cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Affitoxin--a novel recombinant, HER2-specific, anticancer agent for targeted therapy of HER2-positive tumors.

Expression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is amplified in 25% to 30% of breast cancers and has been associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Here we report the construction, purification, and characterization of Affitoxin—a novel class of HER2-specific cytotoxic molecules co
Global storm time auroral X‐ray morphology and timing and comparison with UV measurements

The Polar Ionospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (PIXIE) on NASA's Polar spacecraft provides the first global images of the auroral oval in X-rays and allows very accurate measurements of the timing of geomagnetic disturbances to a degree of temporal resolution not available from previous imagers due to its photon counting characteristics. On October 19, 1998, a magnetic cloud associated with a CME encountered the Earth's magnetopause near 0500 UT, generating a magnetic storm that reached a minimum value in Dst of -139 nT. The z component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) (B z ) remained remarkably steady for the first 10 hours of the storm as did the solar wind particle pressure. The PIXIE and UVI instruments on the Polar spacecraft were both imaging the auroral oval from 0800 to 1800 UT; six distinct impulsive auroral enhancements were observed by the imagers during this time period. Global imaging combined with geosynchronous particle observations allowed classification of the geomagnetic disturbances associated with the events. Only two of the events were classified as substorms; one was classified as a poleward boundary intensification, one was a convection bay, and one was a pseudobreakup. A sixth event occurred after a dramatic northward turning of the IMF at the end of the 10-hour B z south period but was very weak and transient. The effects of the northward turning were counteracted by a simultaneous increase in the B y component of the IMF. The first sign of significant substorm activity occurred over 8 hours after the cloud encountered the Earth and was not associated with any change in the solar wind magnetic field or particle pressure. The cross polar cap potential remained large (> 100 kV), and most of the X-ray emissions observed were associated with enhanced earthward convection caused by large cross-tail electric fields; 50% were collected from the 0000 - 0600 magnetic local time (MLT) sector.
Inhibition of repair of UV-damaged DNA by caffeine and mutation induction in Chinese hamster cells.

Abstract The effect of caffeine on UV-irradiated Chinese hamster cells in vitro was studied on the cellular and molecular levels. Caffeine (1 m M ) was shown to decrease the colony-forming ability and the frequencies of spontaneous and UV-induced mutations in Chinese hamster cells. The effect of caffeine in reducing the frequency of UV-induced mutations was demonstrated only if caffeine was present in the culture medium during the first post-irradiation cell division. Using alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation, both parental and newly synthesized DNA in UV-irradiated and unirradiated cells were studied in the presence and absence of caffeine. Caffeine affected the sedimentation profile of DNA synthesized in UV-irradiated cells but not in unirradiated cells. Caffeine had no apparent effect on the incorporation of [ 3 H]-thymidine into DNA of control or UV-irradiated cells, nor on the small amount of excision of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers. These results may be interpreted by a hypothesis that caffeine inhibits a certain S-phase specific, post-replication, dark-repair mechanism. The hamster and perhaps other rodent cells exposed to low doses of UV are capable of DNA replication, by-passing the non-excised pyrimidine dimers. This postulated repair process probably involves de novo DNA synthesis to seal the gaps in the nascent strand. This repair may be also responsible for the enzymatic production of mutations.
Gender, Identity and Intercultural Transformation in Second Language Socialisation

In L2 learners' second language socialisation process, males and females from different sociocultural backgrounds have diverse attitudes and access to second language acquisition. In this study, informed by feminist poststructuralist theory, we can see the highly context-sensitive nature of the gendered practices and the corresponding outcomes of language learning and language contact. The study generalises from the assumptions of previous feminist poststructuralist studies on the ideologies of gender and language and integrates these with intercultural transformation theory. This theoretical framework is used to explain L2 learners'/users' reconstruction and transformation of gendered performance during their discursive reestablishment of social identities in heterogeneous sociocultural contexts. The dynamic and constantly changing nature of L2 learners' gendered identity has significant implications for second language educators, by ‘open(ing) up possibility for educational intervention’ (Peirce, 1995: ...
Fluid discharge resulting from puncture of spherical process vessels

Abstract Risk analysis associated with incidents of puncture or rupture of process vessels generally requires estimation of actual or average fluid discharge rates resulting from such an incident. Most formulas developed to date for fluid discharge rates from vessels generally assume that the flow opening is located at the bottom of the vessel; this is undoubtedly due to the previously predominant interest in computing time requirements for gravity drainage of process or storage vessels. An accidental puncture however, such as resulting from a moving vehicle, can occur at almost any elevation. Hence, from a risk analysis point of view, it would be useful to have formulas which would estimate fluid discharge amounts and rates from a flow opening at any arbitrary elevation. In this article, the differential and algebraic equations governing liquid discharge from an opening at any point on the surface of a spherical vessel are solved. This solution is then generalized in terms of dimension-less efflux times, liquid volumes and average release rates as functions of dimensionless elevations.
Electromagnetic coupling through apertures by the generalized admittance approach

