cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTROREFINER WASTE SALT DISPOSAL PROCESS FOR THE EBR- II SPENT FUEL TREATMENT PROJECT

The results of process development for the blending of waste salt from the electrorefining of spent fuel with zeolite-A are presented. This blending is a key step in the ceramic waste process being used for treatment of EBR-II spent fuel and is accomplished using a high-temperature v-blender. A labscale system was used with non-radioactive surrogate salts to determine optimal particle size distributions and time at temperature. An engineering-scale system was then installed in the Hot Fuel Examination Facility hot cell and used to demonstrate blending of actual electrorefiner salt with zeolite. In those tests, it was shown that the results are still favorable with actinide-loaded salt and that batch size of this v-blender could be increased to a level consistent with efficient production operations for EBR-II spent fuel treatment. One technical challenge that remains for this technology is to mitigate the problem of material retention in the v-blender due to formation of caked patches of salt/zeolite on the inner v-blender walls.
Balanced Repeated Replications for Standard Errors

Abstract Balanced repeated replications (BRR) is a general method for computing standard errors. It is useful when mathematical distribution theory is impractical or lacking, and especially for analytical statistics based on complex samples where clustering destroys the independence of observations. Presented are results of methods used to measure standard errors of regression coefficients for several multivariate techniques. The basic designs of the several samples comprised two primary selections (PS) per stratum. Each replication was a half-sample, created by selecting one PS from each stratum. The variance of the coefficient , estimated from the entire sample, is measured by , where bj is the same estimator based on a half-sample. To increase the precision of the variance estimate, select k repeated replications and obtain the mean of the k computed variances, . Balanced repeated replications reduce the number of repetitions needed; e.g., 48 balanced replications sufficed for 47 strata in our samples....
An fMRI investigation of short-term source memory in young and older adults.

Abstract Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a working memory procedure, we compared source memory judgments (format and location) with old–new judgments in young and older adults. Consistent with previous fMRI findings, for young adults, an area of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed greater activity during format than old–new judgments made immediately, as well as those made after a brief, filled delay. In contrast, for older adults, activity in this area was not greater during format than old–new judgments at either retention interval. These data provide additional evidence that left lateral prefrontal cortex is important in monitoring specific source information and new evidence that older adults' source memory deficits may be related, in part, to reduced function of this brain area.
Maps based on the phase resetting curve explain spike statistics of coupled neural oscillators observed in the presence of noise

Histograms of phase differences are often used to infer synchrony among coupled neurons. We use the phase resetting curve (PRC) measured under the assumption of pulsatile coupling in an isolated model and biological neurons to predict phase-locking when the neurons are reciprocally coupled via the dynamic clamp. For two coupled neurons without delays, the interval between when a neuron spikes and when it receives an input from the other neuron is the stimulus interval(ts), and the interval between when it receives an input and when it spikes next is the recovery interval (tr). The recovery interval in one neuron in any given cycle is equal to the stimulus interval in the other neuron by definition. We calculate the recovery interval in each neuron for each stimulus interval using the PRC, then plot the two tr/ts curves so that intervals that are equal by definition are on the same axes. The recovery interval on the curve for one neuron is mapped to the stimulus interval on the other curve, tracing a stair-step pattern (see Fig. ​Fig.1C).1C). For the case in which a stable intersection (Fig. ​(Fig.1C)1C) predicts phase-locking without noise, the map output with Gaussian noise added to the PRC (Fig. ​(Fig.1A)1A) is a good match to the data (not shown), as noise broadens the histogram and decreases the circular statistic R2 (Fig. ​(Fig.1B).1B). If the two curves are close in a range of phases, but never actually intersect, the network phase changes relatively slowly at those phases, resulting in a peak in the histogram of network phases that we call a weak, near-locking. The output of the map qualitatively also matches experimental data. For this case (not shown), the histogram and R2 of the map output are not very sensitive to noise. Thus, PRCs can predict and help interpret the sensitivity of the network to noise. Modulation of noise levels could theoretically synchronize and desynchronize coupled neural oscillators that can lock precisely in the absence of noise, whereas weak, near-lockings are only slightly modulated by noise. Figure 1 Noise-induced slipping.(A) Raster plot of the relative phase of the biological neuron (tsbio / Pnet) predicted on successive cycles by the map showing a preferred phase with episodes of slipping. (B) Histogram of the relative phases with a broad peak ...
Exploring Cumulative Risk and Family Literacy Practices in Low-Income Latino Families

