cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using internal fan balancing system to avoid excessive pressurization on high rise buildings in hot and humid climates

Abstract Infiltration through the building envelope impacts several aspects of building performance. To avoid infiltration-induced issues in hot and humid climates, building pressure is typically maintained at a slightly positive level compared to outdoor pressure in warm weather. However, due to the stack effect, high-rise buildings actually have a different pressurization level requirement at each floor, and a conventional pressurization system is unable to maintain these different pressurization levels. Field pressurization measurements performed on an eight-floor building on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, TX indicate that, when the indoor-outdoor temperature difference is about 11.1 °C, the ground level of the building can have an average 8 Pa pressurization level while simultaneously having an average 1 Pa on the top floor. This results in extra energy consumption due to over-pressurization of the lower floors. An internal fan balancing system is proposed to eliminate or reduce this excess consumption. eQUEST simulation results indicate that 5.8%–7.0% annual savings on the utility bill can be achieved by installing the Internal Fan Balancing System in the same eight-floor building where the pressurization level measurements were performed.
A low cost magnetically geared lead screw

Electromagnetic linear actuator (ELAs) have the advantage over hydraulic and mechanical mechanisms of being able to operate with higher efficiencies and are potentially more reliable.
Nano pore Sequencing Technology: A Review

DNA strand nucleotide order is determined by using Nano pore sequencing method can this method is under development since 1995. Many porous membranes proteins and used as Nano pores, Each nucleotide base is pass through this small hole of almost 1 nanometer and the peak is recorded in the form of chromatograph. This method is considered more accurate than gel electrophoresis because the chances of sample damage are low and more authentications of sequences were previously reported. Now a day’s manual methods are replaced by automated methods for less time consumption and more accurate results.
Draft Whole-Genome Sequences of 18 Flavobacterium spp.

ABSTRACT We report here the draft whole-genome sequences for 18 Flavobacterium species type strains that have historically been associated with fish gill disease.
Explanation and Reference

In this paper I try to contrast Marxist (and more broadly realist) theories of meaning with what may be called ‘idealist’ theories of meaning. But a word of explanation is clearly in order.
Thyroid dysfunction in refractory depression: implications for pathophysiology and treatment.

Background Many studies of thyroid augmentation in refractory depression are methodologically weak, have had mixed results, and often do not include biological measures of hormonal effects. In this paper, recent clinical and preclinical research on thyroid dysfunction in refractory depression is reviewed. Method A search of MEDLINE for articles published from 1970 to the present was conducted, in addition to a search of the bibliographies of published papers in this area. The clinical studies chosen for review included those in which the patient population was identified as having refractory depression and where a specific measure of thyroid function was used, such as thyroid indices, thyroid-releasing hormone stimulation, or basal metabolic rate. Animal studies of depression using the learned helplessness experimental paradigm were also reviewed and included if they examined the factors involved in antidepressant treatment response. Results Fifty-two percent of patients with refractory depression in six clinical studies evidenced subclinical hypothyroidism (range, 29%-100%), which can be contrasted with a prevalence of approximately 8% to 17% in unselected populations of depressed patients. Four studies investigating an animal model of refractory depression strongly implicate a pathophysiologic role for hypothyroidism, perhaps mediated by altered beta-adrenergic function. Conclusion These findings indicate that hypothyroidism is significantly associated with refractory depression, suggesting that this characterizes one biological subtype of refractory depression. Failure to rigorously investigate the effects of thyroid augmentation, including measures of thyroid and beta-adrenergic function, may partly explain the ambiguous results from many treatment studies, and future research should incorporate these measures in the study of refractory depression.
Lupus anticoagulants: improved diagnosis with a kaolin clotting time using rabbit brain phospholipid in standard and high concentrations.

We utilized a kaolin-activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) using rabbit brain phospholipid, in which the capacity of a fourfold increased “high” phospholipid concentration (PC) to normalize the abnormal “standard” PC-APTT in patients with lupus anticoagulants is assessed. This system was also used to measure factors VIIIC, IX, and XI. The tissue thromboplastin inhibition test (TTI), a prothrombin time system in which the activity of a lupus anticoagulant is unmasked by the use of dilute thromboplastin, was simultaneously evaluated. Test sensitivity was defined by results on 31 consecutive patients with standard PC-APTT inhibitors and no bleeding tendency. Specificity was based on 94 patients with various other coagulopathies, including coagulation factor inhibitors, severe congenital factor deficiencies, hepatic insufficiency, and warfarin and heparin treatment. Twenty-one patients with lupus erythematosus and standard PC-APTT results within normal limits were also tested. Sensitivity of the APTT system was superior to that of the TTI (97% v 58%); high PC normalized clotting time ratios and factor levels. Positive results were common with both assays in the group of 20 heparinized patients. The APTT system had superior specificity in remaining cases; there were no positive tests among 74 patients. The lupus erythematosus group had a significant decrease in the clotting time ratio with high PC, indicating that low- level lupus anticoagulants are quite prevalent in this group. The kaolin clotting time using rabbit brain phospholipid in standard and high concentrations is a simple, sensitive, and specific technique for diagnosis of lupus anticoagulants.
Protocol Analysis in Psychology

