cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pion-nucleus interactions: Experiments

Abstract Recent experimental results on pion-nucleus elastic and inelastic scattering and pion-induced single — and double-charge-exchange reactions are discussed.
Becoming Rey Ileto: Language, History, and Autobiography

This article inquires into the relationship between translation and autobiography in the work of Reynaldo Ileto. In Pasyon and Revolution, English and Tagalog are juxtaposed in a relationship of translation, indicating linguistic complexity and a politics of language that are deflected in Ileto’s later autobiographical writings. Yet, autobiography can also work like translation, but in the opposite direction of Pasyon and Revolution. Rather than loosen linguistic and social hierarchies, autobiography reinforces them. Ileto’s narrative tells of the splitting and substitution of selves, the excavation and overcoming of the father’s name, and the replacement of the “unfinished revolution” project with stories of gendered and generational succession. Keywords: translation • autobiography • ileto • english • tagalog
PDGF-BB enhances expression of, and reduces adhesion to, laminin-5 in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Abstract The laminin family of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins plays crucial roles in regulating cellular growth, migration, and differentiation. We report here that laminin-5 is expressed in the tunica media of the rat aorta and pulmonary arteries. Using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, Western blots, and RT-PCR analysis, we found that primary cultures of rat arterial smooth muscle cells express laminin-5 and deposit it into their insoluble ECM. These cells also attach strongly to laminin-5 via β1 integrin receptors in 30 min adhesion assays. Laminin-5 expression in these cells is upregulated by growth factors in vitro and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) stimulation reduces adhesion to laminin-5. As laminin-5 promotes enhanced migration of other cell types, the production of and adhesion to laminin-5 by vascular smooth muscle cells may play a role in the pathological growth and migration of these cells associated with restenosis following vascular injury.
Hilgardite and parahilgardite piezoelectric zeolite type phases

THE calcium chloroborate minerals hilgardite and parahilgardite are classic examples of point group symmetries m and 1 respectively1,2. They were found in the Choctow salt dome, Louisiana and are both piezoelectric. The chemical composition, originally given as Ca8 (B6O11) 4C14·4H2O for both minerals (see refs 1 and 2), has been revised to Ca2(B5O8 (OH)2 Cl) (ref. 3). Our structure determination indicates the chemical composition to be Ca2B5O9Cl·H2O for both phases.
Weight loss in people with Alzheimer's disease: a prospective population based analysis

Weight loss among older people, often due to conditions such as cancer and heart disease, has been associated with increased risks of disability and mortality.1 Alzheimer's disease may be a more important source of weight loss than previously recognised, and we examined this issue in a community sample of older adults from a population based, longitudinal study. We collected data during five annual structured clinical evaluations of subjects from a stratified random sample of the population aged 65 years and older of East Boston, Massachusetts, a geographically defined community. We measured weight and height, with participants wearing light clothing, without shoes. Body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)2) was used to standardise weight for height. Of the 467 clinical evaluation subjects, 338 survived and underwent follow up assessments and 280 (83%) had two or more weight measurements. We diagnosed Alzheimer's disease on the basis …
Reading and writing with computers: a framework for explaining differences in performance

Several factors can influence the behavior of users as they read and write with computers. Recent research indicates that both quality and quantity depend upon page size, legibility, responsiveness and tangibility.
Micrometeorological methods for measuring surface fluxes of mass and energy

(1990). Micrometeorological methods for measuring surface fluxes of mass and energy. Remote Sensing Reviews: Vol. 5, Instrumentation for studying vegetation canopies for remote sensing in optical and thermal infrared regions, pp. 99-115.
Resistive transition and current density characteristics in superconducting niobium containing dissolved gases

Oxygen and nitrogen as interstitial solutes in niobium cause the metal in transverse field to exhibit anomalous resistance minima or critical current maxima (peak effect). The anomaly appears at ${H}_{c2}$, the upper critical field of these Type II superconductors. The resistance in the mixed state is decreased by exceeding the solubility limit, by cold working and by strain aging at 170\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, masking out the anomaly. Rapidly quenching from the solution temperature decreases the anomaly. The results suggest that the anomaly is strongest at some intermediate stage of the process of segregation and precipitation at dislocations. Resistance in the mixed state is increased by introducing more solute, by quenching, and by etching. Structural changes brought about by cold working, strain aging, and rapid quenching responsible for large changes in ${J}_{c}(H)$ or $R(H)$ in the mixed state also cause changes in the region ${H}_{c2}lHl{H}_{c3}$. In this latter region, field orientation effects and observed $\frac{{H}_{c3}}{{H}_{c2}}$ ratios are roughly consistent with the concept of a superconducting surface sheath as recently proposed by Saint-James and de Gennes. Pure niobium, however, tends to exhibit consistently higher ratios.
Atheroembolic disease following administration of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)

