cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal error protection for progressive image transmission over finite-state Markov channels

This paper presents a unified framework for addressing progressive image transmission over both memoryless and fading channels based on finite-state Markov channels (FSMC) models. The main advantage of using FSMC models is that they allow analytical derivation of optimal joint source-channel coding solutions in the form of unequal error protection without the burden of simulating wireless channels. Our analyses and experiments confirm that 1) FSMC models work for fading channels and 2) PSNR results obtained with FSMC models compare favorably with those published in the literature.
Exact, closed-form expressions for transient fields in homogeneously filled waveguides

It is well known that transient electromagnetic waves in waveguides exhibit dispersion. Exact, closed-form expressions, which involve Bessel functions of the first kind, have been derived for the impulse response of a waveguide, but exact, closed-form expressions for more complex pulses are absent from the literature. In this paper, it is demonstrated that incomplete Lipschitz-Hankel integrals can be used to represent transient pulses in homogeneously filled waveguides. A continuous wave pulse is investigated in this paper, however, this technique can also be applied to a number of other transient waveforms. The resulting expressions are verified by numerically integrating the pulse distribution multiplied by the known impulse response. >
Improving protocol capacity for UDP/TCP traffic with model-based frame scheduling in IEEE 802.11-operated WLANs

In this paper, we develop a model-based frame scheduling scheme, called MFS, to enhance the capacity of IEEE 802.11-operated wireless local area networks (WLANs) for both transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) traffic. In MFS each node estimates the current network status by keeping track of the number of collisions it encounters between its two consecutive successful frame transmissions, and computes accordingly the current network utilization. The result is then used to determine a scheduling delay to be introduced before a node attempts to transmit its pending frame. MFS does not require any change in IEEE 802.11, but instead lays a thin layer between the LL and medium access control (MAC) layers. In order to accurately calculate the current utilization in WLANs, we develop an analytical model that characterizes data transmission activities in IEEE 802.11-operated WLANs with/without the request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) mechanism, and validate the model with ns-2 simulation. All the control overhead incurred in the physical and MAC layers, as well as system parameters specified in IEEE 802.11, are figured in. We conduct a comprehensive simulation study to evaluate MFS in perspective of the number of collisions, achievable throughput, intertransmission delay, and fairness in the cases of TCP and UDP traffic. The simulation results indicate that the performance improvement with respect to the protocol capacity in a WLAN of up to 300 nodes is 1) as high as 20% with the RTS/CTS and 70% without the RTS/CTS in the case of UDP traffic and 2) as high as 10% with the RTS/CTS and 40% without the RTS/CTS in the case of TCP traffic. Moreover, the intertransmission delay in MFS is smaller and exhibits less variation than that in IEEE 802.11; the fairness among wireless nodes in MFS is better than, or equal to, that in IEEE 802.11.
Human Cytomegalovirus US2 Causes Similar Effects on Both Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I and II Proteins in Epithelial and Glial Cells

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein US2 specifically binds to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I heavy chain (HC) and class II proteins DRα and DMα, triggering their degradation by proteasomes. Effects of US2 on class II proteins were originally characterized in HCMV- or adenovirus vector-infected U373 astroglioma cells. Here, we have extended characterization of US2-mediated degradation of class II DRα to two other cell lines, including biologically relevant epithelial cells. Comparison of the effects of US2 in cells expressing both class I and II proteins demonstrated only a slight preference for class I HC. Moreover, US2 caused degradation of DRα and DMα when these proteins were expressed by transfection without DRβ, invariant chain (Ii), or DMβ. Therefore, US2 binds to α chains of DR and DM and triggers endoplasmic reticulum degradation without formation of class II DR αβ/Ii or DM αβ complexes. Similar levels of degradation of class II α were observed in cells expressing vastly different amounts of class II, suggesting that cellular factors, other than class II, were limiting. We concluded that US2 has broad effects in a variety of cells that express both class I and II proteins and is relevant to HCMV infection in vivo.
Collaborative study for the evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays used to measure human antibodies to Bordetella pertussis antigens.