Protocol analysis is the name for the methodology for eliciting, transcribing, and encoding verbal reports of thoughts into objective data for evaluating and testing theories of thinking. Philosophers since Aristotle have introspected on their own thinking as a means to analyze the structure of their thought processes. However, introspective analysis of one's thoughts and behavior was found to be reactive. In response to these criticisms a general theoretical framework was developed for how participants could verbalize their thinking without influencing the course of their thinking. Instructions to elicit such immediate reports were developed and shown to uncover thinking without the reactive effects due to explanations and descriptions of their thinking. Rigorous methods for analyzing verbal reports have been developed based on a formal analysis of the tasks. Short segments of verbal reports are coded into formal categories and the resulting data show similar reliability and validity as other forms of data on cognitive processes, such as reaction times and eye fixations. This general framework for collecting and analyzing verbal reports of thinking has been applied to laboratory studies of memory, problem solving, and decision making, and to everyday life in the study of expert performance and text comprehension.
Unexpected windfalls, education, and mental health: evidence from lottery winners in Germany

This paper investigates the causal impact of large unexpected windfalls on individual mental health, physical health, as well as health behaviors. I use a large individual-level panel data set of l...
The water-energy-food nexus of unconventional oil and gas extraction in the Vaca Muerta Play, Argentina

Abstract Vaca Muerta is the major region in South America where horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques are used to extract unconventional shale oil and gas. Despite the growing interest in the Vaca Muerta resources, there is only a limited understanding of the impacts that their extraction could have on local water resources. This study uses a water balance model to investigate the hydrological implication of unconventional oil and gas extraction in this region. We find that, with current rates of extraction, water scarcity is observed for four months a year. We also find that water consumption per fractured well increased 2.5 times in the period 2012–2016 and produced water from unconventional shale formation sharply increased from roughly zero to 1.15 × 106 m3 y−1 in the 2009–2017 period. Our projections estimate that in this region future water consumption for unconventional oil and gas extraction will increase 2.2 times in the 2017–2024 period reaching 7.40 × 106 m3 y−1. The consequent exacerbation of current water scarcity will likely lead to competition with irrigated agriculture, the greatest water consumer in this semiarid region. Produced water recycling, domestic wastewater reuse, brackish groundwater use, and waterless unconventional oil and gas extraction technologies are some of the strategies that could be adopted to meet future additional water demand. Our results estimate the likely range of water consumption and production from hydraulic fracturing operations in the Vaca Muerta region under current and future conditions. These results could be used to make informed decisions for the sustainable water management in this semiarid region of Argentina.
Treatment of caudal cavoatrial junction obstruction in a dog with a balloon-expandable biliary stent

A 2-year-old intact female mixed breed dog was presented for ascites. Echocardiography demonstrated severe obstruction at the level of the caudal right atrium. Initially, a variant of cor triatriatum dexter was diagnosed, and balloon catheter dilation was performed. However, ascites recurred within a week. Further imaging revealed an obstruction at the entrance of the caudal vena cava into the right atrium rather than a dividing membrane in the right atrium. The diagnosis was revised to suprahepatic obstruction of the caudal vena cava because of remnant Eustachian valve tissue. Deployment of a balloon-expandable biliary stent was performed relieving the obstruction. Fifteen months after stent deployment, the patient is doing well without reaccumulation of ascitic fluid.
CSN‐LAUSD Network: A Dense Accelerometer Network in Los Angeles Schools

The Community Seismic Network‐Los Angeles Unified School District is a network of 300 low‐cost microelectromechanical systems accelerometers located in schools in the Los Angeles, California, region. They are capable of accurately recording strong motion up to ±2g and are sufficiently spatially dense that they provide unaliased measurements of strong motions up to 1 Hz following a major earthquake. They are used to provide state‐of‐health monitoring for the schools and surrounding communities to guide the emergency response. As a research tool, they can be used to provide estimates of the site response at the schools and, therefore, provide a much denser set of site responses for ground‐motion prediction than is currently available.
Atmospheric cold plasma treatment of fruit juices: A review

Abstract Background Conventional thermal processing technologies for pasteurization and sterilization of fruit juices have been used for ensuring microbiological safety and enzyme inactivation. However, they could cause quality changes that may lower consumer acceptability. Therefore, an increasing effort has been made in applying novel non-thermal processing technologies to preserve the sensory, nutritional, and functional properties of juices while providing safe products. Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) is one of such novel non-thermal processing technologies. Scope and approach This review presents an overview of ACP processing applications for fruit juices. Specific areas of research are focused on microbial inactivation and the effect of ACP on nutritional and physicochemical properties of juices. Key findings and conclusions: While some general trends can be observed for all juices, the effect of ACP differs based on treatment parameters and juice properties such as, the type of fruit used to make the juice. Thus, an understanding of ACP applications for the treatment of different juices is important for optimization of processing parameters to produce high quality and safe juices.
Uncertainty Quantification of Structural Systems with Subset of Data.

