cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changing the Engineering Student Culture with Respect to Academic Integrity and Ethics

Engineers create airplanes, buildings, medical devices, and software, amongst many other things. Engineers abide by a professional code of ethics to uphold people’s safety and the reputation of the profession. Likewise, students abide by a code of academic integrity while learning the knowledge and necessary skills to prepare them for the engineering and computing professions. This paper reports on studies designed to improve the engineering student culture with respect to academic integrity and ethics. To understand the existing culture at a university in the USA, a survey based on a national survey about cheating was administered to students. The incidences of self-reported cheating and incidences of not reporting others who cheat show the culture is similar to other institutions. Two interventions were designed and tested in an introduction to an engineering course: two case studies that students discussed in teams and the whole class, and a letter of recommendation assignment in which students wrote about themselves (character, strengths, examples of ethical decisions) three years into the future. Students were surveyed after the two interventions. Results show that first-year engineering students appreciate having a code of academic integrity and they want to earn their degree without cheating, yet less than half of the students would report on another cheating student. The letter of recommendation assignment had some impact on getting students to think about ethics, their character, and their actions. Future work in changing the student culture will continue in both a top-down (course interventions) and bottom-up (student-driven interventions) manner.
Photo Regulation of Kinesin Motor Activity Utilizing Photochromic Dronpa-Loop11 Fusion Protein

Kinesin is an ATP driven motor protein that moves along microtubules. Kinesin plays physiologically important roles of intracellular transport. Structure and energy transducing mechanism of kinesin have been well studied. Previous crystallographic studies revealed that kinesin has several unique loops in its motor domain. Loop11 and Loop12 are located in the microtubule binding region of kinesin. They were considered to bind to microtubule alternately during motility cycle with ATP hydrolysis. Previously we have demonstrated that incorporation of photochromic molecules into the microtubules binding site of kinesin enabled photo-reversible regulation of kinesin ATPase activity. In this study, we designed the photochromic protein “Dronpa derivative 145K-145N” fused with kinesin microtubule binding site, “Loop11” and “Loop12” in order to control kinesin motor activity photo-reversibly. First, the Dronpa 145K-L11-145N fusion protein was prepared. 145K-L11-145N showed reversible absorption spectral changes upon 400 nm and 500 nm light irradiation in a manner consistent with original Dronpa tandem dimer 145K-145N. Ionic strength dependent microtubules pelleting assay suggested that 145K-L11-145N associate with microtubules electrostatic interaction. Bright state of 145K-L11-145N inhibited conventional kinesin driven microtubules gliding in the in vitro motility assay. Moreover, Bright state of 145K-L11-145N inhibited microtubule dependent kinesin ATPase activity with the IC50 of 2 μM. We examined also dark state of 145K-L11-145N.
Bilateral Medial Rectus Recession (BMR)

Strabismus (abnormal ocular alignment) is a common problem in children. Misalignment may be vertical, horizontal, torsional, or a combination of these. Although strabismus can be treated with conservative therapy such as prisms, patching, glasses, and orthoptic exercises, many cases require surgery for correction. Horizontal eye muscle surgery is the most common strabismus surgery performed and is used for patients with exo- and eso-deviations, dissociated vertical deviations, abnormal head postures, and/or nystagmus. Several techniques are available for treatment of strabismus and may include resection, recession, splitting of muscles, or any combination of these treatments. Bilateral muscle recessions/resections may be performed, or surgery may be done on antagonist muscles of the same eye, depending on diagnosis and surgeon preference.
Real-Time Multiprocessor Scheduling Algorithm Based on Information Theory Principles

Reducing job migrations is essential for any global multiprocessor scheduling algorithm. In this letter, we present a global, dynamic-priority, laxity-based algorithm that reduces the number of migrations on multiprocessor embedded systems by leveraging information theory principles. A simplification of the proposed scheduling theory is presented to reduce the overhead caused by using information theory. Our results show that the proposed algorithm is able to reduce the number of migrations by up to 41.21% when compared with other global, dynamic-priority, laxity-based algorithms. As the utilization per task set and the number of processors increase, simplified information-theoretic scheduling algorithm is able to improve its performance in terms of the number of migrations.
Speaking of Crime: The Language of Criminal Justice

Why do so many people voluntarily consent to searches by have the police search their person or vehicle when they know that they are carrying contraband or evidence of illegal activity? Does everyone understand the "Miranda" warning? How well can people recognize a voice on tape? Can linguistic experts identify who wrote an anonymous threatening letter? "Speaking of Crime" answers these questions and examines the complex role of language within our criminal justice system. Lawrence M. Solan and Peter M. Tiersma compile numerous cases, ranging from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton to the JonBenet Ramsey case, that provide real-life examples of how language functions in arrests, investigations, interrogations, confessions, and trials. In a clear and accessible style, Solan and Tiersma show how recent advances in the study of language can aid in understanding how legal problems arise and how they might be solved. With compelling discussions current issues and controversies, this book is a provocative state-of-the-art survey that will be of enormous value to legal scholars and professionals throughout the criminal justice system."
Devil in the Detail (or not)? A Study of Crowdsourcing Performance of Entrepreneurial Projects

Crowdfunding is a growing phenomenon that complements conventional channels for entrepreneurial financing. While existing research has explained some behavioral patterns of crowdfunders, a further ...
The Divisiveness of Diversity: President Bush's University of Michigan Commencement Speech as an Example of the Linguistic "Turnaround.".