Acellular pertussis vaccines are being evaluated in multiple clinical studies, and human immunogenicity data will likely be pivotal in the appraisal of vaccine responses between populations and the responses to different vaccine combinations. Antibody response to pertussis antigens is also used in the diagnosis of pertussis. An international study was designed to assess the comparability of data generated in different laboratories by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Thirty-three participating laboratories were asked to quantitate specific antibody to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), pertactin (PRN), or fimbrial proteins (FIM) in 21 samples. Samples were to be assayed in triplicate in five independent assays by each ELISA routinely performed in the laboratory to assess intra-assay, interassay, and population variability. The mean sample values were used to compare quantitative results among the laboratories. Thirteen of the 32 laboratories which submitted evaluable data for an assay to measure antibodies to PT, 12 of 30 laboratories with assays for FHA, 10 of 17 laboratories with assays for PRN, and 6 of 13 laboratories with assays for FIM maintained a coefficient of variation below 20% for 75% of the samples tested. Assays that measure antibodies to FIM appear to be less precise than the other assays. Precision varied among laboratories that used similar methods. The relative values of intra- and interassay variabilities were not consistent for a given assay within a laboratory, indicating that the sources of these variability components may be unrelated. Precision and agreement appeared less reliable for samples with low antibody levels. Ranking and regression analyses suggest that some laboratories generated comparable quantitative results, although direct comparison or combination of results from different laboratories remains difficult to support. Calibration to the U.S. Reference Pertussis Antisera appears to have been successful at standardizing the results in some laboratories. Statistical analyses are affected by assay precision and are not necessarily reliable sole predictors of biologically relevant differences in quantitative results. If results from different laboratories must be compared, appropriate studies of precision and quantitative agreement should be conducted to support the specific comparisons.
Delay and Power Optimization in VLSI Circuits

The problem of optimally sizing the transistors in a digital MOS VLSI circuit is examined. Macro-models are developed and new theorems on the optimal sizing of the transistors in a critical path are presented. The results of a design automation procedure to perform the optimization is discussed.
Textile Knowledge for Merchandising Professionals: Significance for Pedagogy in Clothing and Textiles

Designed to explore ways in which undergraduate textile education could be strengthened, this study assessed perceived security with and importance of textile knowledge of merchandising graduates w...
Clinical Reactogenicity of Intradermal Bacille Calmette-Guérin Vaccination

Clinical, microbiological, and immunologic responses were evaluated in volunteers vaccinated intradermally with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Most volunteers (98%) developed ulcerative lesions that drained for a mean +/- SE of 4.3 +/- 0.29 weeks. Mycobacterial DNA was detected by a polymerase chain reaction-based amplification technique in biopsy specimens from BCG ulcers 2 weeks after vaccination and in blood specimens 3 days after vaccination. Mycobacteria were cultured from ulcer drainage 2 months after vaccination, demonstrating a prolonged potential risk of contact spread of the vaccine strain. The duration of ulcer drainage was inversely correlated with prevaccination lymphoproliferative (r = -0.515; P < .002) and interferon gamma (r = -0.841; P < .002) responses specific to mycobacteria and directly correlated with postvaccination increases in lymphoproliferative (r = 0.498; P < .002) and interferon gamma (r = 0.688; P < .02) responses specific to mycobacteria. These results demonstrate the clinical reactogenicity of BCG and the potential risk of contact spread of the vaccine strain and suggest that clinical reactogenicity is a trade-off for the induction of protective mycobacterial immunity.
A 1-V low phase noise multi-band CMOS voltage controlled oscillator with switched inductors and capacitors

A low voltage multi-band all PMOS VCO was fabricated in a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process. By using a combination of inductor and capacitor switching, four band (2.4, 2.5, 4.7 and 5 GHz) operation was realized in a single VCO. The VCO with 1-V power supply has phase noises at 1-MHz offset of -126 dBc/Hz at 4.7 GHz and -134 dBc/Hz at 2.4 GHz, respectively. It has the lowest phase noise among the CMOS VCOs presented to date in all the bands. The VCO consumes 4.6 mW for 2.4 and 2.5 GHz, and 6 mW for 4.7 and 5 GHz operations, respectively.
Ammonia in positively charged pre-nucleation clusters: a quantum-chemical study and atmospheric implications

