cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost efficient LSP protection in IP/MPLS-over-WDM overlay networks

We consider an IP/MPLS-over-WDM overlay network, which an IP/MPLS service layer exists independently over a WDM transport network. In the overlay model, two adjacent layers communicate with each other only through a pre-defined user-network interface (UNI) and the WDM topology information is not available to the service layer. In this paper, we concentrate on network design with a fault tolerance mechanism provided only in the IP/MPLS service layer in which the label-switched path (LSP) protection takes into account both node failures in the IP/MPLS service layer and failures in the WDM transport layer. In this design problem, the service layer must decide how lightpaths or logical links should be provisioned and how primary and backup LSPs should be routed in a cost-effective manner, such that failures do not affect both LSPs simultaneously. We formulate this survivable IP/MPLS overlay network design problem as a mixed integer linear program (MILP). Since the MILP is computationally intractable for large networks, we solve it only for a small network and present the optimal solution found by CPLEX 7.5, a commercial MILP solver. In order to find efficient solutions in larger networks we propose a heuristic algorithm that performs near-optimally in the cases studied. we then compare total costs for LSP protection from WDM link failures and LSR failures may not be much more expensive than protection from LSR failures only.
Representations in auditory cortex

How does auditory cortex represent auditory stimuli, and how do these representations contribute to behavior? Recent experimental evidence suggests that activity in auditory cortex consists of sparse and highly synchronized volleys of activity, observed both in anesthetized and awake animals. Many neurons are capable of remarkably precise activity with very low jitter or spike count variability. Most importantly, animals are capable of exploiting such precise neuronal activity in making sensory decisions. Whether the ability of auditory cortex to exploit fine temporal differences in cortical activity is unique to auditory modality, or represents a general strategy used by cortical circuits remains an open question.
Vita Contemplativa Mundane Poetics: Searching for Wisdom in Organization Studies

The craft of idea generation is explored autobiographically, using as the core principle the theme that ideas generate their own contexts for development. Ideas generate their own contexts by means of conceptual affinities, as is illustrated by the author’s movement from ideas about unintended consequences to ideas about cognitive dissonance, enacted environments, organizational failures, and wisdom. Ideas also generate their own context by means of the assumptions they entail, in the author’s case, these entailments being assumptions of continuity, evolution, ambivalence, complexity, and levels of analysis. When activated, these diverse resources may generate portraits of human organizing that have poetic overtones, but that resemblance simply mirrors the fact that people do poetry in their everyday living.
Low-Complexity Frequency Estimation Using Multiple Disjoint Pilot Blocks in Burst-Mode Communications

Two low-complexity data-aided frequency estimators, suitable for use in burst-mode communications, are described and analyzed. The estimators are based on pilot symbols organized into disjoint blocks embedded in the burst. The first estimator is a generalization of the phase increment frequency estimation technique and the second estimator is a generalization of the autocorrelation frequency estimation technique. The generalizations are needed to account for the spacings between the pilot blocks. It is shown that the frequency estimators exhibit good accuracy while maintaining useful operating ranges.
Synchronous controller models for synthesis from communicating VHDL processes

VHDL permits design descriptions with communicating multiple processes and provides signal assignments and wait statements to facilitate coordination and communication among the processes. These constructs lead to concise behavioral specifications but make controller generation in high level synthesis difficult. Current work on synthesis from VHDL restricts the behavioral subset, excluding or limiting the use of some of these constructs, thus leading to simple controller structures. Our paper proposer a controller model based on multiple, synchronous, communicating finite state machines. The proposed controller model permits the use of multiple processes with signal assignments and wait statements in behavioral specifications.
Adaptive circuit techniques to minimize variation impacts on microprocessor performance and power

Adaptive supply voltage and adaptive body bias may be used to control the frequency and leakage distribution of fabricated microprocessor dies. Testchip measurements show that adaptive VCC is effective in reducing the impact of parameter variations on frequency, active power, and leakage power of microprocessors when 20 mV VCC resolution is used. Using adaptive VCC together with adaptive VBS or WID-VBS is much more effective than using any of them individually.
Biology and Genetics of Adult Male Germ Cell Tumors