Research Findings: The home literacy environment and other early learning settings such as preschool play a role in children's language and literacy outcomes, yet research suggests that Latino, Spanish-speaking families are less likely than other families to participate in family literacy activities. This study explored the relations among cumulative family risk (i.e., defined by the presence of multiple risk factors, including single-parent household, poverty, welfare receipt, low maternal education, and maternal depression), enrollment in an early learning setting, and family literacy activities in a sample of 238 low-income families of 3-year-old children. The majority of families were of Latino descent (71.6%), but other ethnic groups made up the rest of the sample for comparison purposes. Children who attended family child care programs experienced the least cumulative risk compared to children attending public center-based programs or children not enrolled in any early learning setting. Children in ...
Shared Genetic Pathways Contribute to the Tolerance of Endogenous and Low-Dose Exogenous DNA Damage in Yeast

DNA damage that escapes repair and blocks replicative DNA polymerases is tolerated by bypass mechanisms that fall into two general categories: error-free template switching and error-prone translesion synthesis. Prior studies of DNA damage responses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have demonstrated that repair mechanisms are critical for survival when a single, high dose of DNA damage is delivered, while bypass/tolerance mechanisms are more important for survival when the damage level is low and continuous (acute and chronic damage, respectively). In the current study, epistatic interactions between DNA-damage tolerance genes were examined and compared when haploid yeast cells were exposed to either chronic ultraviolet light or chronic methyl methanesulfonate. Results demonstrate that genes assigned to error-free and error-prone bypass pathways similarly promote survival in the presence of each type of chronic damage. In addition to using defined sources of chronic damage, rates of spontaneous mutations generated by the Pol ζ translesion synthesis DNA polymerase (complex insertions in a frameshift-reversion assay) were used to infer epistatic interactions between the same genes. Similar epistatic interactions were observed in analyses of spontaneous mutation rates, suggesting that chronic DNA-damage responses accurately reflect those used to tolerate spontaneous lesions. These results have important implications when considering what constitutes a safe and acceptable level of exogenous DNA damage.
Fate of Mutation Rate Depends on agr Locus Expression during Oxacillin-Mediated Heterogeneous-Homogeneous Selection in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Strains

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are characterized by a heterogeneous expression of resistance. We have previously shown in clinical oxacillin-susceptible, mecA-positive MRSA strains that selection from a very heterogeneous (HeR) to highly homogeneous (HoR) resistant phenotype was mediated by acquisition of mutations through an oxacillin-induced SOS response. In the present study, we used a spotted DNA microarray to evaluate differential gene expression during HeR-HoR selection and found increased expression of the agr two-component regulatory system. We hypothesized that increased expression of agr represents a mechanistically relevant component of this process. We demonstrated that inactivation of agr during the HeR-HoR selection process results in a significant increase in mutation rate; these effects were reversed by complementing the agr mutant. Furthermore, we found that extemporal ectopic expression of agr and, more specifically, RNAII in agr-null mutant HeR cells suppressed mutation frequency and the capacity of these cells to undergo the HeR-HoR selection. These findings sustain the concept that increased expression of agr during HeR-HoR selection plays a critical role in regulating the β-lactam-induced increased mutation rate in very heterogeneous MRSA strains. Moreover, they indicate that a temporally controlled increase in agr expression is required to tightly modulate SOS-mediated mutation rates, which then allows for full expression of oxacillin homogeneous resistance in very heterogeneous clinical MRSA strains.
A 1mW 4b 1GS/s delay-line based analog-to-digital converter

In this paper we introduce a novel Analog-to-Digital architecture for high speed applications that is compatible with digital CMOS and surpasses the issues with traditional voltage conversion techniques. The quantization method is based on the delay-to-digital concept as a means to quantize a variable delay line. A 4bit 1GS/s ADC with 1mW power consumption is designed in 65nm CMOS based on the proposed architecture. The new architecture is highly scalable with CMOS technology and because of its delay-line-based core, the ADCs performance enhances with further CMOS scaling and provides a promising method for the trend toward more digital implementation of circuits.
Plasma Fluorescent Oxidation Products as Potential Markers of Oxidative Stress for Epidemiologic Studies

Currently lacking are stable and easily measured biomarkers that can reflect oxidative stress in humans. Fluorescent oxidation products may fulfill all three of these criteria. Fasting plasma levels of fluorescent oxidation products were measured in 286 controls in a study of coronary heart disease among US men aged 47-81 years; the study concluded in 2006. Other biomarkers in plasma were also measured, and cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, age, and physical activity were assessed by questionnaire. Indicators of oxidative stress, including smoking, hypertension, and reduced renal function, were associated with greater fluorescent oxidation products in both age- and multivariate-adjusted analyses (for each, p for trend < 0.01). In a multivariate-adjusted analysis, levels of fluorescent oxidation products were 45% higher in current smokers than in never smokers and 61% higher in men who smoked more than 25 cigarettes/day versus 1-4 cigarettes/day. The levels of this marker were 17% higher in hypertensive men than in normotensive men and 20% higher in men in the lowest versus the highest quartile of glomerular filtration rate. Levels were 57% higher in men with both hypertension and reduced renal function than in men with neither. The association of fluorescent oxidation products with several indicators of oxidative stress suggests that this measure could be a useful global marker of oxidative stress for large epidemiologic studies.
Soil moisture regulates the biological response of elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in a coupled atmosphere biosphere model