Abstract This paper is a tutorial presentation of the use of the generalized admittance approach to aperture problems. An integral equation is written for the unknown equivalent magnetic current over the aperture region. The generalized network representation is obtained by applying the method of moments to the integral equation. The formulation is applied to the problem of an aperture in a perfectly conducting plane, an aperture in a waveguide, and an aperture in a cavity. Computed results for several examples are included.
Role of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Amelioration of Experimental Autoimmune Hepatitis Following Activation of TRPV1 Receptors by Cannabidiol

Background Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are getting increased attention as one of the main regulatory cells of the immune system. They are induced at sites of inflammation and can potently suppress T cell functions. In the current study, we demonstrate how activation of TRPV1 vanilloid receptors can trigger MDSCs, which in turn, can inhibit inflammation and hepatitis.
Characterizing the Influence of Land Area and Nameplate Capacity on the Optimal Wind Farm Performance

The development of utility-scale wind farms that can produce energy at a cost comparable to that of conventional energy resources presents significant challenges to today’s wind energy industry. The consideration of the combined impact of key design and environmental factors on the performance of a wind farm is a crucial part of the solution to this challenge. The state of the art in optimal wind project planning includes wind farm layout design and more recently turbine selection. The scope of farm layout optimization and the predicted wind project performance however depends on several other critical site-scale factors, which are often not explicitly accounted for in the wind farm planning literature. These factors include: (i) the land area per MW installed (LAMI), and (ii) the nameplate capacity (in MW) of the farm. In this paper, we develop a framework to quantify and analyze the roles of these crucial design factors in optimal wind farm planning. A set of sample values of LAMI and installed farm capacities is first defined. For each sample farm definition, simultaneous optimization of the farm layout and turbine selection is performed to maximize the farm capacity factor (CF). To this end, we apply the recently developed Unrestricted Wind Farm Layout Optimization (UWFLO) method. The CF of the optimized farm is then represented as a function of the nameplate capacity and the LAMI, using response surface methodologies. The variation of the optimized CF with these site-scale factors is investigated for a representative wind site in North Dakota. It was found that, a desirable CF value corresponds to a cutoff “LAMI vs nameplate capacity” curve — the identification of this cutoff curve is critical to the development of an economically viable wind energy project.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Solubility profiles for antipyrine and aminopyrine in hydroalcoholic solutions

Abstract The solubilities of antipyrine and aminopyrine have been determined in binary mixtures of ethanol and water of known dielectric constants. The solubility curves produced in this solvent system were compared with the solubility curves found in dioxane–water mixtures. The dielectric requirements (DR's) are apparently not correlatable in these two solvent systems, and the constancy of DR's may be questioned. The solubility ratios of these 2 solutes in the binary mixtures studied is also discussed. In addition, the dielectric constants of the saturated solutions were determined and compared to the dielectric constants of the binary mixtures. It is felt that these data may lead to a consideration of “solute” or “inherent” polarity for these materials.
Half-scan cone-beam X-ray microtomography formula

An x-ray shadow projection microtomographic system using a scannable point source is under development at AMIL-ARTS, SUNY at Buffalo. To overcome the limitations of the commonly used Feldkamp's cone-beam reconstruction formula, we have developed a generalized Feldkamp-type cone-beam reconstruction formula. In the generalized Feldkamp-type cone-beam reconstruction, a scanning locus can be either planar or helix-like, and a transaxial slice is reconstructed using projection data collected from a 360 degrees angular range (full scan). In this paper, the full-scan cone-beam formula is modified to require only projection data of approximate 180 degrees plus two fan-angles (half scan). First, a half-scan derivative-free noncircular fan-beam reconstruction formula is formulated. Then, a half-scan cone-beam reconstruction formula is derived as an extension of the half-scan fan-beam reconstruction formula using Feldkamp's procedure. Typical numerical simulation results are given for both half-scan formulae. Compared with the full-scan cone-beam formula, the half-scan cone-beam formula reduces the involved angular range of projection data and allows better longitudinal/temporal resolution.
Down modulation of topoisomerase I affects DNA repair efficiency.