Adult male germ cell tumors (GCTs) arise by transformation of totipotent germ cells. They have the unique potential to activate molecular pathways, in part mimicking those occurring during gametogenesis and normal human development, as evidenced by the array of histopathologies observed in vivo. Recent expression profiling studies of GCTs along with advances in embryonic stem-cell research have contributed to our understanding of the underlying biology of the disease. Gain of the short arm of chromosome 12 detected in almost all adult GCTs appears to be multifunctional in germ cell tumorigenesis on the basis of the observed overexpression of genes mapped to this region involved in maintenance of pluripotency and oncogenesis. Expression signatures associated with the different histopathologies have yielded clues as to the functional mechanisms involved in GCT invasion, loss of pluripotency, and lineage differentiation. Genomic and epigenomic abnormalities that contribute to or cause these events have been identified by traditional genome analyses and continue to be revealed as genome-scanning technologies develop. Given the high sensitivity of most GCTs to cisplatin-based treatment, these tumors serve as an excellent model system for the identification of factors associated with drug resistance, including differentiation status and acquisition of genomic alterations. Overall, adult male GCTs provide a unique opportunity for the examination of functional links between transformation and pluripotency, genomic and epigenomic abnormalities and lineage differentiation, and the identification of genetic features associated with chemotherapy resistance.
Shielding effectiveness, statistical characterization, and the simulation of a two-dimensional reverberation chamber using finite element techniques

A two-dimensional finite element model for both the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) solutions inside a reverberation chamber has been presented. Tuner effects on the modal structure and the resulting statistics of the field distribution have been explored. The shielding effectiveness in a reverberating environment has been examined. Coupling shielding effectiveness for the TE results and replacement shielding effectiveness for TM results was presented. The reverberating environment provides additional insight into the shielding properties in a statistical sense. The shielding effectiveness of the TM structure for aperture coupling for several frequencies in a simulated reverberation environment was presented and compared to published and measured results. These results point to the development of a statistical model of shielding effectiveness. This model will form a critical component to the overall mechanism of upset prediction in digital systems.
Production of organometallic polymers by the interfacial technique. I. Interfacial production of polyalkyloxysilanes and a study of some reaction variables

The first interfacial synthesis of polyalkyloxysilanes of the form where R′ = alkylene, and R″, R = alkyl or aryl is reported. It is found, in the range studied for the stirred systems, that as organic solvent viscosity and organic phase volume are increased, rate of polymer formation is decreased. Little difference in polymer formation rate is observed when the nature of the diol is varied, but considerable difference is noted when the nature of the organosilane is varied such that the most electropositive silane has the highest rate of polymer formation. Molecular weight is approximately constant as diol is changed but varies markedly when the silane is changed, so that the silane with the most bulky substance will give polymer with the lowest molecular weight.
Drug effects on in vivo nasal clearance in rats

Abstract A simple in vivo method to study drug induced changes in nasal mucociliary clearance patterns has been developed using FluoSpheres ® , fluorescent latex particles, as clearance markers in rats. The marker cleared from the nasal cavity can be collected from the nasopharyngeal area of the oral cavity and easily measured using a fluorescence spectrophotometer. Several compounds whose effects on ciliary motility have been previously studied in vitro, i.e., tripelennamine HCI, lidocaine HC1, bacitracin, neomycin sulfate, and pilocarpine nitrate, were investigated in order to validate the new in vivo technique. Clearance in rats exposed to normal saline was shown to follow a pseudo-first order pattern. Similar first order clearance patterns were observed 24 h after exposure to drug solutions which have been shown to cause reductions in ciliary beat frequency (CBF) or mucociliary clearance (tripelennamine HCI, lidocaine HCI, bacitracin) in vitro, yet the clearance rates in vivo were usually reduced. The clearance rates returned to normal within 48 h except in the case of lidocaine HCI. For compounds in which increases in CBF were observed in vitro (pilocarpine nitrate), a statistically significant increase in nasal clearance was observed 24 h after drug exposure. The ability of the in vitro method to predict the reversibility of drug induced effects was not well correlated with the results observed in vivo. It appears that homeostatic control mechanisms present in the whole animal temper some drug effects on ciliary motility, especially when morphologie changes in the cilia appear to be responsible for the reduction in CBF. This new in vivo model enables both long term changes and the time course of recovery in nasal clearance to be monitored in a single animal, thus enabling better predictions regarding drug effects on nasal clearance to be made.
Effect of thiazol-4-ylmethoxyamine, a new inhibitor of histamine biosynthesis on brain histamine, monoamine levels and behavior☆