(1993). The Divisiveness of Diversity: President Bush's University of Michigan Commencement Speech as an Example of the Linguistic “Turnaround”. Argumentation and Advocacy: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 16-27.
Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models: Practical Issues

This chapter provides practical advice in the development of nonlinear mixed effects models. Topics that are discussed include how to choose an estimation method, how to incorporate various covariates in the model (concomitant medications, weight, age, smoking, pregnancy, pharmacogenomics, food, formulation, race, renal function, and laboratory values), and when and how to collect samples for analysis. Missing data and censoring within the context of a repeated measures analysis is also discussed. The chapter concludes with material unique to NONMEM, the leading software for population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic analysis. NONMEM topics that are covered include NONMEM errors and how to resolve them, mu modeling (also called mu-referencing), and the consistency of NONMEM parameter estimates across various platform–compiler combinations.
Tritium pathways and handling problems in a laser fusion reactor

The 1000-MW(electric) laser fusion reactor design of the University of Wisconsin, SOLASE, is fueled by inserting cryogenic deuterium--tritium pellets containing a microkilogram of fuel into a spherical cavity having a 6-m radius at a rate of 20 Hz. The cavity is surrounded by a honeycomb graphite structure divided into 16 longitudinal segments through which lithium oxide particles (100 to 200 ..mu..m in diameter and with a pore length of 1 ..mu..m) flow by gravity. The total oxide inventory is 1 Mkg. The lithium oxide, which contains 0.1 wt % water, serves as both a tritium breeder and a heat transport medium. The oxide enters the blanket at 673K and exits at 873K except for a 2% side stream exiting at 1123K, from which the tritium is recovered. At this temperature, a residence time of 300 s at a flow rate of 163 kg/s is required to condense the daily tritium supply as HTO on a cold surface. The 873K lithium oxide is transported to a steam generator fabricated from Croloy tubes. In addition to the fuel, the container, either borosilicate glass or polyvinylalcohol (PVA), and a polymer ablator, the pellets contain a high-Z material, here xenon. Also, approx.30 ..mu..kg ofmore » neon are frozen on the outside surface to ensure cryogenic conditions during flight. Some pellet constituents will react with the wall, resulting in erosion. Unburned hydrogen species will react with graphite to form acetylene at a rate estimated to be 63 pm/s (2 mm/yr) for glass and PVA shells at pumping speeds of 6.4 and 8.4 Pa m/sup 3//s (4.8 x 10/sup 4/ and 6.3 x 10/sup 4/ Torr l/s) at 300 K, respectively. The oxygen debris will erode the graphite by carbon monoxide formation at maximum rates of 6.3 and 25.4 pm/s, respectively, for glass and PVA shells.« less
Targeting Chromatin Remodeling for Cancer Therapy.

Background Epigenetic alterations comprise key regulatory events that dynamically alter gene expression and their deregulation is commonly linked to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancer. Unlike DNA mutations, epigenetic alterations involve modifications to proteins and nucleic acids that regulate chromatin structure without affecting the underlying DNA sequence, altering the accessibility of the transcriptional machinery to the DNA, thus modulating gene expression. In cancer cells, this often involves the silencing of tumor suppressor genes or the increased expression of genes involved in oncogenesis. Advances in laboratory medicine have made it possible to map critical epigenetic events, including histone modifications and DNA methylation, on a genome-wide scale. Like the identification of genetic mutations, mapping of changes to the epigenetic landscape has increased our understanding of cancer progression. However, in contrast to irreversible genetic mutations, epigenetic modifications are flexible and dynamic, thereby making them promising therapeutic targets. Ongoing studies are evaluating the use of epigenetic drugs in chemotherapy sensitization and immune system modulation. With the preclinical success of drugs that modify epigenetics, along with the FDA approval of epigenetic drugs including the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) inhibitor 5-azacitidine and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat, there has been a rise in the number of drugs that target epigenetic modulators over recent years. Conclusion We provide an overview of epigenetic modulations, particularly those involved in cancer, and discuss the recent advances in drug development that target these chromatin-modifying events, primarily focusing on novel strategies to regulate the epigenome.
Spatial–Temporal snapshots of global natural disaster impacts Revealed from EM-DAT for 1900-2015