Terrestrial biosphere models/land surface models are routinely used to study the effects of CO2 doubling and climate change. The objective of thisstudyistoshow that thebiologicalresponseassociatedwithCO2doubling is important, and that the effects intrinsically depend on the soil moisture state. Therefore, using a coupled biosphere–atmosphere model, we tested the hypothesis that the biological effects of CO2 changes in biosphere models are significantly coupled to the hydrological feedback via soil moisture availability in a terrestrial biosphere/land surface model. The results from a 15-day simulation of a photosynthesis-based land surface model, dynamically coupled to an atmospheric boundary layer and surface energy balance scheme, were analyzed to test the hypothesis. The objective was to analyze the biological effects of CO2 doubling under high as well as limiting soil moisture conditions for prescribed changestothevegetation/landusetype.Theapproachwastoanalyzetheresultsfromacoupledlandsurface-atmospheremodelobtained by changing the biome type for each run. Sensitivity for all of the nine global vegetation type changes, as defined through the Simple Biosphere Model ver. 2 (SiB2) land cover classification, were analyzed for evapotranspiration and net carbon assimilation. The results indicated that: (i) the soil moisture (and its interaction with CO2) has a direct (first-order) effect on the biological effects of CO2 changes and the terrestrial ecosystem response; (ii) the biological impacts associated with CO2 changes in a biospheric model should be interpretedinconsiderationofthesoilmoisturestatus;anddroughtsorhighsoilmoistureavailabilitycanenhanceorcompletelybalance or even reversethe effects associated withCO2 changes; (iii) foreachvegetation type, the model results indicated a different responseto soil moisture and CO2 changes; and resolving the direct and indirect effects explicitly, both C3 and C4 vegetation, appeared to be significantlyaffectedbythebiologicaleffectsofCO2changes,and(iv)theexplicitcouplingbetweensoilmoisture/hydrologicalstateand
Effects of white adipose tissue grafts on total body fat and cellularity are dependent on graft type and location

Surgical removal of body fat (lipectomy) triggers compensatory increases in nonexcised white adipose tissue (WAT), thus restoring adiposity levels in many species, including Siberian hamsters. In Siberian hamsters, when their lipectomized WAT is transplanted to another site (autologous grafts, no net change in body fat), healthy grafts result, but the lipectomy-induced compensatory increases in nonexcised WAT masses are exaggerated, an effect that apparently occurs only when the grafts contact intact WAT. When WAT is added to nonlipectomized hamsters to increase body fat, native WAT pads do not decrease. Thus WAT addition or removal-replacement does not induce compensatory WAT responses consistent with total body fat regulation as does WAT subtraction. Therefore, we tested whether the exaggerated response to lipectomy occurring with autologous WAT transplantation is dependent on graft site placement and whether the donor graft source [inguinal or epididymal WAT (IWAT, EWAT), sibling vs. nonsibling] affected body fat responses to WAT additions in nonlipectomized hamsters. Lipectomized hamsters received subcutaneous autologous EWAT grafts placed remotely from other WAT (ventrum) or in contact with intact WAT (dorsum), whereas intact hamsters received EWAT or IWAT grafts from sibling or nonsibling donors. The exaggerated response to lipectomy only occurred when grafts were in contact with intact WAT. EWAT, but not IWAT, additions to nonlipectomized siblings or nonsiblings increased native IWAT and retroperitoneal WAT mass but not EWAT mass compared with controls. Collectively, WAT transplantation to either lipectomized or nonlipectomized hamsters increased body fat contingent on graft contact with intact or native WAT.
Dual Function of Cyk2, a cdc15/PSTPIP Family Protein, in Regulating Actomyosin Ring Dynamics and Septin Distribution

We previously showed that the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae assembles an actomyosin-based ring that undergoes a contraction-like size change during cytokinesis. To learn more about the biochemical composition and activity of this ring, we have characterized the in vivo distribution and function of Cyk2p, a budding yeast protein that exhibits significant sequence similarity to the cdc15/PSTPIP family of cleavage furrow proteins. Video microscopy of cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Cyk2p revealed that Cyk2p forms a double ring that coincides with the septins through most of the cell cycle. During cytokinesis, however, the Cyk2 double ring merges with the actomyosin ring and exhibits a contraction-like size change that is dependent on Myo1p. The septin double ring, in contrast, does not undergo the contraction-like size change but the separation between the two rings increases during cytokinesis. These observations suggest that the septin-containing ring is dynamically distinct from the actomyosin ring and that Cyk2p transits between the two types of structures. Gene disruption of CYK2 does not affect the assembly of the actomyosin ring but results in rapid disassembly of the ring during the contraction phase, leading to incomplete cytokinesis, suggesting that Cyk2p has an important function in modulating the stability of the actomyosin ring during contraction. Overexpression of Cyk2p also blocks cytokinesis, most likely due to a loss of the septins from the bud neck, indicating that Cyk2p may also play a role in regulating the localization of the septins.
Influence of Obstetric Practice on Workload and Practice Patterns of Family Physicians and Obstetrician-Gynecologists