Abstract FIVE histidine decarboxylase inhibitors, two of which are new, were tested for their effects on brain histamine (Hm) levels in rats. Of these, only one of the new ones, thiazol-4-ylmethoxyamine (TMA) lowered brain Hm under the experimental conditions applied. A single dose of 100 mg/kg I.P. TMA caused a gradual fall in Hm level, reaching the lowest level, 10% of control, at 72 hours. A dose of 300 mg/kg caused the maximum effect at 24 hours. With either dose, recovery occurred within 4 days. In a dose of 100 mg/kg, the only dramatic brain monoamine change observed was a 40% depletion of dopamine, seen at 72 hours. Some preliminary correlative pharmacological and behavioral effects are also reported.
Effects of Added Kaolinite on Sintering of Freeze‐Cast Kaolinite–Silica Nanocomposite I. Microstructure and Phase Transformation

In our previous study, the effects of added kaolinite on the microstructure and strength of freeze-cast composites of kaolinite platelets and silica nanoparticles were reported. This current article details the results of an investigation into the effects of the kaolinite on the microstructure and phase transformation of these materials during sintering. It is found that upon sintering at 1000°C, grain growth and phase transformation of the silica nanoparticles in the silica/kaolinite composites are hindered, and even completely inhibited, at sufficient concentrations of added kaolinite. Nonetheless, reduction in the size of the nanoparticles suggests that diffusion from silica nanoparticles to kaolinite platelets is occurring. Upon increasing the sintering temperature to 1250°C, boundaries between the two species completely disappear and new peaks are observed in the X-ray diffraction pattern of the composite that are not present in the patterns of either silica-only or kaolinite-only samples. These findings indicate that a transitioning interfacial phase forms at higher temperatures.
White blood cells 1: non-malignant disorders.

Summary •Disorders of white cells are very common in clinical practice. •White-cell development and numbers are controlled by a mixture of external stimuli including cytokines, matrix proteins, and accessory cells. •Several different white-cell lineages are recognised; each has a role in host defence. •Both white-cell deficiency and overproduction can lead to disease. •Some forms of inherited white-cell deficiency are potentially treatable with gene therapy.
Genome Editing: A New Approach to Human Therapeutics

The ability to manipulate the genome with precise spatial and nucleotide resolution (genome editing) has been a powerful research tool. In the past decade, the tools and expertise for using genome editing in human somatic cells and pluripotent cells have increased to such an extent that the approach is now being developed widely as a strategy to treat human disease. The fundamental process depends on creating a site-specific DNA double-strand break (DSB) in the genome and then allowing the cell's endogenous DSB repair machinery to fix the break such that precise nucleotide changes are made to the DNA sequence. With the development and discovery of several different nuclease platforms and increasing knowledge of the parameters affecting different genome editing outcomes, genome editing frequencies now reach therapeutic relevance for a wide variety of diseases. Moreover, there is a series of complementary approaches to assessing the safety and toxicity of any genome editing process, irrespective of the underlying nuclease used. Finally, the development of genome editing has raised the issue of whether it should be used to engineer the human germline. Although such an approach could clearly prevent the birth of people with devastating and destructive genetic diseases, questions remain about whether human society is morally responsible enough to use this tool.
A NEW SOFT-BODIED FAUNA: THE PIOCHE FORMATION OF NEVADA