Abstract. The quantum-chemical treatment of pre-nucleation clusters consisting of atmospheric nucleation precursors is critically important for the understanding of the molecular nature of atmospheric nucleation. In the present study, the influence of ammonia on the thermochemical stability of positively charged pre-nucleation clusters has been studied using the Density Functional Theory (DFT). The formation of binary (NH4+)(H2O)n and ternary (NH4+)(H2SO4)(H2O)n ionic clusters and the conversion of (H3O+)(H2O)n−1 into (NH4+)(H2O)n and (H3O+) (H2SO4)(H2O)n−1 into (NH4+)(H2SO4)(H2O)n have been investigated. The thermochemical analysis carried out in the present study shows both (H3O+)(H2O)n−1→(NH4+) (H2O)n and (H2SO4)(H3O+)(H2O)n−1→(NH4+)(H2SO4) (H2O)n transformations to be favorable thermodynamically and gives us a clear indication of the important role of ammonia in the conversion of positively charged clusters containing hydronium (H3O+) into those containing protonated ammonia. Under typical continental boundary layer condition, a large fraction of small positive ions may contain ammonia, but most of neutral and negative hydrated sulfuric acid monomers do not contain ammonia. In term of absolute concentrations, around 1000 cm−3 out of 107 cm−3 of sulfuric acid momoners contain ammonia. (NH4)+(H2O)n clusters appear to dominate the concentrations of small positive ions. Because of the weak affinity of sulfuric acid molecules to (H3O+)(H2O)n and (NH4+)(H2O)n ions (n≤6), the concentrations of both ammoniated and un-ammoniated sulfuric acid water proton clusters are quite low. The atmospheric implications of the obtained results are discussed.
INACTIVATION OF ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7 BY THE COMBINATION OF ORGANIC ACIDS AND PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by pulsed electric field, benzoic or sorbic acid, alone or in combination was investigated. When the cells of E. coli O157:H7 were suspended in 10% glycerol and treated with a single high-voltage (12. 5 kv/cm) electric pulse at 25C, the count decreased by 1.1-1.6 log 10 CFU/mL. Presence of benzoic and sorbic acid (1000 ppm) in the suspending medium, at pH 3.4 without electric treatment, decreased the count by 1.9-2.5 and 0.6-1.1 log, respectively. A synergistic killing effect between the high electric pulse and organic acid was observed at pH 3.4, but not at pH 6.4. When the cell suspension of E. coli O157:H7 was treated with five electric pulses in the presence of benzoic or sorbic acid at pH 3.4, the count decreased by 5.6 and 4.2 logs, respectively. Inactivation of the pathogen by combinations of electric pulse and organic acid was enhanced by an increase in temperature, field strength, and number of electric pulses. Inactivation was greater when the cells were suspended in ionic suspending media (0.1 % NaCl or 5mM phosphate buffer) than in nonionic media (10% glycerol or 1% sucrose).
Interactive effects of OPRM1 and DAT1 genetic variation on subjective responses to alcohol.

Aims: Subjective response to alcohol represents a marker of alcoholism risk. The A118G single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the mu opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene has been associated with subjective response to alcohol. Recently, the dopamine trans- porter (DAT1) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR; SLC6A3) has been found to interact with the OPRM1 A118G SNP in predict- ing neural and behavioral responses to naltrexone and to alcohol. This exploratory study examines the OPRM1× DAT1 interaction on subjective responses to alcohol. Methods: Non-treatment-seeking problem drinkers (n= 295) were assessed in the laboratory for alcohol dependence. Following prospective genotyping for the OPRM1 gene, 43 alcohol-dependent individuals were randomized to two intravenous infusion sessions, one of alcohol (target BrAC = 0.06 g/dl) and one of saline. Measures of subjective responses to alcohol were administered in both infusion sessions. Results: Analyses revealed significant Alcohol × OPRM1× DAT1 interactions for alcohol-induced stimulation, vigor and positive mood as well as significant Alcohol × OPRM1 × DAT1 × Time interactions for stimula- tion and positive mood. These effects were such that, compared with other genotype groups, OPRM1 G-allele carriers + DAT1 A10 homozygotes reported steeper increases in stimulation and positive mood across rising BrAC, when compared with placebo. All Alcohol ×OPRM1 × DAT1 interactions remained significant when analyses were restricted to a subsample of Caucasian participants (n= 34); however, 4-way interactions did not reach statistical significance in this subsample. Conclusions: This study suggests that the contribution of OPRM1 genotype to alcohol-induced stimulation, vigor and positive mood is moderated by DAT1 genotype. These find- ings are consistent with the purported interaction between opioidergic and dopaminergic systems in determining the reinforcing proper- ties of alcohol.
Structural Insights into the Role of Architectural Proteins in DNA Looping Deduced from Computer Simulations

Bacterial gene expression is regulated by DNA elements that often lie far apart along the genomic sequence, but come close together during genetic processing. The intervening residues form loops, which are organized by the binding of various proteins. For example, the Escherichia coli Lac repressor protein binds DNA operators, separated by 92 or 401 bp, and suppresses the formation of gene products involved in the metabolism of lactose. The system also includes several highly abundant architectural proteins, such as the histone-like (heat-unstable) HU protein, which severely deform the double helix upon binding. In order to gain a better understanding of how the naturally stiff DNA double helix forms the short loops detected in vivo, we have developed new computational methods to study the effects of various non-specific binding proteins on the three-dimensional configurational properties of DNA sequences. The present article surveys the approach that we use to generate ensembles of spatially constrained protein-decorated DNA structures (minicircles and Lac repressor-mediated loops) and presents some of the insights gained from the correspondence between computation and experiment about the potential contributions of architectural and regulatory proteins to DNA looping and gene expression.
The continuous twelve-hour nocturnal gastric secretion in normal individuals and in patients with duodenal ulcer after a 24-hour fast.

