cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calix[4]pyrrole as a chloride anion receptor: solvent and countercation effects.

The interaction of calixpyrrole with several chloride salts has been studied in the solid state by X-ray crystallography as well as in solution by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and 1H NMR spectroscopic titrations. The titration results in dimethylsulfoxide, acetonitrile, nitromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, and dichloromethane, carried out using various chloride salts, specifically tetraethylammonium (TEA), tetrapropylammonium (TPA), tetrabutylammonium (TBA), tetraethylphosphonium (TEP), tetrabutylphosphonium (TBP), and tetraphenylphosphonium (TPhP), showed no dependence on method of measurement. The resulting affinity constants (Ka), on the other hand, were found to be highly dependent on the choice of solvent with Ka's ranging from 102−105 M-1 being recorded in the test solvents used for this study. In dichloromethane, a strong dependence on the countercation was also seen, with the Ka's for the interaction with chloride ranging from 102−104 M-1. In the case of TPA, TBA, and TBP, the ITC data coul...
Design of active-neutron fuel rod scanner

Abstract An active-neutron fuel rod scanner has been designed for the assay of fissile materials in mixed oxide fuel rods. A 252 Cf source is located at the center of the scanner very near the through hole for the fuel rods. Spontaneous fission neutrons from the californium are moderated and induce fissions within the passing fuel rod. The rod continues past a combined gamma-ray and neutron shield where delayed gamma rays above 1 MeV are detected. We used the Monte Carlo code MCNP to design the scanner and review optimum materials and geometries. An inhomogeneous beryllium, graphite, and polyethylene moderator has been designed that uses source neutrons much more efficiently than assay systems using polyethylene moderators. Layers of borated polyethylene and tungsten are used to shield the detectors. Large NaI(Tl) detectors were selected to measure the delayed gamma rays. The enrichment zones of a thermal reactor fuel pin could be measured to within 1% counting statistics for practical rod speeds. Applications of the rod scanner include accountability of fissile material for safeguards applications, quality control of the fissile content in a fuel rod, and the verification of reactivity potential for mixed oxide fuels.
Patterns and mechanisms of QRS normalization in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Abstract Normalization of QRS complexes in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome reflecting exclusive conduction through the atrioventricular node-His axis was investigated in 17 cases. The study was prompted by the frequent observation of disappearance of delta waves in a variety of circumstances in such cases. The study consisted mainly of recording of His bundle potentials at rest and during spontaneous and induced supraventricular premature beats and tachycardias. Normalization occurred in 11 cases, and the mechanisms followed several patterns. Generally, QRS complexes became normal in the following circumstances: (1) when the accessory path failed to conduct at very high atrial rates and also with very early premature beats; (2) the accessory path became refractory by virtue of phase 4 depolarization after long pauses and in slow rhythm; (3) when the origin of the ventricular impulse was situated within the His bundle below the take-off of the accessory path; and (4) in circumstances in which conduction velocity through the atrioventricular node-His axis superceded that of the accessory path. It is suggested that a thorough understanding of the mechanisms involved in the normalization of QRS in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is essential to the appreciation of the electrophysiologic features of this syndrome.
Power deposition in He from the volumetric 3He(n,p)3H reaction

Calculations are presented in this paper which show the amount of power that can be expected to be deposited in 3He for typical direct nuclear‐pumped (DNP) lasers presently in use. The calculations were performed taking into consideration the cylindrical geometry of the system, the depletion of the thermal flux across the tube cross section, and the energy loss of the protons to the cell walls. If a laser efficiency of 1% is assumed, the results indicate a steady‐state laser output of 12.5 kW from a volume of 152.6 cm3 or 82 W/cm3 can be achieved.
Human immunodeficiency virus-associated adenocarcinoma of the colon: clinicopathologic findings and outcome.

Abstract Background Patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living longer with antiretroviral therapy (ART) are more likely to develop non–AIDS-defining cancers such as adenocarcinoma of the colon. There have been limited case reports regarding HIV-associated colon adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinicopathologic findings and outcome in a series of HIV-infected patients diagnosed and treated for colon adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods A retrospective study involving HIV-related colon adenocarcinoma was performed. Cases were accrued from the personal archives and published case reports. Data regarding demographics, HIV acquisition, ART use, immunosuppression, cancer location, pathology, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. Results A total of 17 patients were identified, including 7 personal cases. Patients were of average age 43 years (range, 25-67 years) and predominantly male (male:female ratio, 14:3). Most carcinomas (57%) involved the right colon, were largely TNM stage 4 cancers (47%), and, when present, metastases were mainly to the liver. Many (47%) individuals died within 1-26 months after their cancer diagnosis. Immunosuppression (AIDS diagnosis and/or CD4+ 3 ) did not appear to correlate with tumor grade, stage, or an adverse outcome. Conclusion These data show that HIV-infected patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon tend to be young men with a high incidence of right-sided involvement. Additional research is needed to determine if screening HIV-infected individuals for colon cancer should include younger patients and involve the entire colon.
Augustine's Ethics of Belief and Avoiding Violence in Religious Disputes