Abstract A new Burgess Shale-type soft-bodied fauna crossing the Lower-Middle Cambrian boundary in the Comet Shale Member of the Pioche Formation in Lincoln County, Nevada, contains common remains of soft-bodied ecdysozoan taxa. These fossils provide important new information about the nature and variety of Cambrian soft-bodied organisms. Arthropod taxa include one species of Canadaspis Novozhilov in Orlov, 1960, one species of ?Perspicaris Briggs, 1977, three species of Tuzoia Walcott, 1912, and at least two species of Anomalocaris Whiteaves, 1892. A priapulid referable to Ottoia Walcott, 1911a, was also recovered. A comprehensive review of Tuzoia is given. Some specimens from Early Cambrian sections are replaced by hematite, resulting in iron staining similar to that in such other Early Cambrian soft-bodied faunas as the Kinzers Formation in Pennsylvania. Some taxa in the Comet Shale, and in other Early and Middle Cambrian soft-bodied faunas, have prodigious geographic ranges that spanned much of Lauren...
Topic Modeling with Nonparametric Markov Tree

A new hierarchical tree-based topic model is developed, based on nonparametric Bayesian techniques. The model has two unique attributes: (i) a child node in the tree may have more than one parent, with the goal of eliminating redundant sub-topics deep in the tree; and (ii) parsimonious sub-topics are manifested, by removing redundant usage of words at multiple scales. The depth and width of the tree are unbounded within the prior, with a retrospective sampler employed to adaptively infer the appropriate tree size based upon the corpus under study. Excellent quantitative results are manifested on five standard data sets, and the inferred tree structure is also found to be highly interpretable.
Simpler, more efficient design

Design of custom integrated circuits has become prohibitively expensive for many application domains. As a result, these domains often choose to implement the desired functionality on programmable platforms, but those solutions are less energy efficient. This paper proposes several approaches for making the design process more efficient and enabling custom energyefficient integrated circuits. Function generators, as opposed to function instances, should be designed, which combined with higher-level design abstraction improve design efficiency and foster reuse. The use of generators also enables modular designs, aiding design verification. Rapid design flow maps generated modules into silicon and enables design-space exploration for optimal efficiency. Open-source repository of function generators and their mappings into systems allow designers to selectively add value to the design. These principles are demonstrated on a design of a processor, based on an open-source instruction set architecture, with integrated switched-capacitor DC-DC converters implemented in 28nm FDSOI. The chip is designed with a relatively small team and features high conversion efficiency (80-86%) and high energy efficiency (26.2 DP GFLOPS/W). Keywords—Energy efficiency, CMOS, microprocessor, designspace exploration, voltage regulators.
Abstract 71: AAV-Mediated Expression of Human IDOL in Mouse Liver Increases LDL Cholesterol in a Dose-Dependent Fashion

IDOL (inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor, LDLR), originally known as Mylip, is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of the LDLR. Adenoviral overexpression of mouse IDOL was shown to increase LDL cholesterol by decreasing LDLR. Human genetics support a role for genetic variation in IDOL influencing LDL-C levels and support the concept that IDOL inhibition could be a novel strategy to reduce LDL-C levels. In this study we examined the effects of stable expression of human IDOL in mouse liver on LDLR protein and plasma lipids. Using an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-mediated delivery, we expressed hIDOL (AAV-hIDOL) under the liver-specific TBG promoter to achieve liver-specific expression in adult mice. Five doses of AAV-hIDOL (1x10 10 , 3x10 10 , 1x10 11 , 3x10 11 , 1x10 12 GC) were administered by intra-peritoneal injection and compared to a group injected with AAV-Null as control. AAV-hIDOL produced a dose-dependent increase in hIDOL expression in liver as shown by RT-PCR. Analysis of liver LDLR protein by western blotting revealed a dose-dependent decrease of the LDLR that was completely abolished starting at the dose of 3x10 11 GC. A significant dose-dependent increase in total and LDL cholesterol was observed. At the highest vector dose, LDL-C levels increased more than two-fold. Plasma triglyceride (TG) levels were unchanged through the dose range except at the highest dose where they increased by about 75%. Finally, we used a “humanized” mouse model of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (LDLR +/- /Apobec1 -/- /hApoB-Tg) and expressed hIDOL using AAV-hIDOL at 2x10 11 GC. In this model TC and LDL-C levels were increased by about 60% starting from one week and were sustainable for at least 4 weeks post-injection. In conclusion, our study demonstrates a dose-dependent physiological effect of human IDOL on LDL metabolism in mice and provides a potential model for preclinical testing of IDOL inhibitors for reduction of LDL-C levels.
The Price virus: an unclassified enterovirus isolated from patients with central nervous system disease.