A recent studyl. 2 demonstrated that the volume, concentration and output of acid in the nocturnal gastric secretion are usually higher in patients with duodenal ulcer than in normal healthy individuals. Several observers have suggested that the test meal given at 5:30 P.M. in this study, although low in protein and carbohydrate, may be a contributing factor in causing the hypersecretion in duodenal ulcer patients. This opinion is based on the assumption that patients with duodenal ulcer have a greater secretory response to the same stimulus than normal individuals. It seemed desirable, therefore, to measure the continuous nocturnal gastric secretion after a fast of one day in a group of normal individuals and patients with duodenal ulcer.
InformationTechnology Strategies For Small Businesses

The increasing emphasis on competitiveness in small business has lead to new emphasis on the competitive promise of information technology (IT). This paper discusses the unique characteristics of IT for small business and presents a strategic approach that will effectively integrate all the IT functions into the small business.
Chlorinated Benzenes (other than dichlorobenzenes)

Chlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene are included in this category. The 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-dichlorobenzenes are listed under the heading “dichlorobenzenes” (q.v.).
In vitro and clinical evaluation of SIG1273: a cosmetic functional ingredient with a broad spectrum of anti-aging and antioxidant activities.

SummaryBackground Isoprenylcysteine (IPC) small molecules were identified as a new class of anti-inflammatory compounds over 20 years ago. Since then, they have been developed as novel cosmetic functional ingredients (CFI) and topical drug candidates. SIG1273 is a second generation CFI that has previously been shown to provide a broad spectrum of benefits for the skin through its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Objective To determine whether SIG1273 possesses anti-aging properties in vitro and evaluate the tolerability and activity of SIG1273 when applied topically to human subjects. Methods To model photoaging in vitro, human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) were exposed in culture to UVA to induce collagenase (MMP-1) production. An in vitro wound-healing model was based on the activation of HDF migration into cell-free tissue culture surface. Hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress was performed using HDFs to measure intracellular ROS activity. Radical scavenging capacity was determined using a colorimetric antioxidant assay kit (ABTS method). Lastly, a 4-week, 29-subject study was performed in which SIG1273 was applied topically as a cream to assess its tolerance and activity in reducing the appearance of aging. Results In vitro studies demonstrate SIG1273 inhibits UVA-induced MMP-1 production, hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress and promotes wound healing. Moreover, SIG1273 was shown to be a radical scavenging antioxidant. Clinical assessment of SIG1273 cream (0.25%) showed it was well tolerated with significant improvement in the appearance of fine lines, coarse wrinkles, radiance/luminosity, pore size, texture/smoothness, hydration and increased firmness. Conclusions SIG1273 represents a novel CFI with antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory properties that when applied topically is well tolerated and provides benefits to individuals with aging skin.
Large-scale networks in learning analyzed with partial least squares

The development of the ability to express learned behavior during the postnatal period is presumably related to maturational changes in the recruitment of particular neural systems to guide the behavior. By assessing brain functional activity during transitional periods of behavioral development, we may gain valuable insight into when particular neural systems come on-line and impact behavior. These issues were investigated by applying Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis to metabolic mapping data obtained from developing rats. Preweanling rat pups aged postnatal day 12 (P12) and P17 were trained on two different instrumental reward schedules, injected with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), and then shifted to continuous nonreward (extinction). Behavior during extinction varied with training in P17 pups but not P12 pups. In the first application of PLS, an analysis analogous to a traditional univariate means analysis was performed to identify large scale networks, within 39 regions of interest, either commonly activated across groups or which differentiated groups. A second application of PLS was used to identify dominant patterns of covariances between regions (i.e. functional connectivity) that distinguished training and age groups.
Private Choices, Public Consequences: Examining Public Education Reform Through a Feminist Lens

Using the Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris as a focal point, this article examines the meaning of private choice in public education reform. In Zelman, the Court addressed the validity of the Cleveland city schools' voucher program, which provided public money for students to attend private parochial schools. The Court concluded that because the program gave parents a "true private choice" it did not run afoul of the Establishment Clause. This article submits that the subtext of the decision, however, suggests that the Justices were influenced by the abysmal condition of the Cleveland schools and were reluctant to tie the hands of public officials seeking to remedy the shortcomings of a system that had failed primarily poor students of color. The article foregrounds this concern and applies critical feminist theory to interrogate the meaning of choice in this context. In this connection, the article examines the events that lead to enactment of the voucher program at issue in Zelman: specifically, three decades of school desegregation litigation characterized by state "recalcitrance," "hostility" and "reckless maladministration," in the words of the district court. The article concludes that the crisis precipitating enactment of the voucher program was a crisis of the state's own making. In this regard, the article posits, the voucher program entrenched historic and ongoing racial subordination in the school system, and in so doing, failed to provide meaningful, nondiscriminatory choices to parents, as understood by critical feminist theory.
Bipolar Current Mirrors