PURPOSE Obstetric practice among family physicians has declined in recent years. This study compared the practice patterns of family physicians and obste- trician-gynecologists with and without obstetric practices to provide objective information on one potential reason for this decline—the impact of obstetrics on physician lifestyle. METHODS In 2004, we surveyed all obstetrician-gynecologists, all rural fam- ily physicians, and a random sample of urban family physicians identifi ed from professional association lists (N =2,564) about demographics, practice character- istics, and obstetric practices. RESULTS A total of 1,197 physicians (46.7%) overall responded to the survey (41.5% of urban family physicians, 54.7% of rural family physicians, and 55.0% of obstetrician-gynecologists). After exclusions, 991 were included in the fi nal data set. Twenty-seven percent of urban family physicians, 46% of rural family physicians, and 79% of obstetrician-gynecologists practiced obstetrics. The mean number of total professional hours worked per week was greater with obstetric practice than without for rural family physicians (55.4 vs 50.2, P = .005) and for obstetrician-gynecologists (58.3 vs 43.5, P = .000), but not for urban family physicians (47.8 vs 49.5, P = .27). For all 3 groups, physicians practicing obstet- rics were more likely to provide inpatient care and take call than physicians not practicing obstetrics. Large proportions of family physicians, but not obstetrician- gynecologists, took their own call for obstetrics. Concerns about the litigation environment and personal issues were the most frequent reasons for stopping obstetric practice. CONCLUSIONS Practicing obstetrics is associated with an increased workload for family physicians. Organizing practices to decrease the impact on lifestyle may support family physicians in practicing obstetrics.
Ontology-Based mining of brainwaves: a sequence similarity technique for mapping alternative features in event-related potentials (ERP) data

In this paper, we present a method for identifying correspondences, or mappings, between alternative features of brainwave activity in event-related potentials (ERP) data The goal is to simulate mapping across results from heterogeneous methods that might be used in different neuroscience research labs The input to the mapping consists of two ERP datasets whose spatiotemporal characteristics are captured by alternative sets of features, that is, summary spatial and temporal measures capturing distinct neural patterns that are linked to concepts in a set of ERP ontologies, called NEMO (Neural ElectroMagnetic Ontologies) [3, 6] The feature value vector of each summary metric is transformed into a point-sequence curve, and clustering is performed to extract similar subsequences (clusters) representing the neural patterns that can then be aligned across datasets Finally, the similarity between measures is derived by calculating the similarity between corresponding point-sequence curves Experiment results showed that the proposed approach is robust and has achieved significant improvement on precision than previous algorithms.
Balance and Hearing Deficits in Mice with a Null Mutation in the Gene Encoding Plasma Membrane Ca2+-ATPase Isoform 2

Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoform 2 (PMCA2) exhibits a highly restricted tissue distribution, suggesting that it serves more specialized physiological functions than some of the other isoforms. A unique role in hearing is indicated by the high levels of PMCA2 expression in cochlear outer hair cells and spiral ganglion cells. To analyze the physiological role of PMCA2 we used gene targeting to produce PMCA2-deficient mice. Breeding of heterozygous mice yielded live homozygous mutant offspring. PMCA2-null mice grow more slowly than heterozygous and wild-type mice and exhibit an unsteady gait and difficulties in maintaining balance. Histological analysis of the cerebellum and inner ear of mutant and wild-type mice revealed that null mutants had slightly increased numbers of Purkinje neurons (in which PMCA2 is highly expressed), a decreased thickness of the molecular layer, an absence of otoconia in the vestibular system, and a range of abnormalities of the organ of Corti. Analysis of auditory evoked brainstem responses revealed that homozygous mutants were deaf and that heterozygous mice had a significant hearing loss. These data demonstrate that PMCA2 is required for both balance and hearing and suggest that it may be a major source of the calcium used in the formation and maintenance of otoconia.
Palp to gill area ratio of bivalves: A sensitive indicator of elevated suspended solids