Abstract Topoisomerase I (topo I) relaxes supercoiled DNA through a breakage/rejoining reaction which involves a transient covalent bond between topo I and the 3′ end of the cleaved DNA strand. Topo I activity is now shown to be involved in DNA damage/repair pathway in vivo. Down regulating topo I levels using anti-sense RNA approach inhibits repair of UV-induced DNA lesions, negatively affects clonogenic survival following UV-irradiation, and reduces the formation of repair patches at the cytological level. Finally, topo I is actively recruited onto genomic DNA following DNA damage by UV light without inducing ubiquitin-dependent degradation of topo I. Thus, topo I activity is important, possibly required, for pre- or post-DNA damage processing in nucleotide excision repair (NER).
The Role of Social Support Network in College Persistence among Freshman Students

This study examined the role of social support networks in student persistence among residential and commuter students at an urban technical arts college for a 12-week duration. Fifteen commuter students and 25 residential students completed the study. The research methodology was social network analysis. Findings indicate that commuter students are less likely to persist in their college studies, students residing in student housing facilities experience significant and abrupt changes in social network density. However, residential students who reported making greater numbers of new friends with connections to the school also reported attaining personal and academic goals at a rate significantly greater than other subjects. The article concludes with a discussion about the role and importance of a socially connected academic community to learning and persistence.
Severe reduction in food intake by pregnant rats resembles a learned food aversion.

Abstract To assess the effects of sucrose, low levels of dietary protein, and pregnancy on food intake, sixty-four female rats were assigned to eight groups in a 2×2×2 design. Food, water, and sucrose intake and rats' weights were measured daily. Pregnant rats offered sucrose with low protein (80%) diets did not maintain adequate weight gain during pregnancy; 25% of these subjects perished during the last days of pregnancy. These results have implications for human populations that have high birth rates and diets that are deficient in protein. A hormonal mechanism which regulates appetite or taste preferences during pregnancy is postulated and a “learned food aversion” interpretation is given for the data.
The magnet power servo system for the Princeton-Pennsylvania proton synchrotron

Abstract The magnet power regulation system for the Princeton-Pennsylvania 19 c/s repetition rate 3 GeV Proton Synchrotron is described and analyzed. Rotating machinery is used for supplying the losses of the complex resonance system powering the magnets. The magnet field variation is a dc biased sinewave having a minimum field of 250 gauss and a peak field of 13 800 gauss. The fluctuations are controlled so as to be less than one gauss peak-peak.
WE-C-ValB-04: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Detects Metabolic Changes Upon Chemotherapy of Human Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Xenografts

A preliminary multi‐institutional study has recently demonstrated that ratios of the hosphomonoesters, phosphoethanolamine plus phosphocholine, to NTP of human non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) easured by 31P MRS before initiation of therapy can identify about 2/3 of the patients who will not exhibit a complete local clinical response. These patients should be encouraged to undergo more aggressive alternative therapy, which entails some risk of mortality but also offers hope of response, remission or cure. However, the limited sensitivity of 31P MRS limits its application mostly to large, superficial tumors. We have, therefore, been developing much more sensitive 1H MRS and MRI methods to examine smaller tumors. Here we report studies of mouse xenografts of the most common form of human NHL and the only form that exhibits cures (in about 1/3 of the patients) — diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLCL2). In vivo 1H MRS using a selective multiple quantum coherence pulse sequence (Sel‐MQC) detected decreases of lactate and total choline in DLCL2 tumors treated with three cycles of CHOP (cyclophospamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) chemotherapy with Bryostatin added to suppress expression of the mdr1 gene. Single voxel localized spectroscopy (STEAM) detected decreases in choline and lactate/lipid that accompanied response. These changes correlated decreases in phosphomonesters detected by 31P MRS with tumor growth delay. In vivo data were correlated with data on tumor extracts. Our data suggest that 1H MRS may provide a very sensitive method for detecting early response of human NHL to chemotherapy; 1H MRI studies of response are in progress.
Accuracy of selective venous sampling for intact parathyroid hormone in difficult patients with recurrent or persistent hyperparathyroidism

Abstract Background. Preoperative noninvasive localization studies of the neck and mediastinum are beneficial before reoperation. However, the role of selective venous sampling (SVS) for parathyroid hormone (PTH) in reoperative parathyroid surgery has never been clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of SVS when applied selectively to the subset of patients with indeterminate noninvasive localization studies. Methods. Between January 1990 and December 2001, 64 of 235 (27%) patients with persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism were considered candidates for SVS in addition to noninvasive localization studies. Accuracy of SVS for PTH was retrospectively evaluated. Results. Successful surgical treatment was achieved in 86% of these patients. SVS for PTH yielded true-positive results in 75% of patients and was not useful for the surgeon in 17% (completely false-positive in 12% and indeterminate in 5%). In 2% of patients, SVS identified successfully 1 gland but failed to locate another abnormal gland. In 6% of patients, the location of the abnormal parathyroid tissue remained unknown, and the patients have persistent hyperparathyroidism. Conclusions. We showed that SVS is clinically useful in patients with persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism when the noninvasive localization studies do not clearly localize the abnormal parathyroid glands. (Surgery 2002;132:944-51.)
RGS13 Regulates Germinal Center B Lymphocytes Responsiveness to CXC Chemokine Ligand (CXCL)12 and CXCL13