Atheroembolic disease is an uncommon condition with many interesting manifestations and has been reported following various procedures. Its occurrence following thrombolytic therapy is extremely rare, with only a few case reports in the literature. However, with the widespread application of thrombolysis in patients with acute myocardial infarction, its incidence is likely to increase and therefore this entity needs to be recognized. Early recognition of the illness may help avoid further expensive and unnecessary investigations. We report two cases of atheroembolic disease following the administration of human recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (TPA).
Relativistic model for nucleon-nucleon scattering including two-pion-exchange

Abstract A relativistic model for elastic nucleon-nucleon (NN) scattering is constructed using the Blankenbecler-Sugar method and the two-pion exchange (TPE) contribution to the K-matrix. Two different models (field theory and dispersion relation) are considered to describe TPE. The inner region or core of the interaction, specified by S, P and 3D1 phases, is treated using the Blankenbecler-Sugar equation, while the outer region or tail of the interaction is established by adding the TPE effect. Good agreement with the experimental phase parameters is attained, and the models are in good agreement with certain of the various phase-shift analyses considered where these show marked differences. A realistic ϵ (J=T=0 scalar meson) mass is used in the calculation, and the short range behavior of the interaction is fixed using pion-nucleon data and a simple phenomenological model for the meson-nucleon vertex function.
FFT Compiler: from math to efficient hardware HLDVT invited short paper

This paper presents a high-level compiler that generates hardware implementations of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) from mathematical specifications. The matrix formula input language captures not only the DFT calculation but also the implementation options at the algorithmic and architectural levels. By selecting the appropriate formula, the resulting hardware implementations (described in a synthesizable Verilog description) can achieve a wide range of tradeoffs between implementation cost and performance. The compiler is also parameterized for a set of technology-specific optimizations, to allow it to target specific implementation platforms. This paper gives a brief overview of the system and presents synthesis results.
Neurodevelopmental outcome of solid organ transplantation in children.

The literature regarding organ transplantation has emphasized graft survival in the arena of organ transplantation for life-threatening disease. The concept of "if you can't get it to work .... replace it" has been successful in the adult transplant population and has found its way into the pediatric population. With the improvement in patient and graft survival rates and management of complications, the questions multiply concerning quality-of-life issues. Neurodevelopmental outcome is emerging as one of the focal points for parents, physicians, and education specialists as they request information regarding early intervention and therapies for this growing population of children from the successful era of organ transplantation.
Health care funding levels and patient outcomes: a national study

Background: Health care funding levels differ significantly across geographic regions, but there is little correlation between regional funding levels and outcomes of elderly Medicare beneficiaries. Our goal was to determine whether this relationship holds true in a non-Medicare population cared for in a large integrated health care system with a capitated budget allocation system. Methods: We explored the association between health care funding and risk-adjusted mortality in the 22 Veterans Affairs (VA) geographic Networks over a six-year time period. Allocations to Networks were adjusted for illness burden using Diagnostic Cost Groups. To test the association between funding and risk-adjusted three-year mortality, we ran logistic regressions with single-year patient cohorts, as well as hierarchical regressions on a six year longitudinal data set, clustering on VA Network. Results: A $1000 increase in funding per unit of patient illness burden was associated with a 2–8% reduction in three-year mortality in cross sectional regressions. However, in longitudinal hierarchical regressions clustering on Network, the significant effect of funding level was eliminated. Conclusions: When longitudinal data are used, the significant cross sectional effect of funding levels on mortality disappear. Thus, the factors driving differences in mortality are Network effects, although part of the Network effect may be due to past levels of funding. Our results provide a caution for cross sectional examinations of the association between regional health care funding levels and health outcomes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
“Stat” Medication Administration Predicts Hospital Discharge

Objective This study describes the use of “stat” medications for inpatients in a large state psychiatric hospital system, and examines the relationship between receipt of a “stat” for agitation and subsequent hospital discharge. Methods Use of “stat” medications in 2005 was retrospectively determined using a database that contains diagnosis and prescription information from 17 state-run adult civil facilities. A logistic regression model explored the relationship between receipt of a “stat” order for intramuscular preparations of either antipsychotics or lorazepam within the first 30 days of hospitalization and likelihood of hospital discharge by 6 months. Results Among 7,202 patients who received antipsychotic medication in 2005, 3,240 (45%) also received a “stat” psychotropic medication during that year. Among 40,651 stat orders, 19,142 (47%) were for intramuscular antipsychotics or lorazepam presumably given for the treatment of agitation. Among 1,673 patients admitted in the first 6 months of 2005, 415 (25%) received at least one such “agitation stat.” The percent discharged at six months among “agitation stat” receivers was 39%, compared to 69% among those who did not receive an “agitation stat” (chi-square = 115, df = 1, P < .001). Regression analysis showed that receiving an “agitation stat” in the first 30 days of hospitalization was associated with a 37% lower likelihood of being discharged by 6 months after admission (odds ratio .63, 95% CI: .46–.86). Conclusions “Stat” medications are commonly used. The use of “agitation stat” medications can be used as a proxy for clinical stability and may prove to be a useful outcome measure for future pharmacoepidemiologic studies of comparative medication effectiveness.
Antibody response of swine experimentally infected with Mycoplasma hyosynoviae.