Current mirrors find endless uses not only in biasing applications of low to moderate accuracy, where their high output impedance makes them valuable as good approximations to ideal current sources. More complex mirrors provide special capabilities, such as high accuracy over many decades of current, exceptionally high output resistance, very low or high transfer ratios, and so on.
Optimizing matching and analysis combinations for estimating causal effects

Matching methods are common in studies across many disciplines. However, there is limited evidence on how to optimally combine matching with subsequent analysis approaches to minimize bias and maximize efficiency for the quantity of interest. We conducted simulations to compare the performance of a wide variety of matching methods and analysis approaches in terms of bias, variance, and mean squared error (MSE). We then compared these approaches in an applied example of an employment training program. The results indicate that combining full matching with double robust analysis performed best in both the simulations and the applied example, particularly when combined with machine learning estimation methods. To reduce bias, current guidelines advise researchers to select the technique with the best post-matching covariate balance, but this work finds that such an approach does not always minimize mean squared error (MSE). These findings have important implications for future research utilizing matching. To minimize MSE, investigators should consider additional diagnostics, and use of simulations tailored to the study of interest to identify the optimal matching and analysis combination.
Consequences of Oxygen-Vacancy Correlations at the SrTiO 3 Interface

The Kondo effect and ferromagnetism are the two many-body phenomena that emerge at the ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ interfaces with polar materials, but do not occur in bulk ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$. By regarding the oxygen vacancy (OV) in ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ as a magnetic impurity, we show that these two interface-specific phenomena can be attributed to the vacancies residing in the top ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ plane of ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$. We identify three crucial ingredients: the local orbital mixing caused by an OV, reduced symmetry at the interface, and a strong in-plane stray electric field of the polar material. All three factors combine to result in the coupling between the impurity and conduction band at the interface, and can lead to both emergent phenomena. An OV-based Anderson impurity model is derived and solved using the numerical renormalization group method. The Kondo and Curie temperatures are estimated. Several experiments are discussed based on this interpretation.
Puffery and Magazine AD Readership

The purpose of this study was to determine whether magazine automobile ads containing puffery produced higher Starch readership scores than ads not containing puffery. Overall, statistical analysis...
The ethnographic state: France and the invention of Moroccan Islam

In this book, Burke sets to study ‘the invention of Moroccan Islam’ through the history of French scholarly practices, first from 1900 to 1912 and then from 1912 with the establishment of the Prote...
General situation for the hazards,control and evaluation standard system of PM 10 and PM 2.5

Particulate matters in the atmosphere can be divided into coarse inhalable particulate(PM 10) and fine inhalable particulate(PM 2.5) according to its aerodynamic diameter.PM 2.5,which is also called lung-enterable particles,is more harmful to human health.There is a close relationship between the fatality rate and the concentration of PM 2.5,which can enter lung alveoli directly,and even blood system,may lead to toxication disease in angiocarpy system.PM 10 and PM 2.5 may affect the weather or climate,such as decrease the visibility of atmosphere,reduce the sunshine,change the temperature or hydrometeor,whichever is quite harmful.So it is necessary to monitor and control the PM 10 and PM 2.5.Through analysis,it is found that the source construction of particulate is very complex,while the sources of PM 2.5 in our country mainly include fuel(mainly coal) combustion and vehicle's exhaust gas.In order to control concentration of PM 10 and PM 2.5,it demands the cooperation of many departments,and the strong control of the pollution source.At present,the weight method mainly is used to measure PM 10 and PM 2.5concentration in domestic institutions.The Ambient Air Quality Standard(2012 edition) appended the permit value for PM 2.5,although still lack for complete theory or plenty of actual measurement data.Hence more research for the Ambient Air Quality Standard System is very valuable and essential to provide enough information for civil atmosphere quality control.
Optimal Design of Eccentric Magnetic Pole for Permannent Magnet Drive

A permanent magnet drive( PMD) with eccentric magnetic pole was designed. The sample space was built by 3D finite element simulation,and a nonlinear regression model of the PMD was developed using the least squares support vector machine( LSSVM). Based on the model,the minimal eddy current loss and maximal output torque were selected as optimal objectives. The optimal parameters of the PMD were then derived through particle swarm optimization( PSO) searching. The results show that the parameter optimization method based on LSSVM and PSO algorithms is feasible by comparing the radial magnetic flux and eddy current densities of the improved PMD with that of the intrinsic one. The improved structure of the eccentric magnetic pole optimizes eddy current path and reduces stray current,thus increases the work efficiency.
The role of the kidney in the production of the erythropoietic factor.