This article is a study of how Augustine's ethics of belief shaped his arguments against unbelief and its legacy in using coercion to settle disputes. After considering the arguments for belief presented by Augustine, the article studies how these were shaped by his understanding of the problem of evil and how the Fall influenced free will. What is noted to be of benefit in Augustine is that he offers arguments in favor of belief, and is convinced that he has shown unbelief to be based on unsound reasoning. By way of contrast, a number of theologians (such as Tertullian, John Calvin, and those under the heading of Reformed Epistemology) are considered who do not believe that arguments are necessary to support belief or reject unbelief. These are contrasted with Augustine and it is argued that they have significant shortcomings in this respect. However, the article concludes that Augustine could have gone farther in supporting the claim that it is clear that God exists, and his own shortcomings have been used to justify coercion in religious belief. If common ground is to be achieved this problem must be corrected and an adequate foundation for clarity must be established.
Solar neutrinos: Radiative corrections in neutrino-electron scattering experiments.

Radiative corrections to the electron recoil-energy spectra and to total cross sections are computed for neutrino-electron scattering by solid neutrinos. Radiative corrections change monotonically the electron recoil spectrum for incident 8B neutrinos, with the relative probability of observing recoil electrons being reduced by about 4% at the highest electron energies. For p-p and 7Be neutrinos, the recoil spectra are not affected significantly. Total cross sections for solar neutrino-electron scattering are reduced by about 2% compared to previously computed values. We also calculate the recoil spectra from 13N and 15O neutrinos including radiative corrections.
Applications of neural networks in manufacturing: a state-of-the-art survey

Artificial intelligence has been claimed to yield revolutionary advances in manufacturing. While most of the survey papers about artificial intelligence in manufacturing have been focused on knowledge-based expert systems, fewer attentions have been paid to neural networks. However, neural networks are able to learn, adapt to changes, and can mimic human thought processes with little human interventions. They could be of great help for the present computer-integrated manufacturing and the future intelligent manufacturing systems. This paper presents a state-of-the-art survey of neural network applications in manufacturing. The objective of this paper is to update information about the applications of neural networks in manufacturing, which will provide some guidelines and references for the research and implementation.
Synchrotron x-ray photoconductor detector arrays made on MBE grown CdTe

We have been fabricating x-ray photoconductor linear array detectors using molecular beam epitaxially (MBE) grown (lll)B undoped CdTe layers on (100) Si substrates. A novel technique was developed to remove the Si and to mount the fragile MBE grown CdTe layers onto insulating ceramic substrates. 256 channel linear photoconductor array devices were fabricated on the resulting CdTe layers. The resistivity of MBE (lll)B CdTe was high (>108 \cm) enough to utilize the material for low energy (8 ~ 25 keV) x-ray detectors. The stability of the detectors are satisfactory, and they were tested at room temperature routinely for over a year. The performance of the photoconductor was greatly improved when the detector was cooled to 230K. Due to its reduced dark current at low temperatures, the dynamic range of the detector response increased to nearly four decades at 230K.
Preventing Chronic Pain following Acute Pain: Risk Factors, Preventive Strategies, and their Efficacy

Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States. The transition from acute to persistent pain is thought to arise from maladaptive neuroplastic mechanisms involving three intertwined processes, peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, and descending modulation. Strategies aimed at preventing persistent pain may target such processes. Models for studying preventive strategies include persistent post-surgical pain (PPP), persistent post-trauma pain (PTP) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Such entities allow a more defined acute onset of tissue injury after which study of the long-term effects is more easily examined. In this review, we examine the pathophysiology, epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment strategies for the prevention of chronic pain using these models. Both pharmacological and interventional approaches are described, as well as a discussion of preventive strategies on the horizon.
Effects of Illustrations on Reading Comprehension of Learning Disabled Students

The effects of illustrations on comprehension were investigated among 32 learning disabled elementary-aged students. Students read an illustrated passage and a non-illustrated passage and answered eight comprehension questions following each passage. Results showed significantly more correct responses to comprehension questions following the non-illustrated passages. Results are discussed in relation to the purported benefits of illustrations. Implications for instruction and suggestions for future research are presented.
Genetic Polymorphisms Spill Their Guts