Natural disasters causing human, economic, or environmental losses include all types of geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, climatological, or biological events that disturb human and natura...
Updates in Commissioning Timeline for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission, or NISAR, is a multi-disciplinary Radar mission to make integrated measurements to understand the causes and consequences of land surface changes on Earth. NISAR will provide a means of disentangling and clarifying spatially and temporally complex phenomena on Earth, ranging from ecosystem disturbances, to ice sheet collapse and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides. NISAR is a joint partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The NASA L-SAR and ISRO S-SAR Radar instruments will provide global and complementary datasets with a 12-day repeat cycle, for addressing compelling scientific questions in the fields of Solid Earth deformation, Ecosystems and Cryospheric sciences. The prime Science Phase for NISAR will be three years in duration. Prior to beginning the Science Phase, all the observatory elements, including the spacecraft bus, the Radar payload instruments, the JPL Engineering Payload and the Reflector Boom Assembly will be checked out during the In-Orbit Checkout or Commissioning Phase, which will last for 90 days after launch. During the Commissioning Phase, there will be a step-by-step buildup in capability to full observatory operations, starting with ‘Initial Checkout’, ‘Reflector Boom Assembly Deployment,’ ‘Spacecraft Checkout’ and finally ‘Instrument Checkout’. Updates made to the NISAR Commissioning timeline in the Project's Phase C have focused on further refinement of the Instrument Checkout phase in particular. During this phase, both the L-SAR and S-SAR instruments will be powered on, their performance will be characterized and calibrated, initial calibrations will be performed to develop calibration strategies and demonstrate the instruments are ‘calibratable’ in the following 5 months of Science Calibration/Validation phase during nominal science operations. Initial power-on and calibration activities for L-SAR and S-SAR have been interleaved in the timeline. In addition, investigations of the ground processing activities (for example, data processing, data analysis, uplinks, downlinks) to be performed in between successive calibrations are currently underway. Allocating sufficient time for these ground-in-the-loop activities is critical to the development of a realistic timeline with a healthy margin.
Robotic Transversus Abdominus Release

Advanced abdominal wall reconstruction has seen a great evolution in recent decades. It is a burgeoning field, growing rapidly in breadth and procedural complexity, and with it, a growing evidence-based foundation. However, as with any surgical field where a major consideration for success or failure is largely determined by the incidence or absence of recurrence, and where this determination is made on the order of years to decades, we find ourselves advancing at a speed far greater than our evidence can keep pace. As a result, much of our clinical and operative decision-making is based on theoretical, albeit increasingly well understood principals of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics.
Metabolomics and Other “-Omic” Approaches to Characterize Perioperative Trajectories

Surgical trauma triggers a robust stress response which can exceed the body’s internal tolerances becoming the primary mechanism for further injury and perioperative organ dysfunction. However, postoperative patient trajectories and in particular the ability to maintain or recover appropriate function following controlled surgical trauma remain poorly described, lacking both a precise phenotypic framework and mechanistic understanding. A number of technologies have emerged that enable rapid quantification of metabolic states in biofluids and tissues using both targeted and unbiased metabolomic approaches and successfully used to characterize and gain mechanistic insight into patient responses to surgery, trauma, and critical illness, as well as predict recovery and long-term survival after surgery. A quantitative description of the dynamic patient state before and following surgical trauma in critical care settings using longitudinal metabolic and immunophenotyping offers the promise to refine preventative, monitoring, and therapeutic decisions informing surgical and perioperative decision-making.
Host association induces genome changes in Candida albicans which alters its virulence

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans that is typically diploid yet, has a highly labile genome that is tolerant of large-scale perturbations including chromosomal aneuploidy and loss-of-heterozygosity events. The ability to rapidly generate genetic variation is crucial for C. albicans to adapt to changing or stress environments, like those encountered in the host. Genetic variation occurs via stress-induced mutagenesis or can be generated through its parasexual cycle, which includes mating between diploids or stress-induced mitotic defects to produce tetraploids and non-meiotic ploidy reduction. However, it remains largely unknown how genetic background contributes to C. albicans genome instability in vitro or in vivo. Here, we tested how genetic background, ploidy, and host environment impact C. albicans genome stability. We found that host association induced both loss-of-heterozygosity events and genome size changes, regardless of genetic background or ploidy. However, the magnitude and types of genome changes varied across C. albicans strains. We also assessed whether host-induced genomic changes resulted in any consequences on growth rate and virulence phenotypes and found that many host-derived isolates had significant changes compared to their parental strains. Interestingly, host derivatives from diploid C. albicans predominantly displayed increased virulence, whereas host derivatives from tetraploid C. albicans had mostly reduced virulence. Together, these results are important for understanding how host-induced genomic changes in C. albicans alter the relationship between the host and C. albicans.
Learning Minimax Estimators via Online Learning.