Abstract Antibody responses of swine inoculated intranasally with M. hyosynoviae were determined using complement-fixation, latex-agglutination, metabolic-inhibition, and mycoplasmacidal tests. The infected swine developed latex-agglutinating antibodies by 6 days postinoculation, complement-fixing and metabolic-inhibiting antibodies by 9–12 days, and mycoplasmacidal antibodies which were first detected from 12 days to 8 weeks postinoculation. Antibody titers persisted for as long as 6 months postinoculation. Complement-fixing and mycoplasmacidal antibodies were mainly IgG, and latex-agglutinating antibodies were IgM. Early metabolic-inhibiting antibodies were IgM while later antibodies were mainly IgG. None of the pigs had detectable complement-fixing antibodiies to Mycoplasma hyorhinis .
Majority Voting On Tax Shares: a Simple Life-Cycle Model

This article presents a simple model of majority voting on tax shares in which Abstract voters perceive the tax structure to be chosen as a permanent institution under which each voter's tax burden will be determined throughout his or her lifetime. Young voters view the choice of tax structure as a means of allocating an anticipated tax burden over the life cycle. Middle-aged and elderly voters, on the other hand, do have the option of lowering the tax burden on themselves by shifting it onto younger voters. Preferences of different groups of voters and likely majority rule outcome with respect to choice of tax structure are examined under various assumptions about lifetime income patterns and expectations about the rate of public sector growth, and of population growth.
Citation Behavior of Aerospace Engineering Faculty

Abstract Citation analyses provide valuable insights into the usage of library collections and assist in collection management decision-making; however, there are few engineering citation analyses of faculty publications. This study addresses that gap through an analysis of 3488 citations from aerospace engineering faculty publications by source, format, age, and subject. Local holdings were assessed based on the 80/20 rule and journal titles ranked. In addition to supporting citation patterns identified in previous citation analyses, this study revealed some novel relationships involving formats and subjects. The results of this study have implications for collection management.
Magnetoplasma modes of semiconductor superlattices with integral Landau-level filling.

The dispersion relation of magnetic excitons in a semiconductor superlattice is derived in the strong-magnetic-field limit. The Coulomb energy ${e}^{2}$/\ensuremath{\epsilon}${l}_{0}$ is assumed to be smaller than the cyclotron energy \ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}$, and many-body correlation effects are treated exactly to lowest order in (${e}^{2}$/\ensuremath{\epsilon}${l}_{0}$)/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}$. .AE
EIGENANALYSIS OF UNSTEADY FLOW ABOUT AIRFOILS, CASCADES, AND WINGS

A general technique for constructing reduced order models of unsteady aerodynamic flows about twodimensional isolated airfoils, cascades of airfoils, and three-dimensional wings is developed. The starting point is a time domain computational model of the unsteady small disturbance flow. For illustration purposes, we apply the technique to an unsteady incompressible vortex lattice model. The eigenmodes of the system, which may be thought of as aerodynamic states, are computed and subsequently used to construct computationally efficient, reduced order models of the unsteady flowfield. Only a handful of the most dominant eigenmodes are retained in the reduced order model. The effect of the remaining eigenmodes is included approximately using a static correction technique. An important advantage of the present method is that once the eigenmode information has been computed, reduced order models can be constructed for any number of arbitrary modes of airfoil motion very inexpensively. Numerical examples are presented that demonstrate the accuracy and computational efficiency of the present method. Finally, we show how the reduced order model may be incorporated into an aeroelastic flutter model.
Cure kinetics of a multisubstituted acetylenic monomer

Abstract A polyfunctional arylacetylenic monomer, 1,2,4-tris(phenylethynyl)benzene, thermally polymerizes by a free-radical mechanism to a highly crosslinked structure of interest as a precursor matrix for carbon/carbon composites. The polymerization reaction was characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.). The disappearance of the acetylenic stretching band at 2212 cm −1 was used successfully to monitor the cure reaction. The cure reaction follows first-order kinetics with an overall activation energy of 135 kJ mol −1 . Dynamic d.s.c. analysis carried out to estimate the activation energy of the cure reaction yields a value of 137 kJ mol −1 .
Evolution of the extracellular space in immature nervous tissue.