Quantification of the impact of uncertainty in material properties as well as the input ground motion on structural responses is an important step in implementing a performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) framework. Among various sources of uncertainty, the variability in the input ground motions, a.k.a. record-to-record, greatly affects the assessment results. The objective of this paper is to quantify the uncertainty in structural response with hybrid uncertainty sources. In this paper, multiple matrix completion methods are proposed and applied on a case study structure. The matrix completion method is a means to estimate the analyses results for the entire set of input parameters by conducting analysis for only a small subset of analyses. The main algorithmic contributions of our proposed method are twofold. First, we develop a sampling technique for choosing a subset of representative simulations, which allows improving the accuracy of the estimated response. An unsupervised machine learning technique is used for this purpose. Next, the proposed matrix completion method for uncertainty quantification is further refined by incorporating a regression model that is trained on the available partial simulations. The regression model improves the initial sampling as it provides a rough estimation of the structural responses. Finally, the proposed algorithm is applied to a multi-degree-of-freedom system, and the structural responses (i.e., displacements and base shear) are estimated. Results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively estimate the response from a full set of nonlinear simulations by conducting analyses only on a small portion of the set.
Evaluating Facility Characteristics and Connectivity Metrics as Predictors of Clostridioides difficile Rates in Nursing Homes, Atlanta, GA

Background: Nursing home (NH) residents are at high risk for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) due to older age, frequent antibiotic exposure, and previous healthcare exposure. Incidence of CDI attributed to NHs is not well established, but it is hypothesized to be related to the magnitude of transfers. We evaluated the relationship between NH CDI incidence and facility characteristics to explain variability in rates in Atlanta, Georgia. Methods: Incident C. difficile cases from 2016 to 2018 were identified through the Georgia Emerging Infections Program (funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), which conducts active population-based surveillance in the 8-county metro Atlanta area. An incident case was defined as an NH resident with a toxin-positive stool specimen (without a positive test within 8 weeks). Sampled (1 to 3 on age and gender) incident cases were attributed to a NH if a patient was an NH resident within 4 days of specimen collection. Facility characteristics (beds, resident days, admissions, and average length of stay [ALOS]) were obtained from NH cost reports, and facility-specific connectivity metrics were calculated (indegree and betweenness) from 2016 Medicare claims data. Case counts were aggregated to estimate yearly incidence and correlated with facility characteristics and location within the healthcare network using the Spearman correlation. A negative binomial model was used to assess residual variability in NH CDI incidence. Results: In total, 386 incident CDI cases were attributed to 64 NHs (range, 0–27). Approximately half (54.7%) resided in the NH at the time of specimen collection; however, 33.7% were in inpatient units (≤4 days of admission), and 10.9% were in an emergency room (ER). The frequency of NH CDI cases correlated strongly with admissions (r = .70; P .05, all comparisons). However, there was residual correlation with connectivity metrics (indegree r = 0.26; P = .04). Conclusions: Our data suggest that attributing CDI to NHs requires the inclusion of hospital and ER-based specimen collection. NH CDI incidence appears highest among facilities with a low ALOS and a high number of admissions; incidence rates calculated per 1,000 admissions may best account for infection risk inherent early in a resident’s stay. Residual variability attributed to connectivity to the healthcare network was of borderline significance and should be further explored in the NH setting. Funding: None Disclosures: Scott Fridkin, consulting fee, vaccine industry (spouse)
Diabetes Technology in Primary Care: The Future Is Here, Almost.

I recall a recent moment when “seeing” patients at my post–COVID-19 virtual medical office. I was alone in my consultation room with my mask and eye protection thankfully off for the moment. I had my patient’s electronic chart open on the monitor to my left. I had another window showing her recent continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data. On a second monitor to my right, I could see, hear, and talk to her on a video call. My realization was that it was more important for me to have her data in front of me than to have her be physically present and that it was because of her data that I was able to adjust her diabetes treatment plan. I was grateful for the technology that let me view my patient’s data fairly easily, I was delighted that my patient was using the latest devices to get better results with less effort than the old-fashioned way, and both my patient and I were quite satisfied with the progress she was making. In 2014, Bodenheimer (a family physician) and Sinsky (an internist) argued that we should pursue a quadruple aim in health care—that systemic interventions should not only be about “better care, better health, and lower costs,” but also about improving the work life of clinicians (1). Clinicians thrive on using their knowledge, skills, training, and experience to improve the health of their patients, but we are frequently over-burdened by cumbersome technology and extraneous documentation …
Contemporary cinema and the philosophy of Iris Murdoch: by Lucy Bolton, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2019, 248 pp., $24.95 (paperback), ISBN 9781474481359