Normal lymphoid tissue development and function depend upon directed cell migration. Providing guideposts for cell movement and positioning within lymphoid tissues, chemokines signal through cell surface receptors that couple to heterotrimeric G proteins, which are in turn subject to regulation by regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins. In this study, we report that germinal center B lymphocytes and thymic epithelial cells strongly express one of the RGS family members, RGS13. Located between Rgs1 and Rgs2, Rgs13 spans 42 kb on mouse chromosome 1. Rgs13 encodes a 157-aa protein that shares 82% amino acid identity with its 159-aa human counterpart. In situ hybridization with sense and antisense probes localized Rgs13 expression to the germinal center regions of mouse spleens and Peyer's patches and to the thymus medulla. Affinity-purified RGS13 Abs detected RGS13-expressing cells in the light zone of the germinal center. RGS13 interacted with both Gialpha and Gqalpha and strongly impaired signaling through G(i)-linked signaling pathways, including signaling through the chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR5. Prolonged CD40 signaling up-regulated RGS13 expression in human tonsil B lymphocytes. These results plus previous studies of RGS1 indicate the germinal center B cells use two RGS proteins, RGS1 and RGS13, to regulate their responsiveness to chemokines.
Participatory action research with self-help groups: an alternative paradigm for inquiry and action.

I have not sought here to make a case for participatory action research as theonly mode for inquiry and action with self-help groups, but to raise issues that may help counter the dominance of the conventional model and encourage a more pluralistic scientific enterprise. Researchers must be competent in and free to use (or try to use) whatever paradigms and techniques best fit their own epistemological preferences, the phenomena they wish to understand, and the goals and resources they and their coparticipants have. In particular, the assumptions and operating styles associated with PAR seem especially relevant and useful for inquiry and action that can advance knowledge about, and contribute to the effectiveness of, self-help groups. Dogma about “the proper scientific method” may suit the current scientific establishment and governmental funding agencies, but it does not necessarily lead to good research, research that is valid and useful to the scholarly community and to the self-help movement.
A covariance condition in finite plasticity and related constitutive results

This article investigates the role of covariance in a theory of finite strain plasticity based on the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient. A covariance description for the energy function is developed, and the nature of referential covariance is explored. The implications of the covariance condition on the flow rule and the elastic-plastic tangent tensor are discussed.
Scattering performance of plasmonic nanorod antennas: An accurate and fast computational scheme

A fast and efficient computational scheme to characterize scattering from plasmonic nanorod antennas employing macro basis functions is introduced. This is a physics-based numerical paradigm with significant impact on computational nanophotonics.
The conscious access hypothesis: origins and recent evidence

Consciousness might help to mobilize and integrate brain functions that are otherwise separate and independent. Evidence for this 'conscious access hypothesis' was described almost two decades ago, in a framework called global workspace theory. The theory had little impact at first, for three reasons: because consciousness was controversial; the evidence, though extensive, was indirect; and integrative theory was unfashionable. Recent neuroimaging evidence appears broadly to support the hypothesis, which has implications for perception, learning, working memory, voluntary control, attention and self systems in the brain.
How quantitative is education

Abstract The quantitative aspects of two general subjects in education are examined and discussed. They are mass or standardized testing and teaching ability. Questions of whether each of these subjects is quantitative in some sense and the consequences of the findings are discussed and explored. On the basis of the exposition presented in the paper, the conclusion is reached that: (a) the quantitative aspects of testing are such that the consequences of testing can be evaluated; (b) one is forced to be much less sanguine about the possibility of listing the consequences associated with an evaluation of teaching ability.
Multi-target tracking by on-line learned discriminative appearance models

We present an approach for online learning of discriminative appearance models for robust multi-target tracking in a crowded scene from a single camera. Although much progress has been made in developing methods for optimal data association, there has been comparatively less work on the appearance models, which are key elements for good performance. Many previous methods either use simple features such as color histograms, or focus on the discriminability between a target and the background which does not resolve ambiguities between the different targets. We propose an algorithm for learning a discriminative appearance model for different targets. Training samples are collected online from tracklets within a time sliding window based on some spatial-temporal constraints; this allows the models to adapt to target instances. Learning uses an Ad-aBoost algorithm that combines effective image descriptors and their corresponding similarity measurements. We term the learned models as OLDAMs. Our evaluations indicate that OLDAMs have significantly higher discrimination between different targets than conventional holistic color histograms, and when integrated into a hierarchical association framework, they help improve the tracking accuracy, particularly reducing the false alarms and identity switches.
Overcoming the Diffusion Barrier: Ultra-Fast Micro-Scale Mixing Via Ferrofluids