En el cerebelo de rata recien nacida existen espacios extracelulares mayores que 1000 A los cuales progresivamente se reducen hasta que en la tercera semana, como en el adulto, las celulas y fibras se hallan separadas por endiduras de 150–200 A. Estas observaciones indican que el reducido espacio usualmente hallado en el adulto no es un artificio tecnico como ha sido sugerido por algunos autores.
Adaptive codebook-based channel prediction and interpolation for multiuser multiple-input multiple-output–orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems

In multiple-input multiple-output–orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO–OFDM) communications, the channel state information (CSI) of the forward link at each subcarrier is needed for precoder design at the transmitter to achieve the maximal diversity and/or multiplexing gains. In frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, the CSI needs to be estimated at the receivers and fed back to the transmitters. Owing to the limited network resources, there will be CSI feedback errors due to quantisation, delay and clustering (where one CSI feedback is used to represent a cluster of adjacent subcarriers for feedback reduction). Consequently, the system performance degrades and the gains expected from using MIMO diminish. To mitigate this performance degradation, an adaptive codebook-based CSI prediction and interpolation scheme is proposed for multiuser MIMO–OFDM systems. In this scheme, geodesic CSI prediction is employed at the receiver to mitigate the feedback delay effect and geodesic CSI interpolation is performed at the transmitter to mitigate the clustering feedback effect. Since the performance gain assumed by the CSI prediction and interpolation is limited by the low-resolution CSI quantisation, an adaptive codebook scheme is proposed to be used to support the CSI prediction and interpolation. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is effective in mitigating the performance loss due to quantisation, feedback delay and clustering feedback.
A Screening Methodology for Passive Microwave Precipitation Retrieval Algorithms

Abstract The success of any passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithm relies on the proper identification of rain areas and the elimination of surface areas that produce a signature similar to that of precipitation. A discussion on the impact of and on methods that identify areas of rain, snow cover, deserts, and semiarid conditions over land, and rain, sea ice, strong surface winds, and clear, calm conditions over ocean, are presented. Additional artifacts caused by coastlines and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager data errors are also discussed, and methods to alleviate their impact are presented. The strengths and weaknesses of the “screening” techniques are examined through application on various case studies used in the WetNet PIP-2. Finally, a methodology to develop a set of screens for use as a common rainfall indicator for the intercomparison of the wide variety of algorithms submitted to PIP-2 is described.
A metagenomic study of diet-dependent interaction between gut microbiota and host in infants reveals differences in immune response

Background: Gut microbiota and the host exist in a mutualistic relationship, with the functional composition of the microbiota strongly affecting the health and well-being of the host. Thus, it is important to develop a synthetic approach to study the host transcriptome and the microbiome simultaneously. Early microbial colonization in infants is critically important for directing neonatal intestinal and immune development, and is especially attractive for studying the development of human-commensal interactions. Here we report the results from a simultaneous study of the gut microbiome and host epithelial transcriptome of three-month-old exclusively breast- and formulafed infants. Results: Variation in both host mRNA expression and the microbiome phylogenetic and functional profiles was observed between breast- and formula-fed infants. To examine the interdependent relationship between host epithelial cell gene expression and bacterial metagenomic-based profiles, the host transcriptome and functionally profiled microbiome data were subjected to novel multivariate statistical analyses. Gut microbiota metagenome virulence characteristics concurrently varied with immunity-related gene expression in epithelial cells between the formula-fed and the breast-fed infants. Conclusions: Our data provide insight into the integrated responses of the host transcriptome and microbiome to dietary substrates in the early neonatal period. We demonstrate that differences in diet can affect, via gut colonization, host expression of genes associated with the innate immune system. Furthermore, the methodology presented in this study can be adapted to assess other host-commensal and host-pathogen interactions using genomic and transcriptomic data, providing a synthetic genomics-based picture of host-commensal relationships.
James, Rationality and Religious Belief

One of James's earliest philosophical essays sounds a note which will echo through his writings. Criticizing Spencer's definition of truth as (‘mere’) correspondence, James asserts that a ‘correspondence’ between the mind and reality is a ‘right mental action’, and rightness is determined by ‘pure subjective interests …brought… upon the scene and corresponding to no relation already there’ (EP 11).
Fitness and Fatness as Mortality Predictors in Healthy Older Men: The Veterans Exercise Testing Study