Human beings are ecosystems; we are colonized by bacteria that are not only not harmful but are even helpful. Commensal bacteria in the gut aid in digesting food and protecting us from pathogens. However, in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the immune system does not treat commensal bacteria as friendly neighbors. Instead, an inappropriate immune response to gut bacteria may contribute to intestinal inflammation and pathogenesis in IBD. Consistent with this, polymorphisms in immune genes such as ICOSLG , as well as receptors such as NOD2 that recognize bacterial products, are commonly found in people with IBD. How these polymorphisms influence the function of the gene to confer increased disease risk remains largely unknown. The receptor encoded by the gene ICOSLG binds to ICOS on T cells and coordinates their activation and function. However, Hedl et al. report that ICOS interactions are not just for T cell stimulation anymore. They noticed that both of these molecules were expressed on human dendritic cells (DCs) in response to stimulation with the bacterial product, muramyl dipeptide (MDP), which is the ligand for NOD2. Homotypic interactions between human DCs expressing ICOSL and ICOS induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β). These cytokines are critical to preventing the unwanted bacterial growth and penetration within the intestine that is often associated with IBD. Most importantly, these investigators demonstrate that DCs isolated from patients with the ICOSLG susceptibility loci expressed lower levels of ICOSL, rendering the DCs unable to secrete IL-1β and identifying a link between a genetic polymorphism and function. These studies offer insight into how this particular polymorphism within ICOSLG could lead to increased IBD: by crippling the immune system’s ability to control intestinal bacteria. Because these studies were performed in cultured human cells, they were unable to directly test whether these polymorphisms cause decreased bacterial killing and worsened IBD. However, future studies in animal models would bridge this gap. IBD is a complex disease that has been linked to dozens of genes in addition to environmental factors, making a single treatment option for all IBD patients impossible. These exciting findings and more like them could lead to the development of personalized therapies for diseases such as IBD, based on the patients genetic predisposition. M. Hedl et al. , Pattern recognition receptor signaling in human dendritic cell is enhanced by ICOS ligand and modulated by the Crohn’s disease ICOSLG risk allele. Immunity 40 , 734–746 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(14)00149-6
The role of the taxanes in the treatment of older patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer.

The treatment of older patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a considerable challenge for physicians. A patient’s suitability for chemotherapy is frequently based solely on chronologic age; as a consequence, older patients with NSCLC are less likely to receive standard chemotherapy than younger patients. Although age-related factors, such as comorbid illness, should be taken into consideration when assessing a patient’s suitability for treatment, fit and functionally independent older patients should be considered candidates for standard chemotherapy. The taxanes are widely used in the treatment of advancedstage NSCLC and are well tolerated in older patients. The efficacy of both paclitaxel and docetaxel has been studied in older patients and appears to be comparable with that seen in younger patients either as monotherapy or in combination with a platinum compound as first-line therapy. In addition to the available evidence, prospective evaluation of novel agents in elderlyspecific or -enriched studies is necessary to guide the treatment of older patients with NSCLC. The Oncologist 2009;14:412–424
Socio-Cognitive Specializations in Nonhuman Primates: Evidence from Gestural Communication

This chapter reviews primate cognitive abilities in physical, social, and communicative realms and asks (1) whether primates exhibit abilities that diff er from those of other animals, and (2) what selective pressures primates face that may have led to the emergence of specifi c cognitive abilities. The authors focus on communication as the most likely realm for primate cognitive specialization and on the gestural communication of great apes as the modality in which primates exhibit the most advanced cognitive abilities. Findings from studies of natural communication systems of both wild and captive primates as well as studies involving communication with human experimenters are presented and discussed. Apes demonstrate fl exibility, learning, and sensitivity to social cues in their gestural communication, but further studies are needed to determine how gestures are acquired and how they are perceived. Studies of comparative development of gestural communication and social cognition have the greatest potential to reveal the cognitive abilities used during gesturing, and they will help to determine whether those abilities are truly specializations for communication.
Investment Bankers’ Culture of Ownership?

We study the executive compensation structure in the largest 14 U.S. financial institutions during 2000-2008. Our results are mostly consistent with and supportive of the findings of Bebchuk, Cohen and Spamann (2010), that is, managerial incentives matter - incentives generated by executive compensation programs led to excessive risk-taking by banks leading to the current financial crisis. Also, our results are generally not supportive of the conclusions of Fahlenbrach and Stulz (2009) that the poor performance of banks during the crisis was the result of unforeseen risk.We recommend the following compensation structure for senior bank executives: Executive incentive compensation should only consist of restricted stock and restricted stock options – restricted in the sense that the executive cannot sell the shares or exercise the options for two to four years after their last day in office. However, managers should be permitted to annually liquidate about 5% to 15% of their ownership positions, but these annual ownership position liquidations should be restricted to an amount of $5 million to $10 million. This compensation structure will provide managers stronger incentives to work in the interests of long-term shareholders, and avoid excessive risk-taking.While our focus here is on banks, corporate board compensation committees of firms in other industries should also give the above executive incentive compensation structure serious consideration. Additionally, we suggest that directors should adopt a similar incentive compensation structure with regard to their own incentive compensation.
An Improved Polar Motion and Earth Rotation Monitoring Service Using Radio Interferometry

