cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Composable Workflow for Productive Heterogeneous Computing on FPGAs via Whole-Program Analysis and Transformation

We present a composable workflow to enable highly-productive heterogeneous computing on FPGAs. The workflow consists of a trio of static analysis and transformation tools: (1) a whole-program, source-to-source translator to transform existing parallel code to OpenCL, (2) a set of OpenCL kernel linters, which target FPGAs to detect possible semantic errors and performance traps, and (3) a whole-program OpenCL linter to validate the host-to-device interface of OpenCL programs. The workflow promotes rapid realization of heterogeneous parallel code across a multitude of heterogeneous computing environments, particularly FPGAs, by providing complementary tools for automatic CUDA-to-OpenCL translation and compile-time OpenCL validation in advance of the very expensive compilation, placement, and routing on FPGAs, respectively. The proposed tools perform whole-program analysis and transformation to tackle real-world, large-scale parallel applications. The efficacy of the workflow tools is demonstrated via a representative translation and analysis of a sizable CUDA finite automata processing engine as well as the analysis and validation of an additional 96 OpenCL benchmarks and applications.
Inotersen: new promise for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is a fatal autosomal dominant disorder characterized by deposition of transthyretin amyloid into the peripheral nervous system, heart, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. Previous treatments using liver transplantation and small molecule stabilizers were not effective in stopping disease progression. Inotersen, a 2'-O-methyoxyethyl-modified antisense oligonucleotide, which acts by reducing the production of transthyretin, was recently demonstrated to improve disease course and quality of life in early hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis polyneuropathy in a 15-month Phase III study.
Designing for Better Privacy Awareness in Smart Homes

The increasing popularity of smart home devices has raised significant privacy issues. This project is motivated by two gaps in the literature. First, research has been focusing on smart home users' privacy perceptions rather than other stakeholders in a smart home considering various social factors. These social factors may include social relationships (e.g., guests and homeowners) and various social contexts (e.g., temporary residency). Second, most existing privacy mechanisms for smart homes are either proposed or implemented by researchers without users' input or designed solely for smart home users. This project takes the first attempt to fill these gaps.
Impact of use of optical surface imaging on initial patient setup for stereotactic body radiotherapy treatments.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effectiveness of surface image guidance (SG) for pre-imaging setup of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients, and to investigate the impact of SG reference surface selection on this process. METHODS AND MATERIALS 284 SBRT fractions (SG-SBRT = 113, non-SG-SBRT = 171) were retrospectively evaluated. Differences between initial (pre-imaging) and treatment couch positions were extracted from the record-and-verify system and compared for the two groups. Rotational setup discrepancies were also computed. The utility of orthogonal kVs in reducing CBCT shifts in the SG-SBRT/non-SG-SBRT groups was also calculated. Additionally, the number of CBCTs acquired for setup was recorded and the average for each cohort was compared. These data served to evaluate the effectiveness of surface imaging in pre-imaging patient positioning and its potential impact on the necessity of including orthogonal kVs for setup. Since reference surface selection can affect SG setup, daily surface reproducibility was estimated by comparing camera-acquired surface references (VRT surface) at each fraction to the external surface of the planning CT (DICOM surface) and to the VRT surface from the previous fraction. RESULTS The reduction in all initial-to-treatment translation/rotation differences when using SG-SBRT was statistically significant (Rank-Sum test, α = 0.05). Orthogonal kV imaging kept CBCT shifts below reimaging thresholds in 19%/51% of fractions for SG-SBRT/non-SG-SBRT cohorts. Differences in average number of CBCTs acquired were not statistically significant. The reference surface study found no statistically significant differences between the use of DICOM or VRT surfaces. CONCLUSIONS SG-SBRT improved pre-imaging treatment setup compared to in-room laser localization alone. It decreased the necessity of orthogonal kV imaging prior to CBCT but did not affect the average number of CBCTs acquired for setup. The selection of reference surface did not have a significant impact on initial patient positioning.
Lifetime of the 2 S State of Atomic Hydrogen

A sensitive test for any mixing of the $2{S}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ and $2{P}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ state of atomic hydrogen is the measurement of the rate for single-quantum decay of the $2S$ atom to the ground state. A new upper limit of this decay rate has been determined. A section along a beam of $2S$ atoms, produced by electron excitation of a ground-state atom beam, was viewed by an iodine-vapor-filled ultraviolet photon counter, which responds to the Lymanalpha radiation of the single-quantum decay process. From the counts observed when an electrostatic quenching field was superposed on the counter's field of view, the necessary experimental parameter (product of $2S$ atom current and counter efficiency) was determined. With the field removed, a portion of the remaining counts could be ascribed to quenching on collision of the $2S$ atoms with residual gases in the vacuum chamber, the quenching cross sections for which were measured. The decay rate not ascribable to known quenching effects was 420 ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Since unknown quenching effects may have been operative, this figure must be considered only as an upper limit for the natural single-quantum decay rate.
Book review: Neeladri Bhattacharya, The Great Agrarian Conquest: The Colonial Reshaping of a Rural World:

Neeladri Bhattacharya, The Great Agrarian Conquest: The Colonial Reshaping of a Rural World, Permanent Black in Association with Ashoka University, Ranikhet, 2018, xv + 522 pp., ₹1195 (hardback).
Revisiting rights in an ever-evolving world

The Coming Good Society offers a cursory overview of the state of human rights in an age of emerging technologies. More accessible narrative than academic treatise, this enjoyable read examines how changing norms create opportunities to expand the scope of universal protections and rights.
Kappa Switching DC-DC Converter with Continuous Input and Output Currents Achieving 86.7% Input Ripple Suppression and 16dB Peak EMI Reduction

To achieve high power efficiency for step-up and step-down conversions, switching DC-DC power converters are widely used. However, the high di/dt and dv/dt transitions from switching converter operation create unwanted EMI noise which injects into the input and ground bus and interferes with other systems. To mitigate this, this paper presents an isolated gate driver and double-NMOS based switching DC-DC converter -the Kappa converter which has both continuous input and output currents. With two inductors isolating both input and ground respectively as well as a minimized di/dt hot loop formed by a flying capacitor and two power switches, the Kappa buck and Kappa boost converters can be configured to achieve respective step-down and step-up voltage conversions. The Kappa buck converter, with one inductor connecting to input, has a continuous input current which can significantly reduce the input ripple, mitigate EMI noise and eliminate the need of bulky input EMI filters required by the conventional buck converter. Meanwhile, the entire load current is distributed between the two inductors to reduce DCR loss, but only two power switches are required compared to conventional two-phase buck converter. A Kappa buck converter with isolated gate driver is implemented to achieve a DC-DC conversion from 48V to 5V at an I O up to 5A. Compared to a conventional buck converter with same passive component values and operating conditions, this Kappa converter has an input ripple of 14mV, achieving 86.7% input ripple suppression and 16dB peak EMI noise reduction.
Metabolic Reprogramming by In Utero Maternal Benzene Exposure

Summary Environmental chemicals play a significant role in the development of metabolic disorders, especially when exposure occurs early in life. We have recently demonstrated that benzene exposure, at concentrations relevant to a cigarette smoke, induces a severe metabolic imbalance in a sex-specific manner affecting male but not female mice. However, the roles of benzene in the development of aberrant metabolic outcomes following gestational exposure, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we exposed pregnant C57BL/6JB dams to benzene at 50 ppm or filtered air for 5 days/week (6h/day from gestational day 1 to birth) and studied male and female offspring metabolic phenotypes in their adult life. While no changes in body weight or body composition were observed between groups, 4-month-old male and female offspring exhibited reduced parameters of energy homeostasis (VO2, VCO2, and heat production). However, only male offspring from benzene-exposed dams were glucose intolerant and insulin resistant at this age. By six months of age, both male and female offspring displayed glucose and insulin intolerance, associated with elevated expression of hepatic gluconeogenesis and inflammatory genes. Additionally, this effect was accompanied by elevated insulin secretion and increased beta-cell mass only in male offspring. Thus, gestational benzene exposure can reprogram offspring for increased susceptibility to the metabolic imbalance in adulthood with differential sensitivity between sexes.
Vitamin D Receptor Mediates a Myriad of Biological Actions Dependent on Its 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Ligand: Distinct Regulatory Themes Revealed by Induction of Klotho and Fibroblast Growth Factor-23.

The hormonal vitamin D metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], produced in kidney, acts in numerous end organs via the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) to trigger molecular events that orchestrate bone mineral homeostasis. VDR is a ligand-controlled transcription factor that obligatorily heterodimerizes with retinoid X receptor (RXR) to target vitamin D responsive elements (VDREs) in the vicinity of vitamin D-regulated genes. Circulating 1,25(OH)2D concentrations are governed by PTH, an inducer of renal D-hormone biosynthesis catalyzed by CYP27B1 that functions as the key player in a calcemic endocrine circuit, and by fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), a repressor of the CYP27B1 renal enzyme, creating a hypophosphatemic endocrine loop. 1,25(OH)2D/VDR-RXR acts in kidney to induce Klotho (a phosphaturic coreceptor for FGF23) to correct hyperphosphatemia, NPT2a/c to correct hypophosphatemia, and TRPV5 and CaBP28k to enhance calcium reabsorption. 1,25(OH)2D-liganded VDR-RXR functions in osteoblasts/osteocytes by augmenting RANK-ligand expression to paracrine signal osteoclastic bone resorption, while simultaneously inducing FGF23, SPP1, BGLP, LRP5, ANK1, ENPP1, and TNAP, and conversely repressing RUNX2 and PHEX expression, effecting localized control of mineralization to sculpt the skeleton. Herein, we document the history of 1,25(OH)2D/VDR and summarize recent advances in characterizing their physiology, biochemistry, and mechanism of action by highlighting two examples of 1,25(OH)2D/VDR molecular function. The first is VDR-mediated primary induction of Klotho mRNA by 1,25(OH)2D in kidney via a mechanism initiated by the docking of liganded VDR-RXR on a VDRE at -35 kb in the mouse Klotho gene. In contrast, the secondary induction of FGF23 by 1,25(OH)2D in bone is proposed to involve rapid nongenomic action of 1,25(OH)2D/VDR to acutely activate PI3K, in turn signaling the induction of MZF1, a transcription factor that, in cooperation with c-ets1-P, binds to an enhancer element centered at -263 bp in the promoter-proximal region of the mouse fgf23 gene. Chronically, 1,25(OH)2D-induced osteopontin apparently potentiates MZF1. © 2020 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
COVID-19 Highlights Need for Rights to Repair and Produce in Emergencies