Background. Low body mass index (BMI) and low cardiorespiratory fi tness (CRF) are independently associated with increased mortality in the elderly. However, interactions among BMI, CRF, and mortality in older persons have not been adequately explored. Methods. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for predetermined strata of BMI and CRF. Independent and joint associations of CRF, BMI, and all-cause mortality were assessed by Cox proportional hazards analyses in a prospective cohort of 981 healthy men aged at least 65 years (mean age [ ± SD ], 71 [ ± 5] years; range, 65 ‐ 88 years) referred for exercise testing during 1987 ‐ 2003. Results. During a mean follow-up of 6.9 ± 4.4 years, a total of 208 patients died. Multivariate relative risks (95% confi dence interval [CI]) of mortality across BMI groups of 8.0 metabolic equivalents were 1.0 (reference), 0.56 (0.40 ‐ 0.78), and 0.39 (0.26 ‐ 0.58), respectively. In a separate analysis of within-strata CRF according to BMI grouping, the lowest mortality risk was observed in obese men with high fi tness (HR [95% CI] 0.26 [0.10 ‐ 0.69]; p = .007). Conclusions. In this cohort of elderly male veterans, we observed independent and joint inverse relations of BMI and CRF to mortality. This warrants further investigation of fifatness, and mortality interactions in older persons .
Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ Stimulation of Adipocyte ApoE Gene Transcription Mediated by the Liver Receptor X Pathway

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) agonists increase insulin sensitivity in humans and are useful for treating human diabetes. Treatment with these agonists leads to increased apoE expression and triglyceride accumulation in adipocytes. The importance of apoE for adipocyte triglyceride accumulation is demonstrated by observations that triglyceride accumulation is impaired in apoE knockout adipocytes treated with PPARγ agonists. The current studies investigate the molecular mechanism for PPARγ stimulation of the adipocyte apoE gene and demonstrate that the liver receptor X (LXR) response element within an apoE gene downstream enhancer is required for the apoE response to PPARγ agonists. The response of the apoE gene to treatment with PPARγ agonists was delayed beyond 12 h suggesting the involvement of an intermediary pathway. The combined addition of PPARγ and LXR agonists did not increase apoE response beyond that observed with addition of either alone. Deletion or mutation of the LXR response element completely eliminated the adipocyte apoE gene response to a PPARγ agonist. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses performed using isolated adipocytes, or adipose tissue from mice treated with PPARγ agonists, showed increased LXR binding to the apoE gene after PPARγ agonist treatment. Knockdown of LXR expression completely eliminated the increase in apoE message, protein, and triglyceride in response to PPARγ stimulation. The LXR response element has been previously shown to mediate sterol responsiveness of the apoE gene, and apoE expression plays an important role in adipocyte triglyceride balance. The current observations suggest that the PPARγ-LXR-apoE regulatory cascade could be an important molecular link for cross-talk between adipocyte triglyceride and cholesterol homeostasis.
The Learning Paradigm College – John Tagg

Books reviewed: The Learning Paradigm College. By John Tagg. Boston, Mass.: Anker Publishing Co., 2003. xviii & 379 pages. ISBN 1-8829-8258-4. $39.95 (Cloth).
II.—The Principal Characters of American Jurassic Dinosaurs belonging to the Order Theropoda

The carnivorous Dinosauria form a well-marked order, which the writer has called the Theropoda, in his classification of this group. Although much has been written about these reptiles since Buckland described Megalosaurus in 1824, but little has really been made out in regard to the structure of the skull, and many portions of the skeleton still remain to be determined.
An Extensible Platform for Evaluating Security Protocols

We present a discrete-event network simulator, called Simnet, designed specifically for analyzing network-security protocols. The design and implementation is focused on simplicity of abstraction and extensibility. Moreover, its modular architecture allows operators to dynamically customize running simulations. To demonstrate its strengths we present cases studies that focus on examining security-centric problem domains. In particular, we present an analysis of worm propagation modeling for worms with varying target selection algorithms on topologies representing a few million hosts. Additionally, we examine the use of countermeasures such as aggregate congestion control as a defense against DDoS attacks, and present analysis for a variant called direct-pushback. Lastly, we provide an empirical analysis of the computational and bandwidth overhead induced by proposed security extensions to DNS. These experiments hopefully illustrate that Simnet is not only scalable and efficient, but provides a viable platform for prototyping and analyzing non-trivial security protocols - a task which we argue cannot be easily accomplished elsewhere.
Role of the Microbiota and Antibiotics in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an idiopathic, progressive, cholestatic liver disease with considerable morbidity and mortality and no established pharmacotherapy. In addition to the long-recognized association between PSC and inflammatory bowel disease, several lines of preclinical and clinical evidence implicate the microbiota in the etiopathogenesis of PSC. Here we provide a concise review of these data which, taken together, support further investigation of the role of the microbiota and antibiotics in PSC as potential avenues toward elucidating safe and effective pharmacotherapy for patients afflicted by this illness.
Mental health disorders in children of non-drug-abusing parents: A sample from a rural community devastated by methamphetamine