We consider the problem of designing minimax estimators for estimating the parameters of a probability distribution. Unlike classical approaches such as the MLE and minimum distance estimators, we consider an algorithmic approach for constructing such estimators. We view the problem of designing minimax estimators as finding a mixed strategy Nash equilibrium of a zero-sum game. By leveraging recent results in online learning with non-convex losses, we provide a general algorithm for finding a mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium of general non-convex non-concave zero-sum games. Our algorithm requires access to two subroutines: (a) one which outputs a Bayes estimator corresponding to a given prior probability distribution, and (b) one which computes the worst-case risk of any given estimator. Given access to these two subroutines, we show that our algorithm outputs both a minimax estimator and a least favorable prior. To demonstrate the power of this approach, we use it to construct provably minimax estimators for classical problems such as estimation in the finite Gaussian sequence model, and linear regression.
Emotion Expression 3-D Synthesis From Predicted Emotion Magnitudes

Many studies have been conducted on how to detect emotion classes or magnitudes from multimedia information such as text, audio, and images. However, the methods that can use predicted emotion classes and magnitudes to render emotion expressions in Embodied Conversational Agents (ECA) are still unclear. This paper proposes a computer graphics methodology that uses predicted non-linear regression values to render facial expressions using mesh morphing techniques. Results of the rendering technique are presented and discussed.
The Musashi proteins MSI1 and MSI2 are required for photoreceptor morphogenesis and vision in mice

The Musashi family of RNA-binding proteins is known for its role in stem-cell renewal and is a negative regulator of cell differentiation. Interestingly, in the retina, the Musashi proteins MSI1 and MSI2 are differentially expressed throughout the cycle of retinal development, with MSI2 protein displaying robust expression in the adult retinal tissue. In this study, we investigated the importance of Musashi proteins in the development and function of photoreceptor neurons in the retina. We generated a pan-retinal and rod photoreceptor neuron-specific conditional KO mouse lacking MSI1 and MSI2. Independent of the sex, photoreceptor neurons with simultaneous deletion of Msi1 and Msi2 were unable to respond to light and displayed severely disrupted photoreceptor outer segment morphology and ciliary defects. Mice lacking MSI1 and MSI2 in the retina exhibited neuronal degeneration, with complete loss of photoreceptors within 6 months. In concordance with our earlier studies that proposed a role for Musashi proteins in regulating alternative splicing, the loss of MSI1 and MSI2 prevented the use of photoreceptor-specific exons in transcripts critical for outer segment morphogenesis, ciliogenesis, and synaptic transmission. Overall, we demonstrate a critical role for Musashi proteins in the morphogenesis of terminally differentiated photoreceptor neurons. This role is in stark contrast with the canonical function of these two proteins in the maintenance and renewal of stem cells.
Beyond bath bombs: partner’s response to postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a significant public health concern due to the physical, emotional, economic, and life course outcomes. Postpartum depression (PPD) can have multiple impacts on the mother,...
Multiple pregnancy in a septate uterus with retained adherent placenta

Six hours after the neoarsphenamine was administered the temperature and pulse slowly fell and in eighteen hours were 100’ F. and 116, respectively. The patient was then cheerful, alert, and asked for food. The lochia had lessened considerably but was still foul, and smear showed an occasional fusiform bacillus but no spirilla. Latter part of the tenth day temperature started up again and in twelve hours reached 103” F., pulse 124. Slight pain in pelvis began for first time, along with tiredness and depression. The temperature remained elevated and the following day (eleventh) a pelvic examination was done. The episiotomy wound was well healed, vaginal walls normal, cervix well involuted, stellate lacerations of 09, and canal filled with a mucopurulent discharge. About the portio vaginalis there were three irregular reddened patches covered by a pseudomembrane. Smears were taken from the patches and cervical canal, Moderate tenderness was present in both adnexal regions upon gentle bimanual examination, but no masses were made out. NO filling in of cul-de-sac. Again Vincent’s organisms were found on the smears. Because of the recurrence of positive smears and fever, another 0.3 gm. of neoarsphenamine was administered. Temperature and pulse fell to normal levels in eight hours and the pelvic pain and tenderness disappeared. Except for unexplained single reading on the fourteenth day of fever to 101” F., the temperature continued normal until patient was released from the hospital on twentieth post-partum day. Patient appeared to be in good health when released, hemoglobin 68 per cent, pelvis normal, cervical patches had disappeared, and smear showed only an occasional staphylococcus. The etiology of this infection can easily be accounted for by an endogenous or exogenous route. From 16 possible sources or contacts, the patient, her husband, three nurses (one in charge of perineal care) and an aid in the kitchen, all revealed definite fusiform bacilli and spirilla in smears from gums. It was also disclosed that three weeks previously a maternity patient on the same ward was suffering from Vincent’s angina, but her infection was confined to oral cavity.
Forces Affecting Global Integration and Global Marketing

Global integration is the state in which one national market (including a firm's home market) is significantly affected by other national markets. Because of global integration, international marketers cannot continue to successfully employ multiple single-market strategies but instead must adopt global strategies that address multiple, if not all, national markets at the same time. Examples of such global strategies include global rollouts of new products, centralized production of standardized products, and global-theme advertising. In the last quarter of the twentieth century, several forces, some interrelated, resulted in greater global integration. These forces have been categorized in different ways but generally fall into five categories: technological, buyer behavior, competitive, cost, and regulatory. Each industry is affected differently by the forces of global integration, but virtually all industries are affected in some way by these forces. Keywords: global integration; global strategy; global marketing; global rollout; global-theme advertising; standardization; market liberalization
First lidar observations of polar mesospheric clouds and Fe temperatures at McMurdo (77.8°S, 166.7°E), Antarctica