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for explicit rights to repair and to supply needed medical products during emergencies. Current law may deter such actions because of the risk of private intellectual property infringement and tort liability, and contracts may also prohibit making legitimate repairs. Legislation is needed to authorize in advance the right to repair and production rights for defined emergencies.
Early Childhood WIC Receipt and Cognitive and Socioemotional Outcomes at School Entry and Middle Childhood

The goal of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to support the health and well-being of low-income women, infants, and children by providing pregnant women, and children up to 5 years old, with access to nutritious food. While the health benefits of WIC for young children have been well established, its potential non-health benefits, including improvements in children’s early cognitive and socioemotional well-being, are underexplored. The goal of this present study is to identify associations between WIC receipt in early childhood and cognitive and socioemotional outcomes at school entry and in middle childhood. Using sibling fixed effect models and data drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Child Supplement (NLSY-CS, N = 4500), the present study finds that WIC receipt in early childhood predicts lower behavior problems at school entry, although those effects fade by middle childhood. These results suggest the benefits of WIC extend beyond health outcomes to include outcomes important to children’s early school success.
Computer Games and Academic Achievement

Research on the influence of video games on academic achievement has been controversial and inconsistent. Scholars have been examining the potential for both positive and negative influence of video games on academic achievement. As of yet, such research remains limited, controversial, and sometimes limited by methodological problems. Pathological gaming appears to be problematic for about 1–3% of children, although controversies remain on how to define and measure problematic gaming. Increasing attention has also been put into adapting video games for academic purposes. Initial evidence is limited but promising, although it is cautioned that scholars should remain conservative when discussing both positive and negative influences of video games on attention.
Timaeus of Tauromenium and Hellenistic Historiography

Timaeus of Tauromenium (350–260 BC) wrote the authoritative work on the Greeks in the Western Mediterranean and was important through his research into chronology and his influence on Roman historiography. Like almost all the Hellenistic historians, however, his work survives only in fragments. This book provides an up-to-date study of his work and shows that both the nature of the evidence and modern assumptions about historical writing in the Hellenistic period have skewed our treatment and judgement of lost historians. For Timaeus, much of our evidence is preserved in the polemical context of Polybius' Book 12. When we move outside that framework and examine the fragments of Timaeus in their proper context, we gain a greater appreciation for his method and his achievement, including his use of polemical invective and his composition of speeches. This has important implications for our broader understanding of the major lines of Hellenistic historiography.
Examining active shooter events through the rational choice perspective and crime script analysis

Active shooter events involve individuals entering a public space and opening fire with the intent to kill as many people as possible. In recent years this topic has received extensive media coverage, followed by an increase in academic attention. Much research focuses on high-profile active shooter events, labeled as mass homicide events or mass shootings. The present study examined active shooter events through the rational choice perspective and crime script analysis, with emphasis placed on finding similarities between the motivation for an offense and event-level characteristics. Once events were organized into three general scripts (that is, autogenic, victim-specific and ideological), variables pertaining to the commission of the offenses were examined. While event characteristics overlapped between scripts, key differences in the planning, execution and conclusion stages were observed. This new typology may be a useful analytic tool, not only to empirically study active shooter events, but also for the development of policies to help reduce the occurrence and/or lethality of these events.
Newton's Ghosts

Ghostwalk . Rebecca Stott . Spiegel and Grau, New York, 2007. 319 pp. $24.95. ISBN 9780385521062. Paper, $14.95. ISBN 9780385521079. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, £12.99. ISBN 9780297851363. Paper, £7.99. ISBN 9780753823576. Alchemy, Isaac Newton, and suspicious deaths in 17th- and 20th-century Cambridge are among the ingredients of this historical novel.
A RETROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE SURVEY OF TIME-USE RESEARCH