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) of the National Ocean Survey (NOS), a component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has begun a project to establish and operate a 3-station network of permanent observatories to monitor polar-motion and Earth rotation (UT1) by radio interferometric observations of quasars. The project designation is POLARIS (POLar-motion Analysis by Radio Interferometric Surveying).
Peer Support and Psychosocial Pain Management Strategies for Children with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

This paper reviews information on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in children. Children with this chronic illness often experience pain related to their condition. They also can experience social isolation. This paper reviews psychosocial information on peer support and cognitive behavioral pain management strategies. The information presented in this paper provides new insights for health professionals assisting children and families in coping with psychological facets of this disease. Research focusing on ways by which peers and friends can support the child's use of psychological pain management strategies will provide new information for the literature.
Manipulation of gravitational waves for communications applications using superconductors

Abstract Previously published calculations claim that gravitational waves propagate inside superconductors with a phase velocity reduction of ∼300 times and a wavenumber increase of ∼300 times. Subsequent claims that this result is not credible appear to be either not tenable or not complete. This result has major consequences for the design of instruments to generate and detect gravitational waves, in particular high-frequency gravitational waves (HFGWs) having wavelengths on the same order as the dimensions of typical superconductive components. It is generally assumed that in free space the velocity of an HFGW is the same as that of light and so the free space wavelength of an HFGW at 3 GHz will be ∼10 cm. Inside a superconductor, the corresponding 3 GHz HFGW wavelength will therefore be ∼300 μm. The present paper will discuss the technical consequences of this surprising result. In particular, such a large mismatch in HFGW propagation impedance inevitably results in large Fresnel reflections from superconductor-air interfaces. This will cause a number of design problems in equipment proposed for HFGW generation and detection. For example, the superconductor thickness used in HFGW detectors will be critical. It may also be possible with care to exploit the result to obtain HFGW resonators and focusing reflectors.
Compact histograms for hierarchical identifiers

Distributed monitoring applications often involve streams of unique identifiers (UIDs) such as IP addresses or RFID tag IDs. An important class of query for such applications involves partitioning the UIDs into groups using a large lookup table; the query then performs aggregation over the groups. We propose using histograms to reduce bandwidth utilization in such settings, using a histogram partitioning function as a compact representation of the lookup table. We investigate methods for constructing histogram partitioning functions for lookup tables over unique identifiers that form a hierarchy of contiguous groups, as is the case with network addresses and several other types of UID. Each bucket in our histograms corresponds to a subtree of the hierarchy. We develop three novel classes of partitioning functions for this domain, which vary in their structure, construction time, and estimation accuracy.Our approach provides several advantages over previous work. We show that optimal instances of our partitioning functions can be constructed efficiently from large lookup tables. The partitioning functions are also compact, with each partition represented by a single identifier. Finally, our algorithms support minimizing any error metric that can be expressed as a distributive aggregate; and they extend naturally to multiple hierarchical dimensions. In experiments on real-world network monitoring data, we show that our histograms provide significantly higher accuracy per bit than existing techniques.
INDUCED RESISTANCE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TO EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION WITH EQUINE ENCEPHALOMYELITIS VIRUS : III. ABORTIVE INFECTION WITH WESTERN VIRUS AND SUBSEQUENT INTERFERENCE WITH THE ACTION OF HETEROLOGOUS VIRUSES

Although vaccination of guinea pigs with formalin-inactivated Western equine encephalomyelitis virus rendered them specifically immune to an intracerebral challenge dose of 1,000 M.L.D. of Western virus, it failed to protect their central nervous system against the initial effects of the virus: the intracerebral challenge dose was followed by an abortive infection of 20 to 30 hours' duration characterized by fever and histopathological changes which simulated the response at that early stage of non-vaccinated control animals. During the abortive infection of immune animals, virus could occasionally be demonstrated in their brains; indeed, it was detected with about the same frequency it was isolated from brains of similarly inoculated, non-immune guinea pigs during corresponding early phases of the infection. About one week after the abortive infection there was found a marked transitory accumulation of specific neutralizing antibody in the brain tissue. See PDF for Equation equalled at this time 1:1 to 1:10 instead of the value of about 1:300 found under physiological conditions. Guinea pigs which had recovered from an abortive infection with Western virus were resistant for a limited period of time to the effects of intracerebral inoculations of the immunologically distinct viruses of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis or vesicular stomatitis.
Silicon CMOS Ohmic Contact Technology for Contacting III-V Compound Materials