A representative sample of 58 preschoolers (aged 4 and 5) and 78 school-age children (aged 8 and 9) from methamphetamine-producing (MP) and non-producing (NP) homes was drawn from a rural county in Tennessee, for two separate studies.
A Hybrid Sensitivity Analysis for Use in Early Design

Sensitivity analyses are frequently used during the design process of engineering systems to qualify and quantify the effect of parametric variation on the performance of a system. Two primary types of sensitivity analyses are generally used: local and global. Local analyses, generally involving derivative-based measures, have a significantly lower computational burden than global analyses but only provide measures of sensitivity around a nominal point. Global analyses, generally performed with a Monte Carlo sampling approach and variation-based measures, provide a complete description of a concept’s sensitivity but incur a large computational burden and require significantly more information regarding the distributions of the design parameters in a concept. Local analyses are generally suited to the early stages of design when parametric information is limited and a large number of concepts must be considered (necessitating a light computational burden). Global analyses are more suited towards the later stages of design when more information regarding parametric distributions is available and fewer concepts are being considered. Current derivative-based local approaches provide a significantly different set of measures than a global variation-based analysis. This makes a direct comparison of local to global measures impossible. To reconcile local and global sensitivity analyses, a hybrid local variation based sensitivity (HyVar) approach is presented. This approach has a similar computational burden to a local approach but produces measures in the same format as a global variation-based approach (contribution percentages). This HyVar sensitivity analysis is developed in the context of a functionality-based design and behavioral modeling framework. An example application of the method is presented along with a summary of results produced from a more comprehensive example.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Role of transverse tubules in insulin stimulated muscle glucose transport

Although the strongest evidence for recruitment of glucose transporters in response to insulin comes from studies with adipocytes, studies in muscle seem in general to confirm that glucose transporters are also translocated to the cell membrane in muscle in response to insulin. However, the observation that transverse tubule (T-tubule) membranes contain approximately five times more glucose transporter than sarcolemma raised a question as to where glucose transport occurs in muscle. The T-tubule membrane system is continuous with the surface sarcolemma and is a tubule system in which extracellular fluid is in proximity with the interior of the muscle fiber. The purpose of this Prospects article is to evaluate the possibility that the T-tubule membrane may represent a major site of glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Using immunocytochemical techniques we have located GLUT4 glucose transporters on the T-tubule membrane and in vesicles near T-tubules. Since T-tubules form channels into the interior of the muscle fiber, glucose could diffuse or be moved by some peristaltic-like pumping action into the transverse tubules and then be transported across the membrane deep into the interior of the muscle fiber. This mode of transport directly into the interior of the cell would be advantageous over transport across the sarcolemma and subsequent diffusion around the myofibrils to reach the interior of the muscle. Thus, in addition to the role of the T-tubule in ion fluxes and contraction, this unique membrane system can also provide a pathway for the delivery of substrates into the center of the muscle cell where many glycolytic enzymes and glycogen deposits are located.
Atomic-scale simulations of multiple ion–solid interactions and structural evolution in silicon carbide

Molecular dynamics (MD) were employed in atomic-level simulations of fundamental damage production processes due to multiple ion–solid collision events in cubic SiC. Isolated collision cascades produce single interstitials, vacancies, antisite defects, and small defect clusters. As the number of cascades (or equivalent dose) increases, the concentration of defects increases, and the collision cascades begin to overlap. The coalescence of defects and clusters with increasing dose is an important mechanism leading to amorphization in SiC and is consistent with the homogeneous amorphization process observed experimentally in SiC. The driving force for the crystalline– amorphous (c–a) transition is the accumulation of both interstitials and antisite defects. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images of the defect accumulation process and loss of long-range order in the MD simulation cell are consistent with experimental HRTEM images and disorder measurements. Thus, the MD simulations provide atomic-level insights into the interpretation of experimentally observed features associated with multiple ion–solid collision events in SiC.
Certified Athletic Trainers' Knowledge of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Common Disinfectants

Context: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are increasingly common in athletic settings. The MRSA knowledge and infection-control practices of certified athletic trainer...
Dynamic linkages between Food Price Fluctuations and Exchange Rates: Evidence from Ghana

This study examines the causal relationship between food prices and exchange rates in Ghana based on monthly time series data for the period 2008-2013. The study uses the Granger causality approach based on the classical unit root tests and employs the Vector autoregression model (VAR) in the estimation. Two testable hypotheses were investigated: (1) Do exchange rates Granger-cause food price fluctuations? And (2) Do food price fluctuations Granger-cause exchange rates? The empirical results of the study show that there is unidirectional causal relationship between food prices and exchange rates in Ghana. The results suggest that there was causality from food prices to exchange rate and not the converse
A method for the development of disease-specific reference standards vocabularies from textual biomedical literature resources