The central basis of the activity-based approach to travel demand modeling is that individuals' activity-travel patterns are a result of their time-use decisions within a continuous time domain. This paper reviews earlier theoretical and empirical research in the time-use area, emphasizing the need to examine activities in the context or setting in which they occur. The review indicates the substantial progress made in the past five years and identifies some possible reasons for this sudden spurt and rejuvenation in the field. The paper concludes that the field of time-use and its relevance to activity-travel modeling has gone substantially past the "tip of the iceberg", though it certainly still has a good part of the "iceberg" to uncover. Important future areas of research are identified and discussed.
SOCIAL STATUS AND DEVIANCE

The relationship between social class and four measures of deviance was examined within the context of schools with predominantly upper-middleclass. middle-class, and working-class populations. The hypothesis that there would be significant inverse relationships between social class and rates of deviant behavior within working-class but not upper-middle- or middle-class schools was not supported by our data. There also was no consistent support found for the hypothesis that working-class schools should have higher rates of deviance. The fact that even when we contextualize the social class/delinquency relationship we fail to find a significant inverse relationship, further confirms the conclusion that social class does not appear to be an important predictor of delinquency.
Gastric emptying of lipids after ingestion of an homogenized meal.

To study gastric emptying of water and lipids in humans after ingestion of an homogenized meal, three phase-specific markers were used to label the meal; one water soluble, polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG); two lipid soluble, [3H]glycerol triether (2H-GTE) and β-sitosterol. The test meal consisted of 90 g meat, 50 g bread, 75 g sherbet, 20 g butter containing 20 βCi of 3H-GTE and 150 mg,8-sitosterol and a glass of water (210 ml) containing 15 g PEG. When tested in vitro, the two nonabsorbable lipid markers partitioned together with fat during dilution and acidification of the meal. For testing in vivo, four healthy volunteers were given the homogenized meal, 3H-GTE and β-sitosterol were mixed with the butter, the water contained the PEG 4000. Gastric, duodenal, and jejunal samples were obtained every 10 min for 3 hr. A distal, occluding balloon in the jejunum enabled the total recovery of intestinal content. Both lipid markers remained with total fatty acids (TFA) in the stomach; however, the ratios of lipid marker/TFA increased in duodenum and jejunum, reflecting absorption of dietary fat in the small bowel. Nonabsorbability of 3H-GTE and β-sitosterol was confirmed by their total recovery from the intestinal content. After ultracentri f ugation (100,000 g for 18 hr), only negligible quantities of the lipid markers were recovered from the aqueous phase of gastric and jejunal samples. Gastric emptying of the aqueous and lipid phases was measured by recovery of phase-specific markers from the jejunum every 10 min. With this homogenized meal, the aqueous and lipid phases emptied together, as shown by similar profiles of emptying of PEG 4000, 3H-GTE, and β-si-tosterol.
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes: Insights into Molecular, Cellular, and Functional Phenotypes

Disease models are essential for understanding cardiovascular disease pathogenesis and developing new therapeutics. The human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has generated significant enthusiasm for its potential application in basic and translational cardiac research. Patient-specific iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes offer an attractive experimental platform to model cardiovascular diseases, study the earliest stages of human development, accelerate predictive drug toxicology tests, and advance potential regenerative therapies. Harnessing the power of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes could eliminate confounding species-specific and interpersonal variations and ultimately pave the way for the development of personalized medicine for cardiovascular diseases. However, the predictive power of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes as a valuable model is contingent on comprehensive and rigorous molecular and functional characterization.
Involvement of FGF-8 in initiation, outgrowth and patterning of the vertebrate limb

Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) are signaling molecules that are important in patterning and growth control during vertebrate limb development. Beads soaked in FGF-1, FGF-2 and FGF-4 are able to induce additional limbs when applied to the flank of young chick embryos (Cohn, M.J., Izpisua-Belmonte, J-C., Abud, H., Heath, J. K., Tickle, C. (1995) Cell 80, 739-746). However, biochemical and expression studies suggest that none of these FGFs is the endogenous signal that initiates limb development. During chick limb development, Fgf-8 transcripts are detected in the intermediate mesoderm and subsequently in the prelimb field ectoderm prior to the formation of the apical ectodermal ridge, structures required for limb initiation and outgrowth, respectively. Later on, Fgf-8 expression is restricted to the ridge cells and expression disappears when the ridge regresses. Application of FGF-8 protein to the flank induces the development of additional limbs. Moreover, we show that FGF-8 can replace the apical ectodermal ridge to maintain Shh expression and outgrowth and patterning of the developing chick limb. Furthermore, continuous and widespread misexpression of FGF-8 causes limb truncations and skeletal alterations with phocomelic or achondroplasia phenotype. Thus, FGF-8 appears to be a key signal involved in initiation, outgrowth and patterning of the developing vertebrate limb.
Laminar flame speeds of primary reference fuels and reformer gas mixtures