Area measurements were made of the gills and labial palps of several freshwater bivalve species from sites with distinctly different suspended solids concentrations. Without exception, the palp to gill area ratio (PA:GA) was markedly higher for populations from sites with high versus low suspended solids concentrations. The average PA:GA (expressed as a percentage) ranged from 9·3 to 11·5 for bivalves from high suspended solids concentration sites and from 2.5 to 4.8 for bivalves from low suspended solids concentration sites. Such interpopulation differences were observed for two introduced species, Dreissena polymorpha and Corbicula fluminea, despite extremely brief residence times in an evolutionary sense. At any particular location, different species of native unionids had similar PA:GA. These results suggest that PA:GA is a sensitive biological indicator of suspended solids concentration, with interpopulation differences probably reflecting ecophenotypic rather than genetic variation.
Turbulence and Mixing in Holmboe Waves

Abstract Motivated by the tendency of high-Prandtl-number fluids to form sharp density interfaces, the authors investigate the evolution of Holmboe waves in a stratified shear flow through direct numerical simulation. Like their better-known cousins, Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, Holmboe waves lead the flow to a turbulent state in which rapid irreversible mixing takes place. In both cases, significant mixing also takes place prior to the transition to turbulence. Although Holmboe waves grow more slowly than Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, the net amount of mixing is comparable. It is concluded that Holmboe instability represents a potentially important mechanism for mixing in the ocean.
The Iron Cage: Ugly, Uncool, and Unfashionable

Historical studies reveal how organizational markets supplied artifacts that became fashionable because they met not only consumers’ cultural tastes, but also their technological preferences. This article calls such artifacts cultural-technological fusions. The digital mode of production tends to generate more types of fashionable fusions, which replace each other at a growing rate, and travel increasingly swiftly across consumers globally. These changes in fashion markets mandate a revised theory of fashion bearing on the organizational production of digital culture-technology fusions and on the characteristics of fusions so produced. This article’s theory describes digital production processes enabling fusion’s rapid visualization, creation, and awareness among global consumers, production processes that create or reinforce three types of fusions: ‘beautiful technologies’, that is technologies rendered aesthetic; ‘efficient beauties’, that is aesthetic artifacts rendered technologically efficient; ‘conc...
Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate is required for endocytic coated vesicle formation

Receptor-mediated endocytosis via clathrin-coated vesicles has been extensively studied and, while many of the protein players have been identified, much remains unknown about the regulation of coat assembly and the mechanisms that drive vesicle formation [1]. Some components of the endocytic machinery interact with inositol polyphosphates and inositol lipids in vitro, implying a role for phosphatidylinositols in vivo [2] [3]. Specifically, the adaptor protein complex AP2 binds phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2), PtdIns(3)P, PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and inositol phosphates. Phosphatidylinositol binding regulates AP2 self-assembly and the interactions of AP2 complexes with clathrin and with peptides containing endocytic motifs [4] [5]. The GTPase dynamin contains a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain that binds PtdIns(4,5)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 to regulate GTPase activity in vitro [6] [7]. However, no direct evidence for the involvement of phosphatidylinositols in clathrin-mediated endocytosis exists to date. Using well-characterized PH domains as high affinity and high specificity probes in combination with a perforated cell assay that reconstitutes coated vesicle formation, we provide the first direct evidence that PtdIns(4,5)P2 is required for both early and late events in endocytic coated vesicle formation.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 gK Is Required for gB-Mediated Virus-Induced Cell Fusion, While neither gB and gK nor gB and UL20p Function Redundantly in Virion De-Envelopment

Multiple amino acid changes within herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) gB and gK cause extensive virus-induced cell fusion and the formation of multinucleated cells (syncytia). Early reports established that syncytial mutations in gK could not cause cell-to-cell fusion in the absence of gB. To investigate the interdependence of gB, gK, and UL20p in virus-induced cell fusion and virion de-envelopment from perinuclear spaces as well as to compare the ultrastructural phenotypes of the different mutant viruses in a syngeneic HSV-1 (F) genetic background, gB-null, gK-null, UL20-null, gB/gK double-null, and gB/UL20 double-null viruses were constructed with the HSV-1 (F) bacterial artificial chromosome pYEBac102. The gK/gB double-null virus YEbacΔgBΔgK was used to isolate the recombinant viruses gBsyn3ΔgK and gBamb1511ΔgK, which lack the gK gene and carry the gBsyn3 or gBamb1511 syncytial mutation, respectively. Both viruses formed small nonsyncytial plaques on noncomplementing Vero cells and large syncytial plaques on gK-complementing cells, indicating that gK expression was necessary for gBsyn3- and gBamb1511-induced cell fusion. Lack of virus-induced cell fusion was not due to defects in virion egress, since recombinant viruses specifying the gBsyn3 or gKsyn20 mutation in the UL19/UL20 double-null genetic background caused extensive cell fusion on UL20-complementing cells. As expected, the gB-null virus failed to produce infectious virus, but enveloped virion particles egressed efficiently out of infected cells. The gK-null and UL20-null viruses exhibited cytoplasmic defects in virion morphogenesis like those of the corresponding HSV-1 (KOS) mutant viruses. Similarly, the gB/gK double-null and gB/UL20 double-null viruses accumulated capsids in the cytoplasm, indicating that gB, gK, and UL20p do not function redundantly in membrane fusion during virion de-envelopment at the outer nuclear lamellae.
Multi-threaded design and implementation of parallel pipelined STAP on parallel computers with SMP nodes