We report on the design, development, fabrication and characterization of a novel, micro-scale mixing device based on stable water suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles (i.e. ferrofluids). The micromixer prototypes are built using standard microfabrication and simple soft-lithography, and the design can be incorporated as a sub-system into any chemical micro-reactor or a miniaturized biological sensor. The devices achieve mixing virtually instantaneously and may be used to greatly increase mass transport towards chemically or biologically active sites on lab-on-a-chip devices for rapid incubation and highly improved detection sensitivity.
UTLB: a mechanism for address translation on network interfaces

An important aspect of a high-speed network system is the ability to transfer data directly between the network interface and application buffers. Such a direct data path requires the network interface to "know" the virtual-to-physical address translation of a user buffer, i.e., the physical memory location of the buffer. This paper presents an efficient address translation architecture, User-managed TLB (UTLB), which eliminates system calls and device interrupts from the common communication path. UTLB also supports application-specific policies to pin and unpin application memory. We report micro-benchmark results for an implementation on Myrinet PC clusters. A trace-driven analysis is used to compare the UTLB approach with the interrupt-based approach. It is also used to study the effects of UTLB cache size, associativity, and prefetching. Our results show that the UTLB approach delivers robust performance with relatively small translation cache sizes.
Effects of the resolution and kinematics of olfactory appendages on the interception of chemical signals in a turbulent odor plume

A variety of animals use olfactory appendages bearing arrays of chemosensory neurons to detect chemical signatures in the water or air around them. This study investigates how particular aspects of the design and behavior of such olfactory appendages on benthic aquatic animals affect the patterns of intercepted chemical signals in a turbulent odor plume. We use virtual olfactory `sensors' and `antennules' (arrays of sensors on olfactory appendages) to interrogate the concentration field from an experimental dataset of a scalar plume developing in a turbulent boundary layer. The aspects of the sensors that we vary are: (1) The spatial and temporal scales over which chemical signals arriving at the receptors of a sensor are averaged (e.g., by subsequent neural processing), and (2) the shape and orientation of a sensor with respect to ambient water flow. Our results indicate that changes in the spatial and temporal resolution of a sensor can dramatically alter its interception of the intermittency and variability of the scalar field in a plume. By comparing stationary antennules with those sweeping through the flow (as during antennule flicking by the spiny lobster, Panulirus argus), we show that flicking alters the frequency content of the scalar signal, and increases the likelihood that the antennule encounters peak events. Flicking also enables a long, slender (i.e., one-dimensional) antennule to intercept two-dimensional scalar patterns.
An integrated multimedia environment for speech recognition using handwriting and written gestures

To provide a natural interface to the computer, we present an integrated speech, gesture, and handwriting recognition system. By integrating these technologies, we can easily accomplish all the tasks that are needed to use computers and their applications, including many tasks which neither technology can adequately perform by itself. This integrated environment not only makes it easier for novices to use computers but also increases the productivity of experienced computer users.
A more accurate algorithm for computing the Christoffel transformation

A monic Jacobi matrix is a tridiagonal matrix which contains the parameters of the three-term recurrence relation satisfied by the sequence of monic polynomials orthogonal with respect to a measure. The basic Christoffel transformation with shift @a transforms the monic Jacobi matrix associated with a measure [email protected] into the monic Jacobi matrix associated with ([email protected])[email protected] This transformation is known for its numerous applications to quantum mechanics, integrable systems, and other areas of mathematics and mathematical physics. From a numerical point of view, the Christoffel transformation is essentially computed by performing one step of the LR algorithm with shift, but this algorithm is not stable. We propose a more accurate algorithm, estimate its forward errors, and prove that it is forward stable, i.e., that the obtained forward errors are of similar magnitude to those produced by a backward stable algorithm. This means that the magnitude of the errors is the best one can expect, because it reflects the sensitivity of the problem to perturbations in the input data.
Principles of multilevel modelling

Background Multilevel modelling, also known as hierarchical regression, generalizes ordinary regression modelling to distinguish multiple levels of information in a model. Use of multiple levels gives rise to an enormous range of statistical benefits. To aid in understanding these benefits, this article provides an elementary introduction to the conceptual basis for multilevel modelling, beginning with classical frequentist, Bayes, and empirical-Bayes techniques as special cases. The article focuses on the role of multilevel averaging ('shrinkage') in the reduction of estimation error, and the role of prior information in finding good averages.
Predictors of postdischarge complications: role of in-hospital length of stay.