Abstract The laminar flame speeds of neat primary reference fuels (PRFs), n -heptane and iso-octane, PRF blends, reformer gas, and reformer gas/iso-octane/air mixtures are measured over a range of equivalence ratios at atmospheric pressure, using counterflow configuration and digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV). PRF blends with various octane numbers are studied. The synthetic reformer gas mixture employed herein has a composition that would be produced from the partial oxidation of rich iso-octane/air mixture into CO and H 2 , namely, 28% H 2 , 25% CO, and 47% N 2 . Computationally, the experimentally determined laminar flame speeds are simulated using the detailed kinetic models available in the literature. Both experimental and computational results demonstrate that the flame speeds of hydrocarbon/air mixtures increase with addition of a small amount of reformer gas, and the flame speeds of reformer gas/air mixtures are dramatically reduced with addition of a small amount of hydrocarbon fuel. Furthermore, the number density effect of seeding particles on flame speed measurement is assessed, and the experimental uncertainties associated with the present DPIV setup as well as the linear extrapolation method employed herein are discussed.
Biologic treatment planning for high-dose-rate brachytherapy

Abstract Purpose: Interstitial brachytherapy treatment plans are conventionally optimized with respect to total target dose and dose homogeneity, which does not account for the biologic effects of dose rate. In an HDR implant, with a stepping source, the dose rate dramatically changes during the course of treatment, depending on location, as the source moves from dwell position to dwell position. These widely varying dose rates, together with the related sequencing of the dwell positions, may impart different biologic effects at points receiving the same total dose. This study applies radiobiologic principles to account for the potential biologic impact of dose delivery at varying dose rates within an HDR implant. Methods and Materials: The model under study uses a generalized version of the linear-quadratic (LQ) cell kill formula to calculate the surviving fraction of cells subjected to HDR irradiation. Using a planar interstitial HDR implant with the dwell times optimized to produce a homogeneous dose distribution along a reference plane parallel to the implant plane, surviving fractions were compared at selected reference points subjected to the same total dose. Biologic effect homogeneity was compared to dose homogeneity by plotting the effects at the reference points. The effects were examined with LQ parameters α, β, and sublethal repair time T 1 varied over a range typical of human cells. Results: In a region in which dose is relatively uniform, surviving fraction for some values of the model parameters are found to vary by as much as an order of magnitude due to differences in the HDR irradiation profiles at different dose points. This effect is more pronounced for shorter repair times and smaller α/β ratios, and increases with increasing total irradiation time. Conclusion: Conventional HDR treatment planning currently considers dose distribution as the primary indicator of clinical effect. Our results demonstrate that plans optimized to maximize homogeneity within a target volume may not reflect the effect of the sequential nature of HDR dose delivery on cell kill. Biologic effect modeling may improve our understanding and ability to predict the adverse effects of our treatment, such as fat necrosis and fibrosis. Accounting for irradiation history and repair kinetics in the evaluation of HDR brachytherapy plans may add an important new dimension to our planning capabilities.
A Two-Phase Framework for Linear Permanent-Magnet Machines and Multi-Axis Stages With Magnetic Levitation

This paper presents the electromagnetic design and experimental validation of a new framework for linear permanent-magnet (PM) machines with magnetic levitation. In this framework, a single forcer, which can generate two force components in two perpendicular directions, consists of a stationary Halbach magnet array and two Lorentz coils with a phase difference of 90° or 270°. Any number of coil pairs can be attached on the same moving frame to work with a common magnet array or matrix, forming a linear or planar permanent-magnet motor. Key advantages of this framework are simple force calculation, linear force, and a reduced number of coils for force generation and allocation in multi-axis positioners. The proposed framework effectively allows for decoupled dynamics of multi-axis stages, simplifying their linear controller design and real-time implementation. This framework is experimentally verified by a high-precision 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) magnetically–levitated (maglev) stage.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
An in situ measurement of extracellular cysteamine, homocysteine, and cysteine concentrations in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures by integration of electroosmotic sampling and microfluidic analysis.

We demonstrate an all-electric sampling/derivatization/separation/detection system for the quantitation of thiols in tissue cultures. Extracellular fluid collected from rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) by electroosmotic flow through an 11 cm (length) × 50 μm (i.d.) sampling capillary is introduced to a simple microfluidic chip for derivatization, continuous flow-gated injection, separation, and detection. With the help of a fluorogenic, thiol-specific reagent, ThioGlo-1, we have successfully separated and detected the extracellular levels of free reduced cysteamine, homocysteine, and cysteine from OHSCs within 25 s in a 23 mm separation channel with a confocal laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detector. Attention to the conductivities of the fluids being transported is required for successful flow-gated injections. When the sample conductivity is much higher than the run buffer conductivities, the electroosmotic velocities are such that there is less fluid coming by electroosmosis into th...
The Discovery of the New Middle Classes