The role of the kidney in production of erythropoietin was investigated. Dogs were made anemic by phlebotomy and were then subjected to bilateral nephrectomy, ureter ligation or ureter section. Erythropoietic stimulating activity in the dog plasma was judged by measuring the incorporation of Fe59 into the red cells of starved rats. No erythropoietic activity could be found in the dog plasma 24 and 48 hours after nephrectomy, but erythropoietic activity was found after ligation of the ureters.
Chapter 12 – Module and Bit-Slice Devices

Publisher Summary In this chapter, devices such as shift registers and counters are considered. Registers and counters constitute two very important classes of finite state machines (FSMs) that are functionally different, and that are commonly used as stand-alone devices, as data path devices in a controlled system and as memory devices in controller design. Registers are used in a wide variety of digital systems. They are used in the temporary storage of binary data, in data transmission, in arithmetic operations, in counter design, in accumulators, and in a host of other specialized applications. Registers are even used as memory elements in FSM design.
The Induction of Reproductive Development by Environment

One of the most intriguing steps in morphogenesis is the formation of the flower, cone, or other reproductive structure. There are many aspects to the problem. First, does reproductive development occur in response to some change in the external environment? The answer for many species is an unqualified “yes”. Second, what are the events that take place within the plant that translate some environmental change into a redirection of growth? If the response is to light, what chemical factors inform the plant of whether the lights are on or off? If flowering comes about in response to hormonal changes, what are these hormones and how are they synthesized? Third, what is reproductive differentiation? What happens at the meristematic sites when they stop growing vegetatively and become reproductive?
Conclusion: The Inauguration of New Delhi, 1931 — A British Empire for the Twentieth Century

The meaning of imperial Delhi reached both its fullest expression as well as its fullest contradiction in February 1931, when the new capital was opened to the world in an inauguration that lasted a week. From the city’s earliest beginnings in 1911, the capital was meant to be much more than a place to do the work of the imperial government. It was destined to be a crowning achievement in colonial architecture and colonial town planning, a capital worthy of the British Empire. ‘Consummated’ on what Edwin Montagu, Undersecretary of State for India, called ‘virgin soil’, New Delhi’s precise location, its structures, its design, its rigorously controlled road grid, its monuments commemorating important imperial persons and events were artfully combined to make the capital a new temple of empire.1 New Delhi was meant to be the quintessential statement of what British imperial rule had meant and continued to mean for Britain and for India.
A parallel processing scheme for high-speed implementation of turbo codes

An important characteristic of turbo codes is the iterative nature of their decoder. One of the factors in determining the performance of turbo decoder is the number of iterations that is used for decoding each input sequence (frame). Using more iterations means decoding more sequences correctly. For example a decoder with 6 iterations per frame is not capable of decoding sequences that may be corrected in 7, 8 or more iterations. On the other hand, in practice, increasing the number of iterations increases the decoding delay, hence, reducing the decoder throughput. So, we have turbo decoders with limited capability and fixed number of iterations. This project proposes a parallel processing scheme to increase the performance and/or the throughput of turbo decoders.
Ensembles in medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex construct cognitive maps emphasizing different features of the behavioral landscape

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has long been implicated in the ability to use the current value of expected outcomes to guide behavior. More recently, this specific role has been conceptualized as a special case of a more general function that OFC plays in constructing a "cognitive map" of the behavioral task space by labeling the current task state and learning relationships among task states. Here, we have used single unit recording data from 2 prior studies to examine whether and how information relating different states within and across trials is represented in medial versus lateral OFC in rats. Using a hierarchical clustering analysis, we examined how neurons from each area represented information about differently valued trial types, defined by the cue-outcome pairings, versus how those same neurons represented information about similar epochs between these different trial types, such as the stimulus sample, delay, and reward consumption epochs. This analysis revealed that ensembles in the lateral OFC (lOFC) group states according to trial epoch, whereas those in the medial OFC (mOFC) organize the same states by trial type. These results suggest that the lOFC and mOFC construct cognitive maps that emphasize different features of the behavioral landscape, with lOFC tracking events based on local similarities, irrespective of their values and mOFC tracking more distal or higher order relationships relevant to value. (PsycINFO Database Record
A deterministic guide for material and mode dependence of on-chip electro-optic modulator performance

Abstract Electro-optic modulation is a key function in optical data communication and possible future optical computing engines. The performance of modulators intricately depends on the interaction between the actively modulated material and the propagating waveguide mode. While high-performing modulators were demonstrated before, the approaches were taken as ad-hoc. Here we show the first systematic investigation to incorporate a holistic analysis for high-performance and ultra-compact electro-optic modulators on-chip. We show that intricate interplay between active modulation material and optical mode plays a key role in the device operation. Based on physical tradeoffs such as index modulation, loss, optical confinement factors and slow-light effects, we find that bias-material-mode regions exist where high phase modulation and high loss (absorption) modulation is found. This work paves the way for a holistic design rule of electro-optic modulators for on-chip integration.
Geographic Diffusion and Implementation of Acute Care Surgery: An Uneven Solution to the National Emergency General Surgery Crisis.