Abstract Background Surgical length of stay (LOS) has been correlated with quality of care, with shorter stays implying better care. The relationship between LOS and postdischarge complications (PDCs) has not been evaluated effectively. Methods The 2005 to 2007 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data were queried for patients undergoing elective colectomies. The outcome of interest was the development of a PDC. Multivariate analysis was then performed adjusting for demographics, surgical approach, and comorbidities. Results A total of 12,956 colectomies were analyzed with an overall PDC of 8.7%. LOS was not associated with increased odds of developing a PDC. The laparoscopic approach reduced the risk of PDCs by 30% (odds ratio = .70, 95% confidence interval, 0.61–0.81). Body mass index, female sex, the presence of diabetes mellitus, and prolonged operative time increased the odds of developing a PDC. Conclusions A shorter LOS did not correlate with a reduction in the likelihood of PDCs. Further investigation into the role of LOS as a measure of quality care is needed.
The Structure and Properties of a Ti-25Al-10Nb-3V-1mo Alloy

Six super α2 titanium aluminide pancakes were produced by rapid omnidirectional compaction of prealloyed Ti-25Al-l0Nb-3V-lMo (at%) [Ti- 14.1Al-19.5Nb-3.2V-2Mo (wt%)] powder. Various solution and aging heat treatments were investigated to yield the best combination of tensile and stress rupture properties. The β transus temperature was found to be about 1,090 °C (1,990 °F). The alloy was heat treated with four different schedules to develop various structure combinations of α2 and β, and followed by a series of microstructural analyses and mechanical property determinations. The highest ultimate tensile strength and yield strength attained at room temperature were 1,174.9 and 977.7 MPa (170.4 and 141.8 ksi), respectively, for a specimen heat treated at 1,140 °C (2,084 °F) for 1 hr and aged at 816 °C (1,500 °F) for 4 hr + air cooling. However, the elongation was less than 2%. Under the same heat treatment condition, the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength measured at 427 °C (800 °F) were 1,139.1 and 711.6 MPa (165.2 and 103.2 ksi), respectively, with an elongation of 6.7%. The alloy also showed good stress rupture resistance. Compared with a similar hot isostatically pressed material, the current alloy shows superior mechanical properties due to a finer microstructure.
A Comparative Analysis of Determinants of Birth Rates in East Asian and Western Countries

Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are known to have extremely low fertility rates that are lower than the level to reproduce their populations. In this study, we discuss how and why this happened, utilizing a comparative analysis among the three East Asian countries (Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) and six Western countries (the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain). Different economic structures and social systems might explain why East Asian countries generally have lower fertility rates than their Western counterparts. We first attempt to show that even among the six Western countries and three nations in East Asia, the differences in social and economic circumstances have led to different trends in fertility rates in the past 30 years. We then argue that women’s welfare in all nine countries is the key factor to explain differences in fertility rates among these societies.
Are Antibiotics Necessary After Incision and Drainage of a Cutaneous Abscess

From the Editor-Emergency physicians must often make decisions about patient management without clear-cut data of sufficient quality to support clinical guidelines or evidence-based reviews. Topics in the Best Available Evidence section must be relevant to emergency physicians, are formally peer-reviewed, and must have a sufficient literature base to draw a reasonable conclusion, but not such a large literature base that a traditional "evidence-based" review, meta-analysis or systematic review can be performed.
A metaanalysis of clinical trials comparing moclobemide with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of major depressive disorder

Objective: To compare response rates among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with either moclobemide, an antidepressant thought to simultaneously enhance both noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Methods: Using a random-effects model, we combined 12 trials involving 1207 outpatients with MDD. Results: Patients treated with moclobemide were as likely to experience clinical response as those treated with SSRIs (risk ratio 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.92 to 1.26; P = 0.314). Simply pooling response rates for the 2 agents resulted in a 62.1% response rate for moclobemide and a 57.5% response rate for the SSRIs. A metaregression did not reveal a statistically significant relation between the mean moclobemide dosage for each study and the risk ratio for response rates. Further, we found no difference between the 2 treatments in overall discontinuation rates, discontinuation rates due to adverse events, or discontinuation rates due to lack of efficacy. Also, rates of fatigue or somnolence and of insomnia were similar between the 2 treatment groups. However, SSRI treatment was associated with higher rates of nausea, headaches, and treatment-emergent anxiety than was treatment with moclobemide. Conclusions: These results suggest that moclobemide and the SSRIs do differ with respect to their side effect profiles but not in their overall efficacy in the treatment of MDD.
Genetic support for the evolutionary theory of reproductive transactions in social wasps.