The debate in film studies on whether film can acquire the status of philosophy has had its defenders and detractors. While some critics suggest that film can communicate philosophy through cinemat...
Student-to-Teacher Confirmation: An Initial Investigation of the Types of Messages and Outcomes

To date, instructional scholars have established how teachers confirm students and how students confirm one another, but have not yet explored how students confirm teachers. Thus, by using a ground...
P-057: A helicase “ASCC3” is coupled to FEN1-mediated genomic instability and cancer cell proliferation

Background We have previously reported the identification of FEN1 a driver of genomic instability in myeloma (MM) as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cells. We demonstrated that FEN1 is overexpressed in MM cell lines and in clinical datasets of MM and several other cancers including EAC, and FEN1-knockdown inhibited spontaneous DNA breaks, homologous recombination (HR) activity as well as genomic instability in MM cells. We now show that FEN1-overexpression in non-cancerous (normal fibroblasts and bone marrow/stroma HS5) cells increases DNA breaks and genomic instability, as assessed by micronucleus assay. Methods In order to further evaluate the impact on genomic instability, control and FEN1-overexpressing cells were cultured for three weeks and new genomic changes acquired in cultured relative to “day 0” cells (representing baseline genome), were identified using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. Results Overall, the acquisition of amplification and deletion events were increased by ~ 3-fold in FEN1-overexpressing relative to control cells. Evaluation by RNA sequencing in two different non-cancerous cell types showed that FEN1-overexpression was associated with upregulation of several interconnected pathways including DNA double strand break repair, cell cycle, mitotic G2 M phases, TP53, homologous DNA pairing and strand exchange. Top downregulated pathways included several metabolic pathways and an apoptosis pathway. These data demonstrate a significant role and the impact of FEN1 on DNA repair and genome maintenance, especially HR. We next identified FEN1-interacting proteins from two different MM cell lines (MM1S, RPMI8226) by mass spectrometry. Forty-one proteins interacted with FEN1 in both MM cell lines including two helicases (ASCC3, RUVBL2) and several proteins involved in DNA damage response and recruitment. To investigate the functional relevance of FEN1-ASCC3 interaction, FEN1 was overexpressed in non-cancerous (stromal HS5) cells and ASCC3 was suppressed in control as well as FEN1-overexpressed cells, and impact on different parameters of genome stability (HR activity, micronuclei) and growth (cell viability and DNA replication) monitored. FEN1-overexpression increased HR activity, whereas ASCC3-knockdown inhibited spontaneous as well as FEN1-induced HR activity. Consistent with these data, FEN1-overexpression also increased genomic instability, whereas ASCC3-knockdown inhibited spontaneous as well as FEN1-induced genomic instability as assessed by micronucleus assay. Importantly, FEN1-overexpression also increased DNA replication (as assessed by BrdU-labelling), whereas ASCC3-knockdown inhibited spontaneous as well as FEN1-induced DNA replication in these cells. Conclusion These data suggest that helicase activity of ASCC3 is coupled to endonuclease activity of FEN1 to cause genomic instability and cancer cell proliferation, and is currently being investigated in MM and other cancer models to develop translational application.
Linear Second-Order Equations

A large number of mathematical models, particularly in the physical sciences and engineering, consist of IVPs or BVPs for second-order DEs.
Understanding Child Sexual Abuse

The sexual abuse of children has become an enormous concern for parents and professionals. The professional literature on this topic is overwhelmingly large and diverse, ranging from clinical case studies to empirical research to comprehensive review papers. In this chapter, we have tried to condense this large volume of work and focus on issues that we view as central to understanding child sexual abuse. Thus, this chapter provides a brief overview of definitional issues, prevalence, and characteristics of sexual abuse of boys and girls, characteristics of perpetrators, the long- and short-term effects of sexual abuse and factors that mediate these effects, issues of hidden (or repressed) memories of childhood sexual abuse, and finally, issues regarding sexual abuse in day care settings.
Birational Relation among Minimal Models

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the birational relation among minimal models (cf. the strategic scheme MP 3 in the Introduction). In Section 1–8 we observed that a minimal model in dimension 2 in a fixed birational equivalence class is unique. This is no longer true in dimension 3 or higher, i.e., there may exist many minimal models in general even in a fixed birational equivalence class, and here arises a need to study the birational relation among them.
An 1.1&#8211;GHz packaged CMOS VCO with phase noise of &#8211; 126 dBc/Hz at a 600&#8211;kHz offset