Integration of III-V compound (III-V) semiconductors with Si complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) has been an area of great interest because of the circuit performance enhancement that can be gained by placing Si and III-V devices in close spatial proximity. The Silicon-on-Lattice-Engineered Substrate (SOLES) platform enables this integration monolithically. The SOLES wafer is a silicon wafer with an embedded template suitable for epitaxial III-V device growth. 1‐3 CMOS devices are fabricated on the surface silicon and III-V devices are built on the template layer in windows. In collaboration with other groups, we have successfully demonstrated differential amplifiers with InP heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) and Si CMOS devices on SOLES substrates. 4 In this previous work, Si and III-V contact metallization steps were performed separately in traditional CMOS and III-V infrastructure, respectively. We envision parallel metallization of the CMOS and III-V devices using common CMOS infrastructure, in a manner consistent with Si processing, as a final step toward ultimate monolithic integration. A few key requirements must be considered in choosing the optimal contact structure. Contacting the III-V films through a Si encapsulation layer which fully embeds the III-V device and minimizes exposureofIII-VmaterialstotheCMOSsequencewillcausetheleast disruption to CMOS processes. This Si may be grown in an epitaxial step that is integrated with III-V device growth, streamlining the growth process. Using CMOS-friendly metals and processing steps which parallel those currently found in CMOS processing will also ease the integration. This metal must have a thermal budget of formation that is low to minimize effects on the III-V device structure. But the contact must also be able to withstand the temperatures of Si back-end processing steps (typically temperatures up to 500 ◦ C). Nickel silicide metallurgies, which are standard to CMOS technology, have low thermal budgets of formation and are used in more advanced CMOS processes, are explored in this work for Si-encapsulated III-V ohmic contacts. Carriertransportbetweensilicidesandsemiconductorfilmsoccurs through a tunneling mechanism requiring the silicon-encapsulation layers to be degenerately doped in order to promote tunneling. Tunneling may also occur via mid-gap interface states, which also affects thebandstructure.Inthiswork,weinvokesimilarmethodsforanalyzing our contact structures between nickel silicide and Si-encapsulated III-Vfilms. The effect of mid-gap states could be especially important in these contacts through Si-encapsulated III-V films because the lat
Mechanical dysfunction in the border zone of an ovine model of left ventricular aneurysm

Background. The pathophysiology of regional mechanical dysfunction in the border zone (BZ) region of left ventricular aneurysm was studied in an ovine model using magnetic resonance imaging tissue-tagging and regional deformation analysis. Methods. Transmural infarcts were created in adult Dorsett sheep (n = 8) by ligation of the distal homonymous coronary artery and were allowed to mature into left ventricular aneurysms for 8 to 12 weeks. Animals were imaged subsequently using double oblique magnetic resonance imaging with radiofrequency tissue tagging. Short axis slices were selected for analysis that included predominantly the septal component of the aneurysm as well as adjacent BZ regions in the anterior and posterior ventricular walls. Dark grid patterns of magnetic presaturations were placed on the myocardium and tracked as they deformed during the diastolic, isovolumic systolic, and systolic ejection phases of the cardiac cycle. Regional ventricular wall strains were calculated in BZ regions and regions remote from the aneurysm and compared with strains measured in corresponding regions from normal control sheep (n = 6). Results. Diastolic midwall circumferential strains (fiber extensions) were relatively preserved, but abnormal circumferential lengthening strains were observed in the BZ regions during isovolumic systole. Peak circumferential strains ranged from 0.04 to 0.07 in the BZ regions but averaged −0.05 in the normal hearts ( p = 0.002 for the anterior BZ and p = 0.001 for the posterior BZ). Midwall end-systolic fiber strains were depressed in the anterior BZ (−0.03 to −0.09 for the BZ versus −0.11 for the normal heart, p p = 0.19). Conclusions. Our data support the theory that the stretching of BZ fibers during isovolumic systole contributed to a reduction in fiber shortening during systolic ejection and thus reduced the overall contribution of these fibers to forward ventricular output.
SECLOUD: Source and Destination Seclusion Using Clouds for wireless ad hoc networks

The privacy of communicating entities in wireless ad hoc networks is extremely important due to the potential of their being identified and subsequently subjected to attacks (e.g., in military networks). Previously, random walk and fractal propagation schemes have been proposed to address privacy of source and destination nodes in ad hoc or sensor networks. Entropy of packet transmissions has been used as the metric for comparison. In this paper, we show that under a global attacker that can eavesdrop on the overall data transmissions and count them, neither of these approaches provide sufficient privacy when the attacker can visualize the transmissions and infer contextual information. Moreover, we show that the entropy is not a useful metric in such a case. We propose SECLOUD: Source and Destination Seclusion using Clouds to obfuscate the true source/destination nodes and make them indistinguishable among a group of neighbor nodes which works well even under network-wide traffic visualization by a global attacker.
A complete algorithm to resolve ambiguity for intersubunit NOE assignment in structure determination of symmetric homo‐oligomers