[1] We report the first lidar observations of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) and temperatures made with an Fe Boltzmann lidar at McMurdo, Antarctica in summer 2010–2011. Eighty-five hours of PMCs were observed between 21 Dec 2010 and 15 Feb 2011, giving an overall occurrence frequency of 29.9%. The mean PMC centroid altitude is 84.59 ± 0.17 km, confirming previous reports that clouds in the Southern Hemisphere are ∼1 km higher than in the North. By combining the McMurdo (77.8°S) observations with those obtained at the South Pole (90°S) and Rothera (67.5°S), we find that the mean PMC altitude increases with increasing latitude with a statistically significant ascending rate of 40 ± 3 m/deg. A negative correlation is found between the daily-mean temperatures at 90 km and PMC brightness. The observations provide direct evidence that the cold phase of wave-induced temperature oscillations facilitates PMC formation and Fe depletion, supporting previous modeling results.
Is phototherapy exposure associated with better or worse outcomes in 501‐ to 1000‐g‐birth‐weight infants?

Aim: To compare risk-adjusted outcomes at 18- to 22-month-corrected age for extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants who never received phototherapy (NoPTx) to those who received any phototherapy (PTx) in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network randomized trial of Aggressive vs. Conservative Phototherapy. Methods: Outcomes at 18 to 22-month-corrected age included death, neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) and Bayley Scales Mental Developmental Index (MDI). Regression models evaluated the independent association of PTx with adverse outcomes controlling for centre and other potentially confounding variables. Results: Of 1972 infants, 216 were NoPTx and 1756 were PTx. For the entire 501- to 1000-g-BW cohort, PTx was not independently associated with death or NDI (OR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.60–1.20), death or adverse neurodevelopmental endpoints. However, among infants 501–750 g BW, the rate of significant developmental impairment with MDI < 50 was significantly higher for NoPTx (29%) than PTx (12%) (p = 0.004). Conclusions: Phototherapy did not appear to be independently associated with death or NDI for the overall ELBW group. Whether PTx increases mortality could not be excluded because of bias from deaths before reaching conservative treatment threshold. The higher rate of MDI < 50 in the 501- to 750-g-BW NoPTx group is concerning and consistent with NRN Trial results.
Assembling the Digital Mathematics Library

Since discussions of a Digital Mathematics Library (DML) were first formalized, it has been recognized that such a collection would be federated, consisting of a "network of institutions." Implicit in this conception, and explicit in much of the early DML planning documents, is the assumption that this network would be organized in some manner-coordinated and held together by formally accepted policies and practices regarding collection, management, access, and preservation.
The SDSS Science Archive

Designing and implementing the Science Archive for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (Gunn et. al. 1992) has presented several unique architectural obstacles. First, the final archive will be large; the cumulative data products will exceed tens of Terabytes. Second, the data will be complex; extracted parameter catalogs will contain links to images, spectra, and objects in other wavelength catalogs. Third, the archive will be widely distributed allowing transparent world-wide access to the available data. Finally, the archive is expected to remain viable well into the next century.
Supplement use by women during pregnancy: data from the Massachusetts General Hospital National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics

Women of reproductive age commonly use integrative treatments. However, the reproductive safety for most complementary products lacks systematic study. We aimed to study the use of supplements by women in a prospective pregnancy registry. The Massachusetts General Hospital National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics was established to evaluate the reproductive safety of atypical antipsychotics. Exposed and control participants were systematically queried about the use of vitamins and supplements. Slightly greater than half (53.2 %) of the participants eligible for analysis (N = 534) were using at least one vitamin or supplement at the time of enrollment, not including prenatal vitamins or folic acid. The most common supplements used were omega-3 fatty acids (38.0 %), vitamin D (11.0 %), calcium (8.2 %), and iron (4.7 %). Probiotics and melatonin were used by 2.6 and 0.9 %, respectively. In this prospective pregnancy registry, we found that over half of the participants were taking supplements or vitamins other than prenatal vitamins and folic acid. These findings underscore the need for active query on the part of health care providers about the use of supplements during pregnancy, and the need to obtain rigorous reproductive safety and efficacy data for supplements used by pregnant women and reproductive aged women.
The effect of maternal hypertension on mortality in infants 22, 29weeks gestation.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of maternal hypertension on mortality risk prior to discharge, in infants 22 + 0 to 29 + 6 weeks gestational age. Study design We evaluated 88,275 North American infants whose births were recorded in Vermont Oxford Network centers between 2008 and 2011 Infants born between 22 + 0 and 29 + 6 weeks gestational age were evaluated in 2-week gestational age cohorts and followed until death or discharge. Logistic regression was used to adjust for birth weight, antenatal steroid exposure, infant sex, maternal race, inborn/outborn, prenatal care and birth year. Results 21,896 infants were born to hypertensive mothers; 13% died prior to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit discharge compared to 20% of the 66,379 infants born to mothers without hypertension. After adjustment, infants had significantly lower mortality compared to preterm infants not born to hypertensive mothers, at all gestational ages examined (22/23: odds ratio (OR) = 0.65 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.55, 0.77; 24/25); OR = 0.77 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.84); 26/27: OR = 0.66 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.74); 28/29: OR = 0.58 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.67). Additionally, births associated with maternal hypertension increase dramatically by gestational age, resulting in a larger proportion of births associated with maternal hypertension at later gestational ages. Conclusions Preterm birth due to any cause carries significant risk of mortality, especially at the earliest of viable gestational ages. Maternal hypertension independently influences mortality, with lower odds of mortality seen in infants born to hypertensive mothers, after adjustment, and should be taken into consideration as an element in counseling parents.
Weak-type endpoint bounds for Riesz means