A packaged 1.1-GHz CMOS voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with measured phase noise of -92, -112 and - 126 dBc/Hz at 10, 100 and 600-kHz offsets is demonstrated. According to reference [1], these satisfy the GSM requirement. The extrapolated phase noise at a 3-MHz offset is -140 dBc/Hz. The power consumption is 6.8 and 12.7 mW at V DD =1.5 and 2.7V, respectively. The VCO is implemented in a low cost 0.8-µm foundry CMOS process which uses p+substrates with a p-epitaxial layer. Buried channel PMOS transistors are exclusively used for lower 1/f noise. The inductors for the LC-tanks are implemented using a series combination of an on-chip spiral inductor, bond wires and 2 package leads to increase Q. This technique requires no extra board space beyond that needed for the additional package leads.
Guarded Quantification in Least Fixed Point Logic

We develop a variant of Least Fixed Point logic based on First Order logic with a relaxed version of guarded quantification. We develop a Game Theoretic Semantics of this logic, and find that under reasonable conditions, guarding quantification does not reduce the expressibility of Least Fixed Point logic. But we also find that the guarded version of a least fixed point algorithm may have a greater time complexity than the unguarded version, by a linear factor.
Reproduction and resistance to stress: When and how

Environmental and social stresses have deleterious effects on reproductive function in vertebrates. Global climate change, human disturbance and endocrine disruption from pollutants are increasingly likely to pose additional stresses that could have a major impact on human society. Nonetheless, some populations of vertebrates (from fish to mammals) are able to temporarily resist environmental and social stresses, and breed successfully. A classical trade-off of reproductive success for potential survival is involved. We define five examples. (i) Aged individuals with minimal future reproductive success that should attempt to breed despite potential acute stressors. (ii) Seasonal breeders when time for actual breeding is so short that acute stress should be resisted in favour of reproductive success. (iii) If both members of a breeding pair provide parental care, then loss of a mate should be compensated for by the remaining individual. (iv) Semelparous species in which there is only one breeding period followed by programmed death. (v) Species where, because of the transience of dominance status in a social group, individuals may only have a short window of opportunity for mating. We suggest four mechanisms underlying resistance of the gonadal axis to stress. (i) Blockade at the central nervous system level, i.e. an individual no longer perceives the perturbation as stressful. (ii) Blockade at the level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (i.e. failure to increase secretion of glucocorticosteroids). (iii) Blockade at the level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis (i.e. resistance of the reproductive system to the actions of glucocorticosteroids). (iv) Compensatory stimulation of the gonadal axis to counteract inhibitory glucocorticosteroid actions. Although these mechanisms are likely genetically determined, their expression may depend upon a complex interaction with environmental factors. Future research will provide valuable information on the biology of stress and how organisms cope. Such mechanisms would be particularly insightful as the spectre of global change continues to unfold.
Node attributes and edge structure for large-scale big data network analytics and community detection

Identifying network communities is one of the most important tasks when analyzing complex networks. Most of these networks possess a certain community structure that has substantial importance in building an understanding regarding the dynamics of the large-scale network. Intriguingly, such communities appear to be connected with unique spectral property of the graph Laplacian of the adjacency matrix and we exploit this connection by using modified relationship between Laplacian and adjacency matrix. We propose modularity optimization based on a greedy agglomerative method, coupled with fast unfolding of communities in large-scale networks using Louvain community finding method. Our proposed modified algorithm is linearly scalable for efficient identification of communities in huge directed/undirected networks. The proposed algorithm shows great performance and scalability on benchmark networks in simulations and successfully recovers communities in real network applications. In this paper, we develop communities from node attributes and edge structure. New modified algorithm statistically models the interaction between the network structure and the node attributes which leads to more accurate community detection as well as helps for identifying robustness of the network structure. We also show that any community must contain a dense Erdos-Renyi (ER) subgraph. We carried out comparisons of the Chung and Lu (CL) and Block Two-Level Erdos-Renyi (BTER) models with four real-world data sets. Results demonstrate that it accurately captures the observable properties of many real-world networks.
A Randomized Trial of Electronic Clinical Reminders to Improve Medication Laboratory Monitoring