Assignment of nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) data is a key bottleneck in structure determination by NMR. NOE assignment resolves the ambiguity as to which pair of protons generated the observed NOE peaks, and thus should be restrained in structure determination. In the case of intersubunit NOEs in symmetric homo-oligomers, the ambiguity includes both the identities of the protons within a subunit, and the identities of the subunits to which they belong. This paper develops an algorithm for simultanous intersubunit NOE assignment and Cn symmetric homo-oligomeric structure determinations, given the subunit structure. By using a configuration space framework, our algorithm guarantees completeness, in that it identifies structures representing, to within a user-defined similarity level, every structure consistent with the available data (ambiguous or not). However, while our approach is complete in considering all conformations and assignments, it avoids explicit enumeration of the exponential number of combinations of possible assignments. Our algorithm can draw two types of conclusions not possible under previous methods: (1) that different assignments for an NOE would lead to different structural classes, or (2) that it is not necessary to uniquely assign an NOE, since it would have little impact on structural precision. We demonstrate on two test proteins that our method reduces the average number of possible assignments per NOE by a factor of 2.6 for MinE and 4.2 for CCMP. It results in high structural precision, reducing the average variance in atomic positions by factors of 1.5 and 3.6, respectively.
Effects of parasitic Fabry-Perot cavities in fiber-optic interferometric sensors.

We show theoretical and experimental evidence for increased quadrature point fluctuations and amplitude and phase noise in interferometric fiber sensors owing to the presence of parasitic Fabry–Perot cavities. We demonstrate greater than 2 orders of magnitude reduction of such effects.
On-chip self-calibration of RF circuits using specification-driven built-in self test (S-BIST)

In the nanometer design regime, analog and RF circuits are expected to be increasingly susceptible to process, noise and thermal variations. Shifting threshold voltages on the NMOS and PMOS devices of a mixer, LNA or power amplifier, for example, can affect the design specifications of such circuits (such as gain). Thermal variations can affect carrier mobilities of NMOS and PMOS devices differently, further affecting circuit performance. To solve these problems, a new self-calibration approach driven by a Specification-driven built-in self test procedure (S-BIST) is proposed. This S-BIST procedure uses alternate specification test techniques to predict the performance specifications of the circuit-under-test from the S-BIST response. The results of the S-BIST procedure are used to change the operating point of the circuit to maximally compensate the analog/RF circuit for loss of performance. The proposed S-BIST approach has been applied to a 2.4-GHz low noise amplifier and performs well in the presence of temperature and process variations.
Applied TEM Approach for Micro/Nanostructural Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cementitious Composites

A novel colloidal technique for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of graphitic nano-reinforced cementitious (GNRC) composites was developed. Single-walled and multiwalled nanotubes (SWNTs and MWNTs) were functionalized using an acid etching technique to obtain stable aqueous suspensions that were incorporated in the mix design of a cement paste. Effective functionalization was demonstrated by Raman spectroscopic measurements and time resolved dynamic light scattering measurements. The functionalized nano-reinforcement and binding characteristics were observed at the nanoscale for the first time using high resolution TEM imaging. Functionalized CNTs were found to be well distributed and preferentially associated with the cementitious matrix. This newly developed colloidal technique for TEM imaging of GNRC composites is a viable approach to characterize the interfacial compatibility between graphitic nano-reinforcement and cementitious matrices.
A Novel Radio-Over-Fiber Configuration Using Optical Phase Modulator to Generate an Optical mm-Wave and Centralized Lightwave for Uplink Connection

We have designed a novel radio-over-fiber configuration using an optical phase modulator along with optical filtering to generate an optical millimeter-wave for carrying downstream data and centralized lightwave for carrying upstream data. Since the remaining optical carrier with high power has been reused, the optical power is effectively utilized; therefore, the system cost can be reduced. We have calculated the power margin, and found that the margin is large even if no boosted erbium-doped fiber amplifier is used in the system. The eye diagrams and bit-error-rate performance at the receivers have been evaluated
The Income Tax Accounting Controversy: A Matter Of Perspective

The study examines SFAS No. 96 and SFAS No. 109 in the context of the unit problem. The unit problem involves the selection of the appropriate perspective for applying measurement and recognition conventions to the phenomenon of interest. From an individual event perspective, the FASBs conclusions regarding liability recognition are inconsistent with their definition of a liability found in State of Finance Accounting Concepts No. 6. In addition, the use of inconsistent perspectives by the SFAS No. 96 and SFAS No. 109 create disagreements with the Boards positions. The simultaneous use of both the individual and aggregate perspectives as the basis of the Boards decisions is the source of these disagreements. The study argues that the income tax accounting issue should be viewed from an aggregate perspective and concludes that the flow through method of accounting for income taxes should be adopted.
Organizing an international elective: a unique opportunity for cardiovascular fellows.