We use L2 restriction theory to prove optimal weak-type bounds of Bochner-Riesz multipliers and Riesz means of elliptic pseudo-differential operators on compact manifolds, for p < 2(n + 1)/(n + 3).
O novo paradigma da gestão pública e a busca da accountability democrática

O artigo aborda as questoes ligadas ao tema da accountability dentro do paradigma da nova gestao publica: e possivel permitir que servidores publicos, investidos de poder e prontos para responder aos problemas, tomem decisoes e sejam inovadores, e ainda assim tenham accountability democratica? Essa importante questao1 tem assombrado aqueles que defendem uma ‘nova gestao publica’. Os proponentes do paradigma da nova gestao publica enfatizam a capacidade de sua estrategia de produzir resultados. No entanto, eles ignoram a problematica questao da accountability politica. Eles deverao desenvolver um processo que nao so permita aos gestores publicos alcancar melhores resultados, mas tambem garantir a accountability perante um eleitorado democratico.
Changes in the Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of Li x Ni0.5Mn0.5O2 during Electrochemical Cycling to High Voltages

Li/LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 2 cells were cycled galvanostatically to 4.5 and 5.3 V at different current densities. Cycling to 5.3 V was shown to not only improve the reversible capacities and rate capability upon subsequent cycling in the voltage range of 4.5 and 2.0 V, but also to lead to the appearance of a reversible process at 4.3 V. Li x Ni 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 2 electrodes exposed initially to 5.3 V were found to exhibit stable, reversible capacities of ∼ 190 mAh/g upon subsequent cycling to 4.5 V, which were considerably higher than those of electrodes (-170 mAh/g) cycled only to 4.5 V for the identical number of cycles. The changes in the crystal structure of layered 03 Li x Ni 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 2 were investigated by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and electron diffraction studies. Rietveld refinement analyses of X-ray diffraction data showed that octahedral nickel migrated from the lithium layer to transition metal layer, and to tetrahedral sites occurred upon cycling to 4.5 V. Increasing the charging voltage to 5.3 V appeared to remove all of the tetrahedral nickel and further increased the occupancy of octahedral nickel in the transition metal layer. The formation of O1 []Ni 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 2 having hexagonal close-packed oxygen array was revealed in the electrode charged to 5.3 V by X-ray and electron diffraction. The changes in the cation arrangements of the Li x Ni 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 2 ; structure are discussed with respect to lithium reactivity, reversible capacities, and lithium mobility.
Japan's inflation under the Bretton Woods system: How large was the Balassa–Samuelson effect?

Abstract Japan's real exchange rate appreciation during the post-WWII manufacturing-led growth period has been regarded as a classical example of the Balassa–Samuelson effect. We choose the most conspicuous sub-period—1956–1970—to confirm the effect. Japan was in a rapid growth period under the U.S. dollar peg (real GDP growth, 9.7% per annum). The nominal anchor was weak as Japan's inflation rate (GDP deflator-based, 5.4%) was markedly higher than the U.S. rate (2.6%) during the 15-year period. The decomposition of the annual 2.7% (geometric) Japan–U.S. inflation rate gap (real exchange rate appreciation of the Japanese yen) reveals that the Balassa–Samuelson effect accounted for 0.7%; most of the real exchange rate appreciation (1.7%) was attributed to greater price increases in Japan's tradables. Although Japan's tradable sector achieved high TFP growth, the joint effect of the tradable–nontradable TFP growth difference between the two economies was too small to generate a sizable Balassa–Samuelson effect. Japan's example may suggest that even in rapidly growing economies, the magnitude of the effect in long-run real exchange rate appreciation is generally modest.
Deficiency of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor confers resistance to oxidative stress in C2C12 myoblasts.

IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling regulates cell growth, transformation and survival. Haploinsufficiency of the IGF-1R is reported to paradoxically confer resistance to oxidative stress in vivo and in cells cultured from Igf1r+/− mice. In order to determine whether IGF-1R deficiency directly confers resistance to oxidative stress in specific cell types, an siRNA-mediated approach was applied to reduce IGF-1R in C2C12 myoblasts, NIH3T3 fibroblasts and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Treating the IGF-1R deficient myoblasts with H2O2 resulted in significantly higher phosphorylation of Akt as compared to cells having normal expression of IGF-1R. Similar results were obtained with UV treatment, another inducer of oxidative stress. This enhanced activation of Akt was associated with reduced level of cleaved caspase-3 and PARP. Moreover, in the IGF-1R knockdown myoblasts, phosphorylation of the Akt substrate Bad was enhanced after peroxide treatment. However, in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, the loss of IGF-1R by siRNA directed knockdown was associated with reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt on treatment with H2O2 or UV as compared to control cells and these cells showed more apoptosis. These results suggest a novel mechanism of cell type specific differential regulation of resistance to oxidative stress induced apoptosis by reduced levels of IGF-1R.
Lean Limit Extension for High BMEP Gas Engines via Novel Electronic Ignition and Prechamber Plug: Higher Efficiency and Lower NOx in Open Chamber Engines

Large bore natural gas engines have the perennial challenge to achieve ever higher efficiency with ever lower NOx emissions, while maintaining stable combustion, avoiding misfire and engine knock. A primary strategτy to achieve these goals is to run leaner and leaner. However, leaner mixtures lead to reduced combustion stability and the operating space between misfire and engine knock shrinks. Leaner operation requires a high performance ignition system. This report will highlight the fundamental challenges related to lean operation and the progress Woodward has made to create a novel high performance prechamber spark plug to achieve good combustion stability in a passive prechamber spark plug under lean conditions. The spark plug in combination with the appropriate ignition system enables faster and more stable combustion under increasingly lean conditions, improving fuel efficiency and emissions. Engine simulation modeling is used to demonstrate the benefits of lean gas mixtures and reduced combustion duration to enhance the NOx versus fuel consumption trade-off for a range of air fuel ratios. With this database available, a design requirements flow-down is performed such that combustion performance requirements can be specified a priori, which if met would ensure the high level engine emissions and performance targets would be met. With combustion requirements in hand, CFD simulations are used to identify the mechanisms by which flame propagation is improved with prechamber spark plugs in general, and by the Lean Quality Plug (WW-LQP) prechamber spark plug under development at Woodward. Experimental validation was carried out to confirm the benefits of lean operation and improvement of combustion stability (COV) on the NOx-efficiency trade-off. Operation with Woodward’s WW-LQP spark plug and IC1100 AC ignition system showed improved fuel efficiency at constant NOx on a high BMEP engine. Additionally, the enhanced stability and low COV of the WW-LQP enables extension of the natural gas lean limit closer to λ = 2.00 for an open chamber engine.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Enhancement of insect antifreeze protein activity by antibodies.

Abstract Antifreeze proteins, produced by many cold water marine teleost fish and terrestrial arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.), inhibit ice crystal growth by a non-colligative mechanism, probably by adsorbing onto the surface of potential seed ice crystals and thereby blocking growth at preferred growth sites. In this study it is demonstrated that the activity of two insect antifreeze proteins is greatly increased by the addition of specific rabbit polyclonal antibodies to the antifreezes. A model is presented which suggests that the enhancement occurs because the antifreeze-antibody complex, being much larger than the antifreeze protein alone (a minimal 7–8-fold increase in size), blocks a larger area of the ice crystal surface and extends further above the surface, thus requiring the temperature to be further lowered before crystal growth proceeds. This idea is further supported by the finding that addition of goat anti-rabbit IgG to the antifreeze protein + anti-antifreeze protein antibody complexes further enhanced activity.
Spin-velocity correlations of optically pumped atoms

We present efficient theoretical tools for describing the optical pumping of atoms by light propagating at arbitrary directions with respect to an external magnetic field, at buffer-gas pressures that are small enough for velocity-selective optical pumping (VSOP) but large enough to cause substantial collisional relaxation of the velocities and the spin. These are the conditions for the sodium atoms at an altitude of about 100 km that are used as guidestars for adaptive optics in modern ground-based telescopes to correct for aberrations due to atmospheric turbulence. We use spin and velocity relaxation modes to describe the distribution of atoms in spin space (including both populations and coherences) and velocity space. Cusp kernels are used to describe velocity-changing collisions. Optical pumping operators are represented as a sum of poles in the complex velocity plane. Signals simulated with these methods are in excellent agreement with previous experiments and with preliminary experiments in our laboratory.
DNA sequences of promoter regions for rRNA operons rrnE and rrnA in E. coli