This paper presents performance results for the multi-threaded design and implementation of a parallel pipelined Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) algorithm on parallel computers with Symmetrical Multiple Processor (SMP) nodes. In particular the paper describes our approach to parallelization and multi-threaded implementation on an Intel Paragon MP system. Our goal is to determine how much more performance can be enhanced using small SMPs on each node of a large parallel computer for such an application. The paper also discusses the process of developing software for such an application on parallel computers when latency and throughput are both considered together and presents their tradeoffs. The results show that not only scalable performance was achieved for individual component tasks of STAP but linear speedups were obtained for the integrated task performance, both for latency as well as throughput.
Fertility treatment in spinal cord injury and other neurologic disease

Infertility in individuals with neurologic disorders is complex in etiology and manifestation. Its management therefore often requires a multimodal approach. This review addresses the implications of spinal cord injury (SCI) and other neurologic disease on fertility, including the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction, ejaculation disorders and compromised semen parameters. Available treatment approaches discussed include assisted ejaculation techniques and assisted reproductive technology including surgical sperm retrieval and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
A Constructive U.S. Counter to EU State Aid Cases

U.S. Treasury officials and members of Congress from both parties have expressed concern that the European Commission’s current state aid investigations are disproportionately targeting U.S.-based multinational enterprises. At the same time, a Treasury official recently suggested in congressional testimony that there are limits to what Treasury can do beyond strongly expressing its concerns to the commission. In that testimony, Treasury’s representative hinted at two specific pressure points: whether the state aid investigations could undermine U.S. tax treaties with EU member states; and whether any assessments paid by the foreign subsidiaries of U.S. MNEs as a result of state aid investigations would be creditable for U.S. income tax purposes.
Structural Studies of the Vulcanization of Rubber under Stretch

Abstract Just one hundred years have passed since the changes were discovered which rubber undergoes when mixed with sulfur and heated. Although “vulcanization”, as this reaction and the changes subsequent thereto have been termed, must be considered the most important development in the rubber industry, we are still far from being in a position to offer a fully satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon. Nevertheless we have been able to improve our concept of these changes by the application of such modern methods of research as x-ray diffraction, and recent attempts to shed more light on the phenomenon from a strictly chemical point of view also have been successful. The outstanding results of the latter work are the definite proof that the changes in physical properties, which become noticeable during vulcanization, show no correlation with the amount of combined sulfur or with the total loss in unsaturation. The experiments offered no direct experimental evidence as to the existence of specific che...
The Neurobiology of Parenting: Basic Research

There has been a substantial amount of growth and progress in basic research on parental neurobiology over the past few years, and much of it has focused on applying basic concepts in parental neurobiology to expand the behavioral scope of parental studies and/or investigate pathological behavioral patterns. This review will focus on selected animal studies of parenting that have been published over the last 3–4 years and consists of five main topic areas that have received substantial attention during this period: neuroendocrinology, neuroanatomy, behavior, transgenerational/epigenetic, and pathological parental models. These studies address important gaps in basic research and investigate several clinically relevant questions which require comprehensive study in animal models. It is hoped that this review will stimulate increased collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians that will have reciprocal translational value.
FISH: Finite Projective Plane Based Interference Cancellation for Slotted ALOHA

Due to the large number of light weight, low power devices in the future Internet, an efficient distributed multiple access protocol that can support a small fixed number of machines with continuous traffic along with a large variable number of devices with sporadic traffic is needed. The traffic in the future Internet has fundamentally different requirements: first, the accessing devices are of low power, which limit the transmission range; secondly, the delay is very stringent; thirdly, the number of active devices is time varying. In this paper, we propose a finite projective plane (FPP) based multiple access protocol (FISH) to meet such requirements. A low power node can transmit the replicas of a data packet in multiple time slots to achieve the same range of transmission as a high power node at one time. The initialization time slot of a frame allows for the estimation of the number of active nodes and the adjustment of the size of the frame to maximize the throughput. The interference cancellation and conflict resolution scheme of the FISH protocol is based on the theory of FPP. By using the property that the union of the sets of the FPP sharing one common point is a complete set, we are able to extract each of the individual user signals. One distinguishing feature of the FISH protocol is the amplification of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can either extend the transmission range or improve the bit error rate without sacrificing the throughput. In the performance evaluation, we demonstrate that the throughput is identical to the Slotted Aloha, while the SNR is magnified m times, where m is the order of the FPP. The proposed FISH protocol is of great use in the machine-to-machine communications as well as traditional cellular and satellite systems.
Theoretical Analysis of Chemical Vapor Infiltration in Ceramic/Ceramic Composites