My cardiovascular disease fellowship training program offered a unique opportunity to organize a fully-funded international elective during the second year of fellowship. When deciding to become a cardiologist, I knew that I wanted to have exposure to cardiovascular disease states infrequently
“I Don’t Know Enough About IUDs and Implants to Feel Comfortable Using Them:” Women's Knowledge and Perceived Barriers to LARC on College Campuses

To comprehensively assess college women’s knowledge of and perceived barriers to long acting reversible contraception (LARC).
Numerical Drag Reduction Studies of Generic Truck Models in Ground Effect Using Active Flow Control

In a previous paper AIAA 2009-4013, the effect of active flow control (AFC), using oscillatory blowing (synthetic jets) on drag reduction of trucks in ground effect was numerically studied using the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged NavierStokes (URANS) equations. Two generic models of trucks for which the experimental data are available were considered in the simulations. CFD simulations were in good agreement with the data. Both the experiments and simulations showed that 10 to 15% reduction in drag can be achieved by active flow control using oscillatory blowing. It was shown that a combination of oscillatory blowing and steady blowing or suction at appropriate locations on the rear face of the truck can further reduce the drag. In this paper, we study the effect of ground on the truck drag reduction using AFC. These studies indicate that the AFC techniques can be intelligently employed to achieve significant reduction in aerodynamic drag of the vehicle.
Emetic effect of purified staphylococcal enterotoxin in cats.

SummaryIntraventricular administration of enterotoxin did not produce vomiting. Chemoreceptor trigger zone ablation in cats did not affect the emetic response to intravenous enterotoxin. Transthoracic vagotomy raised the threshold for enterotoxin-induced emesis. Midbrain transection abolished the emetic response. The possibility was considered that the emetic stimulus provided by enterotoxin traverses afferent pathways that are concerned in vomiting responses to x-radiation and nitrogen mustard.
Mitochondrial transplantation for therapeutic use

Mitochondria play a key role in the homeostasis of the vast majority of the body’s cells. In the myocardium where mitochondria constitute 30 % of the total myocardial cell volume, temporary attenuation or obstruction of blood flow and as a result oxygen delivery to myocardial cells (ischemia) severely alters mitochondrial structure and function. These alterations in mitochondrial structure and function occur during ischemia and continue after blood flow and oxygen delivery to the myocardium is restored, and significantly decrease myocardial contractile function and myocardial cell survival. We hypothesized that the augmentation or replacement of mitochondria damaged by ischemia would provide a mechanism to enhance cellular function and cellular rescue following the restoration of blood flow. To test this hypothesis we have used a model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. Our studies demonstrate that the transplantation of autologous mitochondria, isolated from the patient’s own body, and then directly injected into the myocardial during early reperfusion augment the function of native mitochondria damaged during ischemia and enhances myocardial post-ischemic functional recovery and cellular viability. The transplanted mitochondria act both extracellularly and intracellularly. Extracellularly, the transplanted mitochondria enhance high energy synthesis and cellular adenosine triphosphate stores and alter the myocardial proteome. Once internalized the transplanted mitochondria rescue cellular function and replace damaged mitochondrial DNA. There is no immune or auto-immune reaction and there is no pro-arrhythmia as a result of the transplanted mitochondria. Our studies and those of others demonstrate that mitochondrial transplantation can be effective in a number of cell types and diseases. These include cardiac and skeletal muscle, pulmonary and hepatic tissue and cells and in neuronal tissue. In this review we discuss the mechanisms leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and the effects on cellular function. We provide a methodology for the isolation of mitochondria to allow for clinical relevance and we discuss the methods we and others have used for the uptake and internalization of mitochondria. We foresee that mitochondrial transplantation will be a valued treatment in the armamentarium of all clinicians and surgeons for the treatment of varied ischemic disorders, mitochondrial diseases and related disorders.
Membrane potential resonance frequency directly influences network frequency through electrical coupling

In many oscillatory systems, the membrane potential resonance frequency (fres) of some network neuron types is correlated with the network frequency. With the use of theoretical and experimental me...
Referral Bias in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: Retrospective Analysis of 22,614 Surgeries in a Tertiary Referral Center

Abstract Background Patients who travel a significant distance to obtain surgical treatment typically experience better outcomes. This is called the referral bias and can limit the generalizability of studies performed at large tertiary care centers. We explored the influence of referral bias by comparing the clinical characteristics and outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at a large tertiary care hospital in the United States. Methods The study cohort included 22,614 primary TKA procedures performed between 1985 and 2010. Patients were stratified into 5 groups using home address zip codes and according to travel distance from the hospital. Clinical characteristics and the risk of TKA complications and surgical outcomes (instability, surgical-site infections, and thrombovascular complications within the first year, reoperations, revisions, and mortality) were compared across the 5 groups. Results Compared with local patients, patients who traveled from other parts of the United States were significantly younger (mean age 67.8 vs 68.5 years; P P 2 ; P P P P Conclusion Although referral patients differ from local patients, the groups seem to experience largely similar complication and revision rates after TKA.
Optical addressing of polymer beads in microdevices : Special issues on microdevices for analytical technique (2)