Objective: Recommendations for routine laboratory monitoring to reduce the risk of adverse medication events are not consistently followed. We evaluated the impact of electronic reminders delivered to primary care physicians on rates of appropriate routine medication laboratory monitoring. Design: We enrolled 303 primary care physicians caring for 1,922 patients across 20 ambulatory clinics that had at least one overdue routine laboratory test for a given medication between January and June 2004. Clinics were randomized so that physicians received either usual care or electronic reminders at the time of office visits focused on potassium, creatinine, liver function, thyroid function, and therapeutic drug levels. Measurements: Primary outcomes were the receipt of recommended laboratory monitoring within 14 days following an outpatient clinic visit. The effect of the intervention was assessed for each reminder after adjusting for clustering within clinics, as well as patient and provider characteristics. Results: Medication-laboratory monitoring non-compliance ranged from 1.6% (potassium monitoring with potassium-supplement use) to 6.3% (liver function monitoring with HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitor use). Rates of appropriate laboratory monitoring following an outpatient visit ranged from 14% (therapeutic drug levels) to 64% (potassium monitoring with potassium-sparing diuretic use). Reminders for appropriate laboratory monitoring had no impact on rates of receiving appropriate testing for creatinine, potassium, liver function, renal function, or therapeutic drug level monitoring. Conclusion: We identified high rates of appropriate laboratory monitoring, and electronic reminders did not significantly improve these monitoring rates. Future studies should focus on settings with lower baseline adherence rates and alternate drug-laboratory combinations.
ICE-TEA: in-context expansion and translation of English abbreviations

The wide use of abbreviations in modern texts poses interesting challenges and opportunities in the field of NLP. In addition to their dynamic nature, abbreviations are highly polysemous with respect to regular words. Technologies that exhibit some level of language understanding may be adversely impacted by the presence of abbreviations. This paper addresses two related problems: (1) expansion of abbreviations given a context, and (2) translation of sentences with abbreviations. First, an efficient retrieval-based method for English abbreviation expansion is presented. Then, a hybrid system is used to pick among simple abbreviation-translation methods. The hybrid system achieves an improvement of 1.48 BLEU points over the baseline MT system, using sentences that contain abbreviations as a test set.
A feasibility study for power management in LAN switches

We examine the feasibility of introducing power management schemes in network devices in the LAN. Specifically, we investigate the possibility of putting various components on LAN switches to sleep during periods of low traffic activity. Traffic collected in our LAN indicates that there are significant periods of inactivity on specific switch interfaces. Using an abstract sleep model devised for LAN switches, we examine the potential energy savings possible for different times of day and different interfaces (e.g., interfaces connecting to hosts to switches, or interfaces connecting switches, or interfaces connecting switches and routers). Algorithms developed for sleeping, based on periodic protocol behavior as well as traffic estimation are shown to be capable of conserving significant amounts of energy. Our results show that sleeping is indeed feasible in the LAN and in some cases, with very little impact on other protocols. However, we note that in order to maximize energy savings while minimizing sleep-related losses, we need hardware that supports sleeping.
Nanomelic chondrocytes synthesize, but fail to translocate, a truncated aggrecan precursor

Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed primarily of type II collagen and large, link stabilized aggregates of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (aggrecan). Maturation and function of these complex macromolecules are dependent upon sequential processing events which occur during their movements through specific subcellular compartments in the constitutive secretory pathway. Failure to complete these events successfully results in assembly of a defective ECM and may produce skeletal abnormalities. Nanomelia is a lethal genetic mutation of chickens characterized by shortened and malformed limbs. Previous biochemical studies have shown that cultured nanomelic chondrocytes synthesize a truncated aggrecan core protein precursor that disappears with time; however, the protein does not appear to be processed by the Golgi or secreted. The present study investigates the intracellular trafficking of the defective aggrecan precursor using immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy and several inhibitors. Results indicate that nanomelic chondrocytes assemble an ECM that contains type II collagen, but lacks aggrecan. Instead, aggrecan precursor was localized intracellularly, within small cytoplasmic structures corresponding to extensions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). At no time were precursor molecules observed in the Golgi. In contrast, normal and nanomelic chondrocytes exhibited no difference in the intracellular or extracellular distribution of type II procollagen. Therefore, retention of the aggrecan precursor appears to be selective. Incubation of chondrocytes at 15 degrees C resulted in the retention and accumulation of product in the ER. After a return to 37 degrees C, translocation of the product to the Golgi was observed for normal, but not for nanomelic, chondrocytes, although the precursors disappeared with time. Ammonium chloride, an inhibitor of lysosomal function, had no effect on protein loss, suggesting that the precursor was removed by a non-lysosomal mechanism, possibly by ER-associated degradation. Based on these studies, we suggest that nanomelic chondrocytes are a useful model for examining cellular trafficking and sorting events and the processes by which abnormal products are targeted for retention or degradation. Further investigations should provide insight into the mechanisms underlying chondrodystrophies and other related diseases.
12-lipoxygenase activity plays an important role in PAR4 and GPVI-mediated platelet reactivity