A method was proposed for developing disease-specific reference vocabularies.Expert-curated documents are useful sources for disease-specific vocabularies.Contributions to the vocabulary vary among sources on a same subject.Near saturation can be achieved with a relatively small number of literature sources.The numbers of sources for near-saturation change slightly among conditions. ObjectiveDisease-specific vocabularies are fundamental to many knowledge-based intelligent systems and applications like text annotation, cohort selection, disease diagnostic modeling, and therapy recommendation. Reference standards are critical in the development and validation of automated methods for disease-specific vocabularies. The goal of the present study is to design and test a generalizable method for the development of vocabulary reference standards from expert-curated, disease-specific biomedical literature resources. MethodsWe formed disease-specific corpora from literature resources like textbooks, evidence-based synthesized online sources, clinical practice guidelines, and journal articles. Medical experts annotated and adjudicated disease-specific terms in four classes (i.e., causes or risk factors, signs or symptoms, diagnostic tests or results, and treatment). Annotations were mapped to UMLS concepts. We assessed source variation, the contribution of each source to build disease-specific vocabularies, the saturation of the vocabularies with respect to the number of used sources, and the generalizability of the method with different diseases. ResultsThe study resulted in 2588 string-unique annotations for heart failure in four classes, and 193 and 425 respectively for pulmonary embolism and rheumatoid arthritis in treatment class. Approximately 80% of the annotations were mapped to UMLS concepts. The agreement among heart failure sources ranged between 0.28 and 0.46. The contribution of these sources to the final vocabulary ranged between 18% and 49%. With the sources explored, the heart failure vocabulary reached near saturation in all four classes with the inclusion of minimal six sources (or between four to seven sources if only counting terms occurred in two or more sources). It took fewer sources to reach near saturation for the other two diseases in terms of the treatment class. ConclusionsWe developed a method for the development of disease-specific reference vocabularies. Expert-curated biomedical literature resources are substantial for acquiring disease-specific medical knowledge. It is feasible to reach near saturation in a disease-specific vocabulary using a relatively small number of literature sources.
Investigation of chemical pathways for turbulent Hydrogen-Air premixed flames

This paper considers the kinetic pathways of hydrogen oxidation in turbulent, premixed H2-air flames. It assesses the relative roles of different reaction steps in H2 oxidation relative to laminar flames, and the degree to which turbulence-chemistry interactions alters the well understood oxidation pathway that exist in laminar flames. This is done by analysing turbulent, lean (φ =0.4), H2-Air flame DNS database from Aspden et al. (Proc. Combust. Inst. 35 (2015) 1321–1329). The relative roles of dominant reaction steps in heat release and radical formation/consumption are analysed at different Karlovitz numbers and compared with laminar stretched flame calculations from counterflow flames and perfectly stirred reactors. It is found that both the progress variable conditioned and spatially integrated contributions of the dominant reactions remain qualitatively similar between a highly turbulent and a laminar unstretched flame. Larger changes, up to a factor of about two, occur in the relative roles of reactions with secondary influences on heat release and radical production/consumption. These results suggest that the kinetic routes through which H2 is oxidized remain essentially constant between laminar, unstretched flames and high Karlovitz number flames.
A Case Against Decriminalization of Pot

Drug use may be either prescribed or proscribed depending on the drug and/or the nature of procurement. Marijuana and other drugs of those not in power are proscribed. Although males smoke and sell...
Flexible and Stackable Laser-Induced Graphene Supercapacitors

In this paper, we demonstrate that by simple laser induction, commercial polyimide films can be readily transformed into porous graphene for the fabrication of flexible, solid-state supercapacitors. Two different solid-state electrolyte supercapacitors are described, namely vertically stacked graphene supercapacitors and in-plane graphene microsupercapacitors, each with enhanced electrochemical performance, cyclability, and flexibility. Devices with a solid-state polymeric electrolyte exhibit areal capacitance of >9 mF/cm2 at a current density of 0.02 mA/cm2, more than twice that of conventional aqueous electrolytes. Moreover, laser induction on both sides of polyimide sheets enables the fabrication of vertically stacked supercapacitors to multiply its electrochemical performance while preserving device flexibility.
Analysis of sanitation surweillance in public places in Dalian city from 2006 to 2009

Objective:To understand the sanitstion status to improve sanitation quality of public place in dalian city.Methods:Test According to Standard Examination Methods for Public and analyze the results about entrusted test in dalian city from 2006 to 2009.Results:There were 3928 enviroment surveillance in public places in Dalian city from 2006 to 2009 and the percent of pass was 90.22%.The percent of pass in 2006 was 84.28% and it was the lowest.The percent of passing percent of coliform bacteria,aerobic bacterial count and mildew count about public objects were separately 98.83%,91.43% and 82.75%.The passing percent of coliform bacteria was significantly higher than that of aerobic bacterial count and mildew count.Conclusion: Strengthening the surveillance about slippers and improving the level of public place in Dalian city.
1.65 Å resolution structure of the AraC-family transcriptional activator ToxT from Vibrio cholerae.