Few topics in political sociology have received as much attention as the nature and politics of the new middle class. Among Marxists the class position of salaried mental workers has been an issue of controversy for nearly a century. Concern with this question can be traced back at least as far as the revisionism debate of the 1890s. It was a major focus in Marxist analyses of fascism in the 1930s and today remains one of the most hotly debated issues within the Western socialist and communist parties. In non-Marxist circles the rise of the new middle class has inspired no less fascination. From the technocratic prophesies of Thorstein Veblen and James Burnham to the “new little man” of C. Wright Mills’s White Collar to the post-industrial theories of Daniel Bell and Alvin Gouldner, each generation of social theorists has based its vision of the emerging social order on the rediscovery or reinterpretation of this class. In the words of one recent commentator, “an entire history of political sociology could be written on the theme of the new middle classes. Whether in the guise of the ‘managerial revolution,’ ‘white collar,’ the ‘new working class,’ or the ‘new petite bourgeoisie,’ the emergence of intermediate strata in advanced industrial societies has been rediscovered more often than the wheel.”1
Bandwidth Allocation of Networked Control Systems With Exponential Approximation

This paper investigates bandwidth allocation of networked control systems (NCSs) with nonlinear-programming techniques. The bandwidth utilization (BU) is defined in terms of sampling frequency. An exponential approximation is formulated to describe system performance versus the sampling frequencies. The optimal sampling frequencies are obtained by solving the approximation with Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed approximation. The exponential approximation can minimize the BU so that the plants can be scheduled along with the system PIFs being optimized.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Using tree diversity to compare phylogenetic heuristics

Background Evolutionary trees are family trees that represent the relationships between a group of organisms. Phylogenetic heuristics are used to search stochastically for the best-scoring trees in tree space. Given that better tree scores are believed to be better approximations of the true phylogeny, traditional evaluation techniques have used tree scores to determine the heuristics that find the best scores in the fastest time. We develop new techniques to evaluate phylogenetic heuristics based on both tree scores and topologies to compare Pauprat and Rec-I-DCM3, two popular Maximum Parsimony search algorithms.
Triterpenoid and steroid constituents of florida spanish moss

Abstract Both free and esterified sterols and triterpenes of Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides L.; Bromeliaceae0 from Florida were examined. Besides the eight sterols and triterpenes previously reported by others as present in Spanish Moss from Mexico, cycloeucalenol, 24-methylenecycloartanol and two unidentified triterpenes of the cycloartane group were detected by GLC and GLC-Mass Spectroscopy. Campesterol and stigmasterol were detected by these techniques and cholesterol was detected by GLC. Attempts to determine the specific nature of the esters of both triterpenes and desmethyl sterols were thwarted by the extreme complexity of the ester mixture. However, saturated fatty acids from C12 to C30 were detected in the sterol and triterpene ester fraction by GLC, with palmitic acid (25%) stearic acids (20%) predominating as the fatty acid moieties.
QUALITY OF INFORMATION GIVEN BY ADVANCED TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Abstract A number of studies have evaluated the services provided by Advanced Traveler Information Systems [ATIS] under the assumption that information supplied to drivers would be, in some sense, perfect. However, lack of sufficiently useful data and system design constraints can lead to information that is less than useful to the ATIS user. This paper examines the effects of such imperfection through a simulation-based model that was applied over a part of a large metropolitan area. The model has four basic components: 1. (i) an ATIS structure (that specifies the information-gathering, processing and disseminating aspects of the system) 2. (ii) traveler behavior 3. (iii) network characteristics 4. (iv) vehicle movement logic. Using a ‘yoked driver’ concept, a number of different route guidance strategies are examined. The results indicate that some strategies that would appear to be desirable are not so. Conversely, under high-congestion situations, strategies can be constructed that come close to ‘rectifying’ completely the effects of information imperfection. Overall the paper reiterates the potential of ATIS if information-giving strategies are designed carefully.
Reaching out by changing what's within: Social exclusion increases self-concept malleability

Abstract People have a fundamental need to belong that, when thwarted, can affect cognition and behavior in ways designed to regain social connection. Because one of the best predictors of social connection is similarity, the current investigation tests the self-malleability hypothesis, which predicts social exclusion encourages people to modify their self-concepts to increase similarity to others, presumably in pursuit of renewed affiliation. Five studies supported the self-malleability hypothesis. Excluded people expanded their self-concept to incorporate new attributes characteristic of a novel social target but which they did not originally perceive as characteristic of themselves (Study 1). This effect was limited to targets that were construed as potential friends (Study 2) and occurred regardless of whether the potential friend was aware of the change (Study 3). Additionally, after recalling an exclusion experience, people modified even existing self-views to increase similarity to a potential friend (Studies 4a and 4b). Thus, socially excluded people alter the self to gain social connection.
Blended relationships: Friends as work associates