Following initial platelet activation, arachidonic acid is metabolised by cyclooxygenase-1 and 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX). While the role of 12-LOX in the platelet is not well defined, recent evidence suggests that it may be important for regulation of platelet activity and is agonist-specific in the manner in which it regulates platelet function. Using small molecule inhibitors selective for 12-LOX and 12-LOX-deficient mice, the role of 12-LOX in regulation of human platelet activation and thrombosis was investigated. Pharmacologically inhibiting 12-LOX resulted in attenuation of platelet aggregation, selective inhibition of dense versus alpha granule secretion, and inhibition of platelet adhesion under flow for PAR4 and collagen. Additionally, 12-LOX-deficient mice showed attenuated integrin activity to PAR4-AP and convulxin compared to wild-type mice. Finally, platelet activation by PARs was shown to be differentially dependent on COX-1 and 12-LOX with PAR1 relying on COX-1 oxidation of arachidonic acid while PAR4 being more dependent on 12-LOX for normal platelet function. These studies demonstrate an important role for 12-LOX in regulating platelet activation and thrombosis. Furthermore, the data presented here provide a basis for potentially targeting 12-LOX as a means to attenuate unwanted platelet activation and clot formation.
Photoemission and Optical Studies of the Electronic Structure of Palladium

Photoemission and optical-reflectivity measurements have been carried out on palladium samples prepared and measured in vacuum of approximately 5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ Torr for $h\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\le}11.8$ eV. In addition, photoemission measurements were made on Pd samples in poorer vacuum for $h\ensuremath{\nu}=16.8 \mathrm{and} 21.3$ eV. The optical functions ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{1}$, ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{2}$, $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sigma}$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and $\mathrm{Im}(\frac{1}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}})$ have been calculated from reflectivity data by Kramers-Kronig analysis. Optical transitions are found to be predominantly nondirect in the spectral range studied, although relatively weak direct (or nonconstant-matrix-element) transitions are also observed for $11.8 \mathrm{eV}gh\ensuremath{\nu}g9.8 \mathrm{eV}$. The valence-band optical density of states of Pd, deduced from photoemission and reflectivity data, has peaks at $E\ensuremath{-}{E}_{f}=\ensuremath{-}0.1 \mathrm{and} \ensuremath{-}1.1$ eV and is lacking in strong structure elsewhere. There is no evidence for a high density of states near $E\ensuremath{-}{E}_{f}=\ensuremath{-}5$ eV as in Ni, Co, Fe, and Cr. The $d$-band structures in Pd and Ag are found to be related rather well by the rigid-band model. Values for the density of states at the Fermi energy in Pd are obtained, and are found to be in reasonable agreement (within experimental accuracy) with values obtained from band calculations. A strong peak in the loss function obtained from reflectivity data is observed at $h\ensuremath{\nu}=7.5$ eV. This correlates with the strong peak observed at 6.8 eV in energy-loss measurements and is probably due to plasma resonance. Detailed analysis of the photoemission and optical data indicate that a peak in the energy-distribution curves, which appears 7.5 eV below the maximum energy in the energy distributions for $h\ensuremath{\nu}=18.6 \mathrm{and} 21.3$ eV, is due to electrons scattered by this plasma resonance.
INFLUENCE OF SUGGESTION ON NONFLUENCIES OF NORMAL SPEAKERS: A PILOT STUDY

A prominent idea in research on stuttering and its treatment during the past 40 years has been Wendell Johnson's Anticipatory Struggle Hypothesis (2). According to this hypothesis, the stutterer produces nonfluencies whenever he thinks he is likely to have difficulty in speaking. It was Johnson's view that there are no substantial differences between stutterers and nonstutrerers except that stutterers have been labelled "stutterers." Johnson argued that there is little the stutterer does that the nonsrurterer does not also do at some times to some extent. If Johnson's views are correct, the normal speaker should be vulnerable also to anticipated st~uggle. The purpose of the study in progress is to determine whether the frequency of nonfluencies ~n [he oral reading of common tongue twisters can be manipulated by offering varying suggestions of difficulty. A Latin square design was used in collecting and analyzing darn ( 1 ). Sixty normal-speaking adult males read three tonguetwisters arranged into six condrtrons to allow for the three possible orders and to allow suggestions of difficulty to be arranged from least to most and most to least difficult. The purposes of the pilot study were to determine whether the methodology was manageable, each tongue twister would generate a range of frequencies of nonfluenq, i.e., percentage of words on which nonfluencies occur, and suggestion was likely to have an effect on the frequency of nonfluencies. Twelve subjects, two in each condition, participated in the pilot study. The results were mixed and difficult to interpret. All three tongue twisters produced nonfluencies in wide ranges:
Association of Perioperative Hypothermia During Colectomy With Surgical Site Infection.