A model for the deposition of alumina and titanium carbide within a ceramic fiber bundle from the chemical reactions has been examined in this paper. The model considers vapor diffusion, chemical reaction on the inner surface of the capillary, deposition film growth, porosity, and effects of reactants composition at various reactor temperature and pressure. Binary, multicomponent diffusion and Knudsen diffusion have been taken into account for the different stages of the CVI process. Furthermore, both diffusion controlled and reaction controlled processes have been examined in order to determine the dominating process in chemical vapor infiltration.
Study on An Experimental Method of Hydraulic Fracturing of Coal-bed Gas

According to classic curves of hydraulic fracturing test in coal seam and theoretical analysis,this paper obtained typical analysis curves of hydraulic fracturing test.Taking testing well in Southern Qinshui basin as the research object,the in-situ stress of coal seam is measured.The hydraulic fracturing test data were analyzed and studied by double logarithm method and root squaring method,the empirical value of in-situ stress in Southern Qinshui basin and the mutual authentication of the two methods are accurate and credible.The test results of coal-bed hydraulic fracturing provide a basis for coal-bed methane exploration,testing,discharge and mining operations process in late stage.
Pragmatic Directions in Engineering Secure Dependable Systems

Abstract All large and complex computer and communications systems have an intrinsic requirement to be dependable since their failure can cause significant losses in terms of life or treasure. Such the systems are expected to have the attributes of reliability , availability , safety , confidentiality , survivability , integrity , and maintainability . Current software and hardware systems continue to evolve in complexity at rapid rates. Although the increase in the complexity of single artifact (such as number of logical decision points in a software package) can often be tracked with Moore's Law like approximations, systems constructed out of larger number of smaller subsystems defy such classifications. The reason for this added complexity is that interactions between the subsystems explode exponentially in the size of the parent system. Yet all component interactions must be addressed exhaustively to predict accurate behavior of the whole system. The challenge that we face is that it is seldom possible to model or test all such interactions in a given system. As a result, building dependable complex systems with realistic assessment of risks of failure is an extremely difficult endeavor. Attempts have been made to ameliorate the difficulty in the engineering of dependable complex systems using lessons from engineering methodologies in other domains. We discuss key attributes of dependable complex systems, with a special emphasis on security where information is involved. We review classical approaches to designing, building, and maintaining dependable complex systems. We present promising features and novel ideas applicable to the lifecycle of dependable complex systems. Most of our discussion is focused within the domain of hardware and software systems. Over time, practitioners in dependable engineering have learned lessons from previous experience and continue to present prescriptive approaches discovered through research and analysis. These lessons and approaches are often applicable to other engineering domains such as construction, transportation, and industrial control. We look at specific engineering challenges and proposed solutions pertaining to the following general domains, with occasional examples from any branch of engineering: • dependable hardware/software systems; • secure dependable systems; • dependable cloud infrastructure and applications. Finally, we conclude with the observation that several approaches are applicable across all these domains and identify accessible techniques that have good potential to increase the dependability of systems. These approaches can be considered as axiomatic in building any future complex systems with a high degree of dependability.
IS THERE J-CURVE EFFECT IN THE COMMODITY TRADE OF SINGAPORE WITH MALAYSIA? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

A previous study that investigated the impact of exchange rate changes on the trade balance of Singapore with each of its 13 largest trading partners on bilateral basis found significant long-run effects in four out of 13 cases. In the trade balance between Singapore and Malaysia as a major partner, the real exchange rate had neither short-run nor long-run significant effects. To reduce the aggregation bias, in this paper, we disaggregate the trade flows between the two countries by industry and consider the trade balance of each of the 136 industries that trade between the two countries. We find that the trade balance of 79 industries are affected by exchange rate changes in the short run. However, short-run effects last into the long run in only 19 industries which mostly happen to be small industries.
The Evolution of Accredited Nuclear Medicine Technology Programs: A Comparative Study of Eleven Years of Change (1982 to 1993)

Objective: Since their inception in 1970, educationally accredited programs in nuclear medicine have been greatly diversified. These programs have been accredited by the Joint Review Committee for over 20 yr in a variety of educational settings including hospital-based programs, community colleges, technical colleges, universities and 4-yr colleges. Equally diverse has been the variation in student class size ranging from a few students to over 60 students in a single program. This article evaluates changes in accredited nuclear medicine programs over an 11-yr period. Methods: This research compares accredited programs in 1982 to programs in 1993. Results: The data suggest that the primary educational setting has substantially changed from hospital-based to community college and university settings. Conclusions: From 1982 to 1993, an overall decrease in the total number of accredited nuclear medicine programs, a significant reduction in very small programs (less than five students) and a consolidation of larger programs has occurred.
Aerospace applications of laser additive manufacturing