Researchers of personal relationships for the most part have ignored the social contexts in which the relationship parties are embedded. This study examines blended friendships, i.e., close friends who are embedded in the same work environment, from a relational dialectics perspective. A survey comprised of open‐ended and closed‐ended items was completed by 162 adults who had a close friend as a work associate. Five dialectical tensions were identified: autonomy‐connection, equality‐inequality, impartiality‐favoritism, judgment‐acceptance, and openness‐closedness. The overall amount of reported dual‐role tension was positively associated with organizational formalization and negatively related to relationship closeness. Blended friends were more likely to manage dual‐role tension through Role Integration under conditions of decreasing tension and increasing workgroup cohesion. Status‐unequal friends were more likely than status‐equal friends to manage their dual‐role tension through Selection.
On Packing Unequal Squares

This paper improves the bound, due to D. Jennings J. Combin. Theory Ser. A68(1994), 465?469], on the smallest rectangle into which all of the squares of side length 1/n, n=2, 3, 4, ... can be packed. The question of whether a packing with an arbitrarily small excess area is possible remains unanswered.
SafeResynth: A new technique for physical synthesis

Physical synthesis is a relatively young field in Electronic Design Automation. Many published optimizations for physical synthesis end up hurting the quality of the final design, often because they neglect important physical aspects of the layout, such as long wires or routing congestion. Our work defines and explores the concept of physical safeness and evaluates empirically its impact on route length, via count and timing. In addition, we propose a new physically safe and logically sound optimization, called SafeResynth, which provides immediately measurable improvements without altering the design's functionality. SafeResynth can enhance circuit timing without detrimental effects on route length and congestion. We achieve these improvements by performing a series of netlist transformations and re-placements that are individually evaluated for logical soundness (that is, they do not alter the logic functionality) and for physical safeness. When used alone, SafeResynth improves circuit delay of IWLS'05 benchmarks by 11% on average after routing, while increasing route length by less than 0.2%. Since transistors are not affected by SafeResynth, it can also be applied to post-silicon debugging, where only metal fixes are possible.
The denaturation of trypsin.

Abstract The denaturation of α- and β-trypsin in alkaline and neutral solution was studied. The denaturation of α-trypsin was a strict second-order reaction at neutrality. However, the denaturation of β-trypsin was not a pure secondorder reaction at the same pH. Calcium ion retarded the rate of β-trypsin denaturation to a greater extent than that of α-trypsin. In alkaline solution, trypsin has very short half life ( t case1 2 ). On the other hand, the denaturation of immobilized trypsin in alkaline solution is a first-order reaction as is immobilized chymotrypsin. The rates of these two denaturations are similar. Calcium ion does not affect the rate of trypsin denaturation in alkaline solution.
Pacemaking in interstitial cells of Cajal depends upon calcium handling by endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria

Pacemaker cells, known as interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), generate electrical rhythmicity in the gastrointestinal tract. Pacemaker currents in ICC result from the activation of a voltage-independent, non-selective cation conductance, but the timing mechanism responsible for periodic activation of the pacemaker current is unknown. Previous studies suggest that pacemaking in ICC is dependent upon metabolic activity 1y1yand1 Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial Ca2+ handling may underlie the dependence of gastrointestinal pacemaking on oxidative metabolism. Pacemaker currents occurred spontaneously in cultured ICC and were associated with mitochondrial Ca2+ transients. Inhibition of the electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane blocked Ca2+ uptake and pacemaker currents in cultured ICC and blocked slow wave activity in intact gastrointestinal muscles from mouse, dog and guinea-pig. Pacemaker currents and rhythmic mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in ICC were also blocked by inhibitors of IP3-dependent release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum and by inhibitors of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ reuptake. Our data suggest that integrated Ca2+ handling by endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria is a prerequisite of electrical pacemaking in the gastrointestinal tract.
On calculating transient electromagnetic fields of a small current-carrying loop over a homogeneous earth

The basic theory of airborne EM surveying, in the time domain, is considered. Rather than resorting to tediousdouble numerical integration, a more direct approach is adopted. This method, valid in the quasi-static regime, is illustrated for a homogeneous flat earth. The results exhibit a number of clear-cut features that are relevant to remote sensing. For example, a vertical co-axial loop system has a desirable transient response from the standpoint of yielding conductivity data without requiring accurate information on the height of the device above the ground.
Weight gain and adipose tissue metabolism after smoking cessation in women