Importance Maintaining perioperative normothermia has been shown to decrease the rate of surgical site infection (SSI) after segmental colectomy and is part of the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Safe Surgery. However, strong evidence supporting this association is lacking, and an exact definition of normothermia has not been described. Objective To determine whether intraoperative hypothermia in patients who undergo segmental colectomy is associated with postoperative SSI. Design, Setting, and Participants In a retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary-referral hospital, 296 adult patients who underwent elective segmental colectomy from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2009, were included. Exclusion criteria included postoperative stoma, emergent or urgent operation, and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Exposures Perioperative temperature was measured continuously, and 4 possible definitions of hypothermia were explored, including temperature nadir, mean intraoperative temperature, percentage of time at the temperature nadir, and percentage of time with a temperature of less than 36.0°C. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measure was 30-day SSI. Secondary outcome measures included clinical leak, return to the operating room, and nasogastric tube placement (a surrogate for ileus). Results The mean (SD) findings were as follows: intraoperative temperature, 35.9°C (0.6°C); temperature nadir, 34.3°C (2.8°C); percentage of time at the nadir, 4.7% (10.8%); and percentage of time with a temperature of less than 36.0°C, 49.9% (42.0%). The rate of SSI was 12.2% (n = 36). There was no statistically significant difference in temperature measurements between the patients who developed an SSI and those who did not. Logistic regression models evaluated each exposure measure and its effect on SSI, adjusting for body mass index, smoking status, and sex. The adjusted analyses revealed no association between intraoperative hypothermia and 30-day SSI (odds ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.76-1.81; P = .48). Increased body mass index (odds ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.10-1.76; P = .007) was significantly associated with SSI in all 4 logistic regression models. Conclusions and Relevance Patients who underwent segmental colectomy and sustained a period of intraoperative hypothermia were no more likely to develop an SSI than those who were normothermic.
Representativeness of Environmental Samples

The meaning of “representativeness” is often bound to the environmental context in which the samples are taken. Examples of qualitative interpretations of representativeness drawn from environmental regulations are shown. The concept of macro- and microscale understanding of representativeness is discussed and linked to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Quality System and its associated guidance.
High-Level Expression in Escherichia coli and Purification of the Membrane-Bound Form of Cytochrome b5

Expression of the membrane-bound form of rabbit cytochrome b(5) in Escherichia coli has been significantly improved through the use of the T7 expression vector pLW01 (A. Bridges, L. Gruenke, Y.-T. Chang, I. Vakser, G. Loew, and L. Waskell, 1998, J. Biol. Chem. 273, 17036-17049) in conjunction with strain C41(DE3) (B. Miroux and J. Walker, 1996, J. Mol. Biol. 260, 289-298). Cell cultures expressing the cytochrome b(5) contained an average of 820 mg/liter of culture and reached peak levels as high as 1100 mg/liter when higher antibiotic concentrations were used. Maximal levels were obtained from cultures when expression was induced with 10 microM IPTG. Approximately 90% of the cytochrome b(5) was expressed as apoprotein which was reconstituted by addition of exogenous heme. The cytochrome b(5) was purified from detergent-solubilized bacterial membranes using anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose followed by size-exclusion chromatography on Superdex-75. Purification of cytochrome b(5) from a 500-ml culture yielded 121 mg of protein which had a specific content of 50 nmol of heme per milligram of protein with an overall recovery of 35%. The final cytochrome b(5) was free of any detectable contaminants when analyzed by SDS-PAGE.
The Disclosure of UK Boardroom Pay: the March 2001 DTI proposals

In March 2001 the government announced that new disclosure rules relating to UK boardroom pay would be introduced. This paper critically evaluates these proposals. The new proposals emerged from the government’s Directors Remuneration consultative document issued in July 1999. The current paper makes the following contributions to the governance literature. First, the new disclosure proposals are reviewed. I suggest that they are incomplete both in their detail and scope. I also suggest that the government has conceded that more US style executive compensation disclosure is required. Second, I describe US executive compensation disclosure practices. If convergence in disclosure practice is potentially desirable then a more systematic comparison and analysis of current disclosure policies in the two economies is warranted.
Revisiting optimal hormonal contraception following bariatric surgery.

Surgical weight loss alternatives most popularly gastric banding and gastric bypass are an increasingly common strategy for greater and more durable weight reduction among reproductive-aged women. As surgical weight loss becomes more commonly performed in women of reproductive age addressing the need for adequate contraception in post-bariatric-surgery patients is more frequently becoming an issue. There is limited an inconsistent evidence on the adverse effects of rapid weight loss on pregnancy and about the decreased effectiveness of hormonal contraceptive among obese women. A discussion and evaluation of the limited studies and evidence concerning OCP effectiveness after bariatric surgical procedures with malabsorption includes concerns about OCP and IUD use. In conclusion there is a critical need to establish a rational plan of action for women who undergo bariatric surgery and require contraception as the operation raises a number of concerns for women. To address these issues including reduced fertility future studies should compare the hormonal profiles of women who are taking OCPs following bariatric surgery to those of obese control women. Lastly there is a wide opportunity for clinicians to improve counseling and increase the use of an adequate contraception in this understudied population; health care coordination between gynecologists and bariatric surgeons is crucial. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.