10-6 M when derived from a Lineweaver-Burk plot. The Ki for SC 9420 by direct plot was 5.25 x 10-6 M and the KD:Ki ratio was 1:681.
The Relationship of Microorganisms to Sanitation

Microorganisms cause food spoilage through degradation of appearance and flavor, and foodborne illness occurs through the ingestion of food containing microorganisms or toxins of public health concern. Control of microbial load from equipment, establishments, and foods is part of a sanitation program.
TRICYCLIC DRUG TREATMENT IN THE ELDERLY PATIENT

Ten elderly patients with depression were treated with imipramine for 21 days. The mean plasma concentration for the six improved patients was 130 ng/ml and for the four unimproved patients was 91 ng/ml. Several of the patients improved dramatically following dosage increases which doubled the plasma concentration. One patient had to be excluded as a confusional episode necessitated imipramine be discontinued. Plasma concentration during the confusional period was 40 ng/ml. Other side-effects were mild. The results lend weight to the already existing evidence that plasma concentration of tricyclics is related to therapeutic effect.