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and is an important preventable cause of death and illness. One major deterrent to smoking cessation is a gain in body weight. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to this weight gain may maximize the success of long-term smoking cessation. We hypothesized that smoking cessation is associated with an increase in adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (AT-LPL) activity and/or a decrease in lipolysis, two metabolic factors that determine the balance between fat storage and fat utilization, and thus affect the propensity for weight gain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten premenopausal women (37.1±6.2 y, 31.7±6.4 kg/m2 body mass index (BMI), mean±s.d.) participated in a 4 week smoking cessation program. Measurements of body weight, waist and hip circumferences, adipose cell metabolism and resting metabolic rate were obtained at baseline and after 4 weeks of smoking cessation. RESULTS: Of the 10 women who began the intervention, five successfully completed the smoking cessation intervention. After 4 weeks of smoking cessation, there were significant increases in body weight (95.1±13.9–97.7±14.4 kg, P<0.05), with no change in waist and hip circumferences or resting energy expenditure. Gluteal AT-LPL activity significantly increased in all women by 2.8-fold (1.65±1.30–4.72±3.34 nmol/g/min, P<0.05). Abdominal AT-LPL activity increased in four out of the five women, but did not reach statistical significance (1.14±0.88–3.50±3.76 nmol/g/min, P=0.14). The increase in body weight correlated with the increase in gluteal AT-LPL activity (r=0.89, P<0.05), as well as the baseline activity of gluteal AT-LPL (r=0.86, P=0.06). There were no changes in basal or stimulated lipolysis in the gluteal or abdominal fat depots. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that smoking cessation is associated with significant increases in body weight, as well as changes in adipose cell metabolism, in particular increases in AT-LPL activity. This increase in LPL activity may contribute to the increase in body weight associated with smoking cessation.
Computational neurobiology is a useful tool in translational neurology: the example of ataxia

Hereditary ataxia, or motor incoordination, affects approximately 150,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide with onset from as early as mid-childhood. Affected individuals exhibit dysarthria, dysmetria, action tremor, and diadochokinesia. In this review, we consider an array of computational studies derived from experimental observations relevant to human neuropathology. A survey of related studies illustrates the impact of integrating clinical evidence with data from mouse models and computational simulations. Results from these studies may help explain findings in mice, and after extensive laboratory study, may ultimately be translated to ataxic individuals. This inquiry lays a foundation for using computation to understand neurobiochemical and electrophysiological pathophysiology of spinocerebellar ataxias and may contribute to development of therapeutics. The interdisciplinary analysis suggests that computational neurobiology can be an important tool for translational neurology.
Implications of crustal property variations for models of Tibetan plateau evolution

Shear-coupled teleseismic P waves sampling the interior of the Tibetan plateau provide evidence of systematic variations in crustal structure. The crust thins by up to 20 km from south to north with a concomitant increase in Poisson's ratio from normal values in the south to unusually high values in the north. This suggests that the crust of the northern plateau is partially melted due to high temperatures. These changes imply spatial and perhaps temporal variations in the way the elevation of the high plateau is created and maintained.
Estimating Water Demands in Buildings

Abstract The 99th percentile of water demand during the peak period is often adopted to size the piping system in a building. Two new approaches for estimating peak water use are introduced. Both provide the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of water demand during the peak period. One approach uses full enumeration of all fixture options; the second employs Monte Carlo techniques. The Monte Carlo method generates a large ensemble of simulated design flows for a wide variety of fixture combinations. Results are displayed as a single curve on a universal dimensionless design chart applicable for any number and type of fixtures. An example demonstrates application of the new design chart.
Multicast routing instabilities

Native multicast is critical for scaling the delivery of high-bandwidth data, such as audio and video, to multiple receivers. Until recently, however, multicast routing has been unstable, thus making it difficult to ensure robust data delivery. The authors' in-depth analysis of routing instabilities in the multicast infrastructure seeks to identify underlying inconsistencies among routing views at different routers and characterize instabilities by evaluating temporal and spatial variations in these views. Results are based on multiprotocol border gateway protocol (MBGP) routing tables.
An experimental analysis of impulsivity and impulse control in humans.

Abstract In choosing between small, immediate and large, delayed reward, an organism behaves impulsively if it chooses the small reward and shows impulse control if it chooses the large reward. Work with nonhumans suggests that impulsivity and impulse control may be derived from gradients of delayed reinforcement. A model developed by Ainslie and by Rachlin suggests that preference for the rewards should be a function of when the choice is made: small reward with no delay may be preferred to large reward with delay X, but adding delay T to both alternatives should shift preference to the large reward. Three experiments investigated this preference reversal in humans, using termination of 90 dba white noise as the reinforcing event. Experiment 1 showed that under some instructional conditions 90-sec noise off with no delay was preferred over 120-sec noise off after a 60-sec delay, but that preference shifted to the large reward when a 15-sec delay (T) was added to both alternatives. Experiment 2 replicated this preference reversal under two conditions of large, delayed reward, and with three rather than two values of T. Experiment 3 confirmed this effect of T and showed that some humans committed themselves to the large reward when commitment could be made some time before presentation of the reward alternatives. These data support the Ainslie-Rachlin model and extend it to human choice behavior.
Effective management commitment enhances six sigma success

This article examines the approach in incorporating the six sigma quality concepts into the day‐to‐day business operations. The primary emphasis is not on the positive financial results that many companies were able to achieve with the implementation of this quality concept, but to illustrate how it can be linked into the overall company strategy.