Integrated 'lab-on-a-chip' devices that utilize microfabrication tools are emerging for chemical and biological applications. Facile, robust sample manipulation within these devices will be particularly important for realizing the potential to perform many assays in parallel. Often, biomolecules are manipulated by derivatization to larger 'carrier beads'; therefore, we have developed a novel optical addressing scheme to localize polymer beads (0.8-10 μm in diameter) on an unpatterned semiconductor surface. This approach utilizes an optical microbeam that is directed on the substrate to create an active 'virtual' electrode. The localized charge is defined by the characteristics of the solid-liquid interface in the electrochemical system and serves to attract oppositely charged objects within the solution. Furthermore, to improve patterning efficiency and resolution, a photosensitive polymer coating is used on semiconductor substrates to minimize undesired effects of the dark current. Thus, illumination through a mask or use of multiple beams enables a nonlithographic, dynamic pattern transfer to a uniform substrate. In the future, this approach may be useful for 'off-chip', sterile manipulation of arrays of 'carrier beads' for high-throughput applications.
An Analysis of the Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) Dataset, 1816–2001

This research note discusses a five-year examination of the original coding work of the Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) project. After strictly applying MID coding rules, we recommend dropping 251 cases (or over 10% of the dataset), as either we were unable to find a militarized incident in the historical record or the dispute appeared elsewhere in the data. We found evidence linking 75 disputes to other cases, and we could not identify 19 cases in the historical record. Among the remaining disputes, we recommend major changes (changes in dispute year, fatality level, and participants) in 234 disputes and minor changes in 1,009 disputes. We use this article to examine the potential impact of our suggestions on existing studies. Though we identified several systematic problems with the original coding effort, we also find that these problems do not affect current understandings of what predicts the onset of interstate conflict. However, estimates in our replications of three recent studies of dispute escalation, dispute duration, and dispute reciprocation all witness substantial changes when using corrected data—to the point of reversing previous conclusions in some cases.
The Meaning of Covenant

In order to construct the concept of “covenant consent,” a thorough exploration of the concept of covenant will be provided. The exploration will include a look at its origin and character in the ancient near east, a brief survey of its uses in general Jewish and Christian ethics and a review of some uses in healthcare ethics, focusing particularly on the work of Paul Ramsey and William F. May . Finally, some of the implications of the covenant concept for re-envisioning the care provider—patient relationship in healthcare will be suggested. The idea of covenant will be shown to derive from certain social and political arrangements made by Akkadians , Hittites and Israelites . Key elements of covenants in the ancient near east included an emphasis on loyalty , shame and honor , and what anthropologists have called “fictive kinship .” Covenant terminology has been prominent in the ethics of Jewish and Christian scholars such as Louis E. Newman, Elliot Dorff, Daniel J. Elazar, Alan L. Mittleman, H. Richard Niebuhr , Joseph L. Allen and Perry Simspon Huesmann, while the use of covenant in healthcare ethics specifically has been associated with Ramsey and May. Finally, an effort will be made to show the relevance of the concept of covenant for care provider—patient relationships in general, and for consent in particular.
Adaptive Avatar Handoff in the Cloudlet Network

In a traditional big data network, data streams generated by User Equipments (UEs) are uploaded to the remote cloud (for further processing) via the Internet. However, moving a huge amount of data via the Internet may lead to a long End-to-End (E2E) delay between a UE and its computing resources (in the remote cloud) as well as severe traffic jams in the Internet. To overcome this drawback, we propose a cloudlet network to bring the computing and storage resources from the cloud to the mobile edge. Each base station is attached to one cloudlet and each UE is associated with its Avatar in the cloudlet to process its data locally. Thus, the E2E delay between a UE and its computing resources in its Avatars is reduced as compared to that in the traditional big data network. However, in order to maintain the low E2E delay when UEs roam away, it is necessary to hand off Avatars accordingly—it is not practical to hand off the Avatars’ virtual disks during roaming as this will incur unbearable migration time and network congestion. We propose the LatEncy Aware Replica placemeNt (LEARN) algorithm to place a number of replicas of each Avatar's virtual disk into suitable cloudlets. Thus, the Avatar can be handed off among its cloudlets (which contain one of its replicas) without migrating its virtual disk. Simulations demonstrate that LEARN reduces the average E2E delay. Meanwhile, by considering the capacity limitation of each cloudlet, we propose the LatEncy aware Avatar hanDoff (LEAD) algorithm to place UEs’ Avatars among the cloudlets such that the average E2E delay is minimized. Simulations demonstrate that LEAD maintains the low average E2E delay.