Importance Owing to lack of adequate emergency care infrastructure and decline in general surgery workforce, the United States faces a crisis in access to emergency general surgery (EGS) care. Acute care surgery (ACS), an organized system of trauma, general surgery, and critical care, is a proposed solution; however, ACS diffusion remains poorly understood. Objective To investigate geographic diffusion of ACS models of care and characterize the communities in which ACS implementation is lagging. Design, Setting, and Participants A national survey on EGS practices was developed, tested, and administered at all 2811 US acute care hospitals providing EGS to adults between August 2015 and October 2015. Surgeons responsible for EGS coverage at these hospitals were approached. If these surgeons failed to respond to the initial survey implementation, secondary surgeons or chief medical officers at hospitals with only 1 general surgeon were approached. Interventions Survey responses on ACS implementation were linked with geocoded hospital data and national census data to determine geographic diffusion of and access to ACS. Main Outcomes and Measures We measured the distribution of hospitals with ACS models of care vs those without over time (diffusion) and by US counties characterized by sociodemographic characteristics of county residents (access). Results Survey response rate was 60% (n = 1690); 272 responding hospitals had implemented ACS by 2015, steadily increasing from 34 in 2001 to 125 in 2010. Acute care surgery implementation has not been uniform. Rural regions have limited ACS access, with hospitals in counties with greater than the 75th percentile population having 5.4 times higher odds (95% CI, 1.66-7.35) of implementing ACS than hospitals in counties with less than 25th percentile population. Communities with greater percentages of adults without a college degree also have limited ACS access (OR, 3.43; 95% CI, 1.81-6.48). However, incorporating EGS into ACS models may be a potential equalizer for poor, black, and Hispanic communities. Conclusions and Relevance Understanding and addressing gaps in ACS implementation across communities will be crucial to ensuring health equity for US residents experiencing general surgery emergencies.
Atlas Container Corporation: A Corporate Democracy

Atlas Container Corporation operated in an extremely competitive industry that was consolidating. The 2008 Great Recession dramatically impacted the industry and its customers. To survive, Atlas changed from an external to an internal growth strategy. The smoothness of the transition could at least be partially attributed to a set of internal strategies that were unusual for a commodity/cost- driven industry. They included democratic governance and employee ownership. In 2014, it reported record profits. As it entered 2015, Atlas was considering strategic options for its continued growth.
Early return to baseline range of motion and strength after anterior shoulder instability surgery: a Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) shoulder group cohort study.

Background Patients often return to higher-level activities and sports at 4 to 8 months after anterior shoulder stabilization procedures. It is unknown what percentage of patients have regained normal function at this time frame and what factors predict residual deficits, range of motion (ROM), and strength after anterior shoulder instability surgery. Methods Ten participating sites throughout the United States enrolled patients in a prospective cohort study including primary, revision, arthroscopic, and open anterior stabilization procedures. Baseline demographic data and patient outcomes questionnaires were collected with initial physical examination, treatment, surgical findings, and surgical repair details. At the 6-month follow-up visit, ROM and strength measurements were collected and compared with preoperative measurements. Results There were 348 patients identified who underwent surgical treatment for anterior shoulder instability. Of these, 259 patients (74.0%) returned to baseline, and 89 (26.0%) did not return to baseline shoulder ROM (≥20° loss of ROM) or strength. A higher Beighton score (P = .01) and number of dislocations (P Conclusions By 4 to 8 months postoperatively, 76% of patients return to baseline ROM, 98% return to baseline strength, and 74% return to both baseline ROM and strength. An increased number of dislocations and generalized joint laxity were associated with failure to return to baseline ROM and strength at early follow-up after anterior shoulder instability surgery.
Easing the Violence: Transgressing Heteronormativity in Educational Administration:

The overwhelming heteronormativity presumed in the field of educational administration poses challenges for both scholars and practitioners who strive to transgress the societal expectations that constrain the expression of sexually diverse populations. In this article, I use a combination of autobiographical data and information gathered through personal interviews to examine multiple ways in which the normalization of sexuality might be interrogated. I argue that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered faculty and administrators can more effectively contravene the normalizing practices of heterosexism by refusing to remain silent about issues of sexuality. Additionally, I include implications for practicing researchers and administrators who are seeking to challenge heterosexist norms.
Human Practice Centered Design : Service Designing Practice Transition - Community Supported Agriculture as a Case Study

Designers study human behavior in order to create products and services that respond to human needs. However design also works to support the emergence of different ways of living, beyond the needs or desires uncovered with more traditional human centered design research approaches. This project takes an approach to understanding human behavior that is relatively unexplored in the field of design. Using social practices I explored new ways for designers to model human behavior. I extended the use of social practice models into the space of service design, exploring a new kind of tool and approach to help designers create services that develop and support social practices. I used Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) —a system where community members buy shares from a group of local farmers in exchange for weekly produce—as a case study for testing these new approaches.
Genetic alterations in human tumors