Recent evolutionary models of reproductive partitioning within animal societies (known as 'optimal skew', 'concessions' or 'transactional' models) predict that a dominant individual will often yield some fraction of the group's reproduction to a subordinate as an incentive to stay in the group and help rear the dominant's offspring. These models quantitatively predict how the magnitude of the subordinate's 'staying incentive' will vary with the genetic relatedness between dominant and subordinate, the overall expected group output and the subordinate's expected output if it breeds solitarily. We report that these predictions accord remarkably well with the observed reproductive partitioning between conesting dominant and subordinate queens in the social paper wasp Polistes fuscatus. In particular, the theory correctly predicts that (i) the dominant's share of reproduction, i.e. the skew, increases as the colony cycle progresses and (ii) the skew is positively associated both with the colony's productivity and with the relatedness between dominant and subordinate. Moreover, aggression between foundresses positively correlated with the skew, as predicted by transactional but not alternative tug-of-war models of societal evolution. Thus, our results provide the strongest (quantitative support yet for a unifying model of social evolution.
Predictive Validity and the Impact of Change in Total LSI-R Score on Recidivism:

The Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) is an assessment instrument designed to evaluate the risks and needs of offenders. The current study examines the predictive validity of the LSI-R wit...
How Faith-Based Social Service Organizations Manage Secular Pressures Associated with Government Funding

This article reports selected findings from a qualitative case study of two faith-based social service organizations to address two questions: (1) How does government funding influence the religious characteristics of faith-based social service organizations? (2) How do government-funded, faith-based social service organizations manage the tensions arising from both secular and religious contexts? The findings suggest that the adaptation of secular institutional practices is not as inevitable as some have feared. Rather, the two organizations studied showed convincingly that their faith traditions and values were alive and widely evident throughout their organizations. Three key strategies emerged as means for maintaining religiousness in the face of secular pressures: (1) Religious identities were perceived as given rather than chosen, and therefore were not negotiable; (2) religious values provided strong justification for seeking relationships with others who do not share their faith; (3) the religious worldview blurred religious and secular distinctions so that secular technologies and practices could comfortably be utilized.
Differential Regulation of Enteric and Systemic Salmonellosis by slyA

Mutation of slyA, which reduces Salmonella typhimurium virulence in mice, caused only minor attenuation of S. typhimurium virulence in orally inoculated calves. This correlated with modest reductions in intestinal invasion and enteropathogenic responses in bovine ligated ileal loops. slyA appears to regulate virulence genes involved in systemic, but not enteric, salmonellosis.
Ruminal metabolic development in calves weaned conventionally or early.

Abstract Eight neonatal bull calves were rumen fistulated and assigned to one of two weaning programs to study the effect of diet and weaning age on ruminal metabolic development. All calves were fed colostrum until 3 d of age and milk until weaning. Calves in the early weaning program were fed milk and a highly palatable, prestarter diet until they consumed 227 g/d and then a mixture of 227g of prestarter and all the starter diet they would eat. Calves in this group were weaned at 4 wk of age. Calves in the conventional weaning program were fed milk and a starter diet and weaned at 6 wk of age. Eight ruminal samples were collected over 12h from each calf at 1, 4, 8, and 12 wk of age. Ruminal fluid samples were analyzed for pH, VFA, NH 3 N, and L(+)- lactate and D(−)-lactate concentrations. Calves weaned early had lower ruminal pH, higher total VFA concentration, and higher molar proportion of butyrate than conventionally weaned calves. Ruminal NH 3 N and lactate concentrations were not significantly affected by the weaning program, although lactate tended to be higher in calves weaned early. Ruminal VFA concentration increased and NH 3 N concentration decreased with increased feed consumption by calves in both groups. Molar proportions of acetate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate decreased, and those of propionate increased with age in both groups. Apparently, ruminal metabolic development, as evidenced by changes in fermentation products, was faster in calves weaned early than in calves weaned conventionally.
Contextual Information Portals

There is a wealth of information on the Web about any number of topics. Many communities in developing regions are often interested in information relating to specific topics. For example, health workers are interested in specific medical information regarding epidemic diseases in their region while teachers and students are interested in educational information relating to their curriculum. This paper presents the design of Contextual Information Portals, searchable information portals that contain a vertical slice of the Web about arbitrary topics tailored to a specific context. Contextual portals are particularly useful for communities that lack Internet or Web access or in regions with very poor network connectivity. This paper outlines the design space for constructing contextual information portals and describes the key technical challenges involved. We have implemented a proof-of-concept of our ideas, and performed an initial evaluation on a variety of topics relating to epidemiology, agriculture, and education.
Eschewing the Luddite: Does Technology Make for Better Democracy?