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) has been used in aerospace applications from the beginning. It not only plays a role as a rapid prototyping technology for saving capital and time during the product development period but also brings profound influences on product design, direct part fabrication, assembly, and repair in the aerospace industry. Because of recent developments, AM has rapidly become a strategic technology that will generate revenues throughout the aerospace supply chain. In this chapter, we analyze the characteristics of aerospace components favoring AM, discuss different aerospace applications benefit from different AM processes, and describe the repair applications for aerospace components. Examples of aerospace applications both from commercial and academia areas are also analyzed. Finally, this chapter discusses the challenges of applying AM to the aerospace industry and potential future aerospace applications.
Exploring missing data prediction in medical monitoring: A performance analysis approach

Medical monitoring represents one of the most critical components in existing healthcare system. The accurate and reliable acquisition of various physiological data can help physicians and patients to properly detect and identify potential health risks. However, this process suffers from severe limitations in terms of missing or degraded data, which may lead to a rather high false alarm rate and potentially compromised diagnostic results. In this paper, we investigated three different approaches for missing data prediction in clinical settings: mean imputation, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), and Kalman Filter (KF). Experimental results show that, the heart rate (HR) signals largely rely on most recent data and missing data prediction will be less effective for further prediction.
Comparison of xenon lamp-based and led-based solar simulators

Rapid advances in high intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) have provided sufficient tools to design LED solar simulators to accurately mimic the sun. LEDs offer numerous advantages over lamp-based technology currently used. However, these advantages have not been harnessed because of limitations in creating a solar simulator with the highest rating (AAA) for spectral match, temporal stability, and light uniformity. Oriel's VeraSol is one of the first LED, triple A solar simulators. The VeraSol-LED was compared to the equally rated Oriel Sol3A-xenon lamp solar simulator by measuring the current-voltage (I-V) response and spectral response (SR) for a variety of solar cells. Both simulators effectively mimic the sun; however, the results demonstrate the LED-based simulator produced a more stable, flexible, and accurate match to AM1.5G than the xenon lamp-based simulator with similar marks in the quality of PV cell response.
Experimental Verification of Degenerate Band Edge Dispersion in Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits

On resonance, periodic dielectric media of finite length exhibit large and distributed internal electric field distributions. The large and distributed fields have been exploited for applications in light emission, optical switching, and nonlinear optics. Resonance quality factors scale as the number of periods cubed near a regular band edge with quadratic dispersion. For chip-scale integrated photonics, significant footprint reduction is possible by exploiting the quartic dispersion of a degenerate band edge with quality factors that scale to the fifth power of the number of periods. Band diagrams with quartic dispersion are extracted from transmission measurements of fabricated devices realized in silicon photonics. Transmission measurements show Fano resonances with a sharp transmission peak-to-bandgap extinction ratio of 20 dB and quality factors of 27 000.
Privacy concerns on social networking sites

This study examines the impact of the types of posting, information types, and privacy concerns toward audience types across two types of social networking sites (SNSs), Facebook and Twitter. The findings indicate that on Facebook, young SNS users are more concerned about other users posting on their own timeline than other types of posting. On Twitter, young SNS users are more concerned about their own tweets than other users retweeting their tweets. The study also found that different content within different posting types has varying influence on privacy concerns constructed by the user based on three audience types (marketer, authoritative, distant relations). Implications for policy-making and suggestions for future research are discussed. On Facebook, users are most concerned about others posting on their timeline.On Twitter, users are most concerned about their own tweets.Overall, privacy concern is raised when location information is viewed by marketers.Action information on SNSs increased privacy concerns for authoritative figures.
Five Pediatric Cancers – Update on Genetic Implications

Abstract Pediatric cancer has undergone significant improvements in survival over the past several decades, in part due to a better understanding of the underlying genetic aberrations of each oncologic diagnosis, which has allowed for more effective targeted therapies. Pediatric brain tumors, leukemia, lymphoma, Wilms tumor, and retinoblastoma are exemplary pediatric cancers that each has specific epidemiology regarding children at risk as well as characteristic associated genetic lesions. These genetic features are more commonly being used to provide risk stratification, as well as to identify novel pathways for targeted therapy. With these advances, the overall survival of pediatric cancers continues to be improved.
Efficacy of endovascular management approach of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) can present a serious complication, which is rupture, which is associated with a high mortality rate. As a result, the early surgery of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm can provide greater survival for these patients. However, there are two methods to do this fix. This article makes a bibliographical revision, in order to compare the procedures used in this emergency surgery (open and endovascular surgery technique), with the purpose of defining which approach offers greater benefit.
Behavioral Economic Approaches to Influencing Children’s Dietary Decision Making at School

The health benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables (FVs) are clear, but most children do not eat them regularly. At school, FVs are available, but children often refuse them or throw them away....