At the level of the cell, cancer is essentially a genetic disease. Studies from multiple disciplines, including molecular biology, somatic cell genetics, genetic epidemiology, tumor virology, chemical carcinogenesis, and others, have converged over the last few decades to provide many fundamental insights into the genetic basis of cancer. These studies have shown that the genesis of malignant tumors is dependent on the accumulation of a series of DNA alterations that generally occur somatically, but can also be inherited in the germ line. These alterations have a cumulative effect on many important cellular processes that become dysfunctional in cancers, including growth control, differentiation, and interactions of the affected cell with its microenvironment.
Dynamics of the Passage of the Who Code

The report of the WHO-UNICEF meeting was followed by a WHA resolution in May 1980.1The 33rd WHA resolution #33.32 requested the director-general “to prepare the draft code and submit it to the current [67th] session of the Executive Board with a view to its communication to the Thirty-Fourth World Health Assembly together with proposals for application either as a regulation in the sense of Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution or in the form of a recommendation under Article 23, and indicating the legal and other consequences of each choice.”2The resolution in support of the code formulation was unanimous. The passage of the WHA resolution 33.32 and the activities of the U.S. delegation expressed serious concerns about the WHO decision-making process as envisaged in the resolution 33.32. It also showed internal confusion and a lack of clear-cut vision within the U.S. government as to its position with regard to WHO and the infant formula code. Furthermore, this internal confusion — and cross-purposeness between the political and departmental operatives — would persist through the time of the ultimate passage of the code at the WHA’s 34th assembly and expose the U.S. government to worldwide criticism for its negative vote on the code.
Principles of Dual Fusion Detection

We describe a new approach to solving binary composite hypothesis testing problems and prove its equivalence to a constrained form of clairvoyant fusion. The constraint resolves an abiding theoretical conundrum: the non-commutativity of the fusion order. We then illustrate use of the new constraint by addressing a common limitation in image-based spectral detection, false alarms caused by outliers.
BRS/Saunders Colleague: reaching the critical mass after the explosion

«Colleague» est un systeme d'information biomedicale commercialise par BRS. Cet article presente les choix faits quant au contenu de la base de donnees, le logiciel de recherche, la formation des utilisateurs et la politique tarifaire
A Comparison of Transesophageal to Transthoracic Echocardiographic Measures of Right Ventricular Function.

Abstract Objective To assess the concordance between transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measures of right ventricular (RV) function by standard two-dimensional and Doppler methods. We hypothesized that there would be significant disagreement in tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), fractional area change (FAC), right-sided index of myocardial performance (RIMP), and tricuspid annular systolic velocity (S`). Design Prospective observational Setting Cardiac operating room at a single academic medical center Participants All adult patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery at a single tertiary care academic medical center over the course of six months. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results We measured fractional area change, tricuspid annular systolic velocity, tricuspid annular systolic plane excursion, right-sided index of myocardial performance and tricuspid annular diameter by transesophageal echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography. We assessed for concordance by concordance correlation coefficient and paired t-tests, including 95% confidence limits. We found that quantitative measures of right ventricular function by transesophageal echocardiography correlate poorly with transthoracic echocardiography measurements in close temporal proximity under similar hemodynamic conditions. Conclusions When performing an assessment of RV function, transesophageal echocardiographers should exercise caution when extrapolating data validated by TTE to transesophageal studies. Measures of right ventricular function by TEE tend to have fair agreement to TTE measurements obtained in close temporal proximity under similar hemodynamic conditions. Most importantly, our study showed that TAPSE and S` values obtained from the modified transgastric RV inflow view tend to have lower values than those measured by TTE. Given the propensity for underestimating measurements from the modified transgastric RV inflow view, we conclude that values equal to or greater than established norms for tricuspid annular motion may be utilized to establish normal, but not abnormal, RV function.
Parking Lot Monitoring using MRCNN

During peak hours, finding a parking spot is challenging particularly in urban areas. This remains a big issue as such areas are densely populated and there are limited parking spaces available. People rush to work and meetings during busy hours but they have to drive to multiple parking lots hoping that they will get lucky in occupying a spot successfully. Driving around still does not guarantee them a parking spot and they waste their time in blindly looking for one. There is a need to find solution to this problem. In an effort to provide solution to this problem, this study has been conducted. The purpose of this study is to introduce a car parking locating system using MRCNN (Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks) to find available parking spaces effectively. The system provides a way to find the parking through MRCNN without the need to look for the parking manually. This addresses current parking issues where drivers need to spend significant time looking for the parking without any guarantee for success. MRCNN signals the free parking spots which can be occupied by the drivers.