President Barack Obama addressed a graduating class and argued that: With iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. With those comments he reignited a debate about the role of technology in democracy. While much has been written about how new information technologies can facilitate more participation, make for better governance through more efficient and economic, yet responsive, public administration, and the romantic Deweyian ideal which requires a well-informed citizenry as part of a democracy, there is a lack of contemporary empirical analysis about the role of individuals access to information and their democratic dispositions. This article will empirically tests the relationship between technological consumption with a crucial democratic orientation that is widely viewed as underlying civic culture, citizens levels of political tolerance. The optimistic hypothesis would posit that those who consume high levels of electronic media are better connected to the world and are exposed to a wide array of information about foreign cultures and important policy issues thus making them more empathetic towards outsider groups in the process. The more pessimistic hypothesis would argue that those who take in more electronic media will be lower levels of political tolerance.
Income Tax Simplification Proposals

This paper proposes various moves for simplification of the task of computing the tax base under the individual income tax, with a principal view of making the income tax capable of compliance by “ordinary” individuals without the aid of tax preparation software or outside assistance. Another aim of simplification is to render taxpayers’ perception of it as being internally coherent, and not as a Christmas tree showering an array of goodies (and baddies) to the highest (and lowest) bidders. Simplification is offered here as a “good government” project.Some of the proposals are tied to commonly-circulated “tax reform” proposals, and others are not. The proposals are too numerous to list in this abstract, but include the following: (1) simplifying the computation of taxable income, (2) reconstituting low-income tax credits, (3) eliminating various personal deductions while also eliminating various back-handed itemized deduction cut-down rules, (4) adding various rules for the purpose of eliminating fact-intensive controversies, (5) simplifying accounting for residence-related income production (mainly by eliminating depreciation), (6) eliminating spurious COD income, (7) eliminating the distinction between alimony and child support, (8) simplifying (cash) accounting for small business, (9) mandating GAAP accounting for C corporations, (10) simplifying the income taxation of certain estates, (11) treating all inter vivos trusts as grantor trusts, (12) proposing a portfolio approach to publicly traded investments, (13) proposing a single-rate system for all individual taxpayers, (14) noting various ways of simplifying the capital gains apparatus, (15) taxing all personal injury recoveries, (16) simplifying and rationalizing the law relating to deferred compensation, (17) requiring pass-through taxation of nonpublic business entities, (18) disallowing the interest deduction for C corporations, (19) repealing the E & P apparatus, and (20) eliminating § 911, as well as proposing numerous items of a more technical nature.
Oxygen-Release-Related Thermal Stability and Decomposition Pathways of LixNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Cathode Materials

The thermal stability of charged cathode materials is one of the critical properties affecting the safety characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. New findings on the thermal-stability and thermal-decomposition pathways related to the oxygen release are discovered for the high-voltage spinel LixNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) with ordered (o-) and disordered (d-) structures at the fully delithiated (charged) state using a combination of in situ time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) during heating. Both o- and d- LixNi0.5Mn1.5O4, at their fully charged states, start oxygen-releasing structural changes at temperatures below 300 °C, which is in sharp contrast to the good thermal stability of the 4V-spinel LixMn2O4 with no oxygen being released up to 375 °C. This is mainly caused by the presence of Ni4+ in LNMO, which undergoes dramatic reduction during the thermal decomposition. In addition, charged o-LNMO shows better thermal stability than...
Analysis of nucleic acid detectionresults for HFMD in Zaozhuang during 2010-2013

Objective To investigate the type,distribution and epidemic trend of the virus that cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease( HFMD) in Zaozhuang so as to providetechnical support for the further prevention and control of the disease. Methods Throat swab specimens from HFMD patients with suspected were collected for RNAs extration. The level of universal enterovirus,EV71 and Cox A16,were detected for nucleic acid by using real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. The detection results were collected and analyzed. Results Of the total 947 HFMD samples,the positive rate was 58. 61%,among which the rate of EV71,Cox A16 and other types of enterovirus were respectively 37. 17%,8. 45% and 12. 99%. As for different genders,the enterovirus-positive rate of males was 58. 39%,and the rate of females was 59. 05%,there was no statistical significance for the difference( P 0. 05). For rural patients,the enterovirus-positive rate was 61. 12%,and for city patients was 52. 24%. There was statistical significance for the differences between the two detection rates( χ2= 6. 247,P 0. 05). Of the confirmed cases,the young children aged 1-3 accounted for 78. 38%. Conclusion The HFMD cases were caused mainly by EV71 in Zaozhuang. There are obvious distribution characters of time and population. Each year,from May to July was the fastigium for the onset. The children aged 1-3 from rural area was the major onset group of hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
Progress in Application of Raman Spectroscopy in Anti-counterfeit Detection for Drugs

The application progress of Raman spectroscopy in drug identifications is reviewed in this paper,as well as its application prospect in anti-counterfeit detection for drugs.
A New Project in Systematic Theology

The article explores the possibility of a new collaborative venture in systematic theology based in the work of Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran. A prospectus is offered of five volumes intended a...