ToxT is an AraC-family transcriptional activator protein that controls the expression of key virulence factors in Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. ToxT directly activates the expression of the genes that encode the toxin-coregulated pilus and cholera toxin, and also positively auto-regulates its own expression from the tcp promoter. The crystal structure of ToxT has previously been solved at 1.9 A resolution (PDB entry 3gbg). In this study, a crystal structure of ToxT at 1.65 A resolution with a similar overall structure to the previously determined structure is reported. However, there are distinct differences between the two structures, particularly in the region that extends from Asp101 to Glu110. This region, which can influence ToxT activity but was disordered in the previous structure, can be traced entirely in the current structure.
Defects in brainstem neurons associated with breathing and motor function in the Mecp2R168X/Y mouse model of Rett syndrome

Rett Syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused mostly by disruption of the MECP2 gene. Among several RTT-like mouse models, one of them is a strain of mice that carries an R1...
Loving Nature, Fearing the State: Environmentalism and Antigovernment Politics before Reagan. By Brian Allen Drake. (Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2013. Pp. xvi, 245. $34.95.)

Prior to the 1980s, the Republican Party boasted an impressive string of leaders that supported many of the key environmental initiatives that continue to influence modern American life today. Theo...
A twist of fat(e): Liposuction to treat vascular disease

Clogged arteries limit blood flow, starving tissues of oxygen and leading to heart attacks, strokes, and other vascular complications. Treatments to bypass obstructed arteries use autologous vessels harvested from other body sites or synthetic grafts in the absence of adequate donor vessels. When
Testing a Novel 3D Printed Radiographic Imaging Device for Use in Forensic Odontology

There are specific challenges related to forensic dental radiology and difficulties in aligning X-ray equipment to teeth of interest. Researchers used 3D printing to create a new device, the combined holding and aiming device (CHAD), to address the positioning limitations of current dental X-ray devices. Participants (N = 24) used the CHAD, soft dental wax, and a modified external aiming device (MEAD) to determine device preference, radiographer’s efficiency, and technique errors. Each participant exposed six X-rays per device for a total of 432 X-rays scored. A significant difference was found at the 0.05 level between the three devices (p = 0.0015), with the MEAD having the least amount of total errors and soft dental wax taking the least amount of time. Total errors were highest when participants used soft dental wax—both the MEAD and the CHAD performed best overall. Further research in forensic dental radiology and use of holding devices is needed.
Benefits of Activity Participation: The Roles of Identity Affirmation and Peer Group Norm Sharing

The importance of out-of-school time for healthy development has been stressed in recent reports by foundations and researchers (e.g., Carnegie Corporation, 1992; Eccles & Gootman, 2002; Eccles & Templeton, 2002; Larson, 2000). There is good evidence that participating in extracurricular activities is associated with both shortand long-term indicators of positive development during adolescence. Previous research, however, tells us less about the reasons for these associations. Scholars have suggested that activities can (a) help adolescents acquire both the educational credentials and the cognitive skills needed for adult work roles, (b) work through issues of personal and social identity, (c) acquire the inter-personal skills needed to form healthy social relationships and to succeed in the world of work, and (d) refine the emotional and behavioral skills needed to become fully functioning, independent adults.
MedRem: an interactive medication reminder and tracking system on wrist devices

Medication adherence is pivotal for effective health outcomes. One of the main reasons behind poor medication adherence is forgetfulness, and reminder systems are often used in addressing the problem. This paper presents MedRem, a novel medication reminder and tracking system on wearable wrist devices. The system is handy and interactive, and it is enriched with several useful features. To address the limitations of the tiny display size of the wrist devices, MedRem incorporates speech recognition and text-to-speech features along with clever interface design. Users interact with the system using voice commands as well as using the display available on the device. A dictionary based training approach is used on top of the state of the art speech recognition systems to reduce the errors in recognizing the commands from the users. The system is evaluated for both native and non-native English speakers. The error rates for recognizing voice commands are 6.43% and 20.9% for the native and the non-native speakers, respectively, when a off-the-shelf speech recognition system is used. MedRem reduces the error to nearly zero for both types of users through a dictionary based training approach. On average, only 1.25 and 15 training commands are required to achieve this performance for the native and the non-native speakers, respectively.