Abstract The nucleotide sequences have been determined for the promoter regions of two ribosomal RNA operons, rrnA and rrnE , in E. coli. The sequences cover the two in vitro transcription start sites identified for each operon (Gilbert, de Boer and Nomura, 1979). The first two start sites are 283 and 291 bp preceding the mature 16S rRNA (m16S rRNA) coding regions for rrnE and rrnA , respectively; the second start sites are 174 and 174 ± 1 bp preceding the m16S rRNA coding regions for rrnE and rrnA , respectively. Each of these start sites has an identifiable "Pribnow box" sequence 6–7 bp upstream from the start site. The nucleotide sequences of the two operons have nearly complete homology from the m16S rRNA coding regions to positions 145 bp upstream from those regions, and at the regions surrounding the Pribnow boxes preceding the first start sites. The DNA sequences indicate that the RNAs transcribed from the first start sites of rrnE and rrnA are quite different in their first 150 nucleotides. These heterogeneous regions, however, precede the RNAse III cleavage sites (deduced previously by Young and Steitz, 1978), and the "precursor 16S rRNA" molecules are largely homogeneous. The nucleotide sequences of the promoter regions of the two rRNA operons are also compared with those of rrnD and rrnX , determined by Young and Steitz (1979), and some common features are discussed.
Electron paramagnetic resonance of a Au-Au pair in heat-treated silicon

Two previously unreported electron paramagnetic resonance centers of ${\mathit{C}}_{2\mathit{v}}$ symmetry, labeled Si-LAu1 and Si-LAu2, are observed in p-type gold-doped silicon after a heat treatment at 1250 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. For one of them, Si-LAu2, complex resolved hyperfine structure reveals the presence of two equivalent Au atoms in the complex. No hyperfine structure is resolved for Si-LAu1 and the direct involvement of Au in it has not been established. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Effect of charge polarization on inelastic scattering - Differential and integral cross sections for excitation of the 2/super 1/S state of helium by electron impact.

Experimental differential scattering cross sections for excitation of helium by electron impact from its ground state to its 2(super 1)S state are presented at four incident electron energies in the range from 26 to 55.5 eV for scattering angles between 10 and 70 deg and at 81.6 eV for scattering angles between 10 and 80 deg. These cross sections are normalized and compared with results predicted by the Born approximation, the polarized Born approximation, and several other first-order approximations in which direct excitation is calculated in the Born approximation and exchange scattering in various Ochkur-like approximations.
Nonsuture Skin Grafting in Chickens

Abstract Certain experiments require that a large number of skin grafts be made in a brief period of time. This necessitates techniques which provide for rapid attachment of the graft on the host. Attempts to secure grafts by nonsuture techniques have been reported by several investigators (e.g., Polley et al., 1960; and Ashley et al., 1963). This report provides a comparison between two methods of adhering full-thickness skin grafts. Results are presented where skin grafts were adhered by Johnson and Johnson Band-Aid Spots (adhesive patches) and Eastman 910 Monomer (methyl-2-cyanoacrylate). * Experiment 1. Four homografts and one autograft were placed on the backs of 30 White Plymouth Rock chicks, 29 days of age at the time of grafting for a total of 150 grafts. Treatments were assigned to fixed positions, two on each side of the midline and one in the coccygeal region. Full-thickness skin grafts (about 9 × 9 mm.) were…
Trail of sand in upper Monterey Canyon: Offshore California

Detailed sampling of the axis and flanks of upper Monterey Canyon (water depths of <1500 m) was undertaken using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-deployed vibracoring system. The objective was to document the characteristics and distribution of sediment within the canyon and to elucidate the sources and processes by which materials move into and through the canyon. Detailed multibeam bathymetric surveys guided the sampling. The combination of core data, multi-beam bathymetry, and multi-beam reflectivity reveals for the first time the facies and facies distribution patterns associated with the axial channel of an active submarine canyon. Coarse-grained deposits form a narrow trail of material that is tightly restricted to the axial channel floor, indicating that upper Monterey Canyon is an active submarine system closely coupled to sand transport along the shoreline. Sand from the modern beach and nearshore environment captured by the canyon head is moving down the axial channel of the canyon, while fine-grained sediments are accumulating on the flanks of the canyon. Our observations suggest that other submarine canyons in close proximity to the shoreline are presently active and that a modern supply of sand-sized material is moving down these canyon systems.
Infrared third-harmonic generation in phase matched CO gas

Resonance-enhanced third-harmonic generation (THG) of CO 2 laser radiation has been studied in CO and NO. It is shown that the coherence length for THG in CO can be increased by adding SF 6 and that phase matching occurs for a CO:SF 6 ratio of 208:1. The pressure dependence of the third-harmonic conversion efficiency in CO-SF 6 mixtures has been measured up to 11 atm, and the results are in good agreement with calculated values for the coherence length and the third-order susceptibility tensor.
Laser-induced incandescence applied to metal nanostructures

Laser-induced incandescence is both characterized and demonstrated for the measurement of metal nanoparticle concentration. Reported are the results of an initial characterization of the spectral and temporal signature of the laser-induced incandescence as a function of the excitation laser fluence and wavelength. Validation of the incandescence as a measure of the concentration is demonstrated by absorption measurements. Fluence dependence measurements are also presented. Double-pulse measurements determine the fluence for the onset of vaporization-induced mass loss. Comparisons between the present observations and those for carbon nanostructures are also made. Metals tested include (in order of increasing vaporization temperature) Fe, Ti, Mo, and W.