SummarySix immunologically related viral strains have been recovered from the stools of patients with CNS disease. Neutralization tests indicate that they are not polioviruses, group A or group B Coxsackie viruses, ECHO virus types 1-28 or one of 4 ECHO candidate strains. The human origin of these agents is evidenced by the fact that 5 of the 6 patients with isolations showed 4-fold or greater rises in neutralizing antibody to these viruses. The several strains possess the characteristics of human enteroviruses, i.e., ether resistance, particle size, and production of a characteristic “enterovirus cytopathic effect” in monkey kidney cell cultures. All of the strains could be adapted to growth in HeLa cells. They are not pathogenic for suckling mice, and do not agglutinate human group O, chicken or guinea pig erythrocytes.Addendum Since this paper was submitted for publication, information from Dr. H. A. Wenner, as well as the results of tests performed in this laboratory, indicates that the Bastianni, PR-...
Cytotoxicity of Fluorine-Containing Alkyl Alkanesulfonates to Cultured Leukemia L1210 Cells

Ethyl esters of alkanesulfonic acids, isethionic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, and 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethanesulfonic acid were synthesized and tested for inhibitory activity toward the growth of cultured leukemia L1210 cells. A quantitative correlation with the rate of hydrolysis and the capacity factor (partition property) was demonstrated by a multiple linear regression analysis; the more reactive and more lipophilic, the more cytotoxic they are. Interestingly, fluorine substitution on the alcoholic moiety resulted in remarkable deviations of the toxicity from those expected from the correlation found for the ethyl esters without fluorine substitution. Then, some fluorine derivatives of busulfan, a clinically used bifunctional sulfonate, were synthesized and tested. 2, 2-Difluoroethyl 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethanesulfonate was several times more cytotoxic than busulfan.
Assessment of Beauveria bassiana Sprays for Control of Diamondback Moth (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) on Crucifers

Evaluations ofthe efficacy and persistence of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin for control of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.),on crucifers were done in growth chambers, the greenhouse, and the field. In growth chamber studies done at 21 or 26°C and 60 or 90% RH, neither temperature nor humidity affected the survival of larvae, but treatment with fungal spores always provided significantly greater mortality than the control. In 2 greenhouse trials, 1 application of B. bassiana spores suspended in water or oil significantly reduced larval populations compared to controls. In a field trial, both treatment and insect stage at treatment (2nd and 3rd to 4th instars) significantly affected larval survival. The fungus, formulated as a wettable powder at 2 rates and as an emulsifiable suspension at a high rate, provided significant reductions in larval counts. Two applications of the wettable powder at the higher rate resulted in lower larval counts than did a single application. Two applications (but not 1) of wettable powder at the lower rate resulted in significantly lower counts of 2nd instars but not 3rd to 4th instars. Both treatment and time affected both the persistence of viable B. bassiana spores on leaves and the retention of efficacy of treated leaves for P. xylostella larvae. These trials indicate the potential for including B. bassiana in an overall management program for P. xylostella.
Europium-doped Pyrochlores for Use as Thermographic Phosphors in Thermal Barrier Coatings

Three europium-doped pyrochlores including La2Zr2O7:Eu, La2Hf2O7:Eu, and Nd2Zr2O7:Eu were tested to determine their lifetimes as a function of temperature. These pyrochlores were examined to determine their suitability as thermographic phosphors, in systems that use these materials for thermal barrier coatings. Results show that La2Hf2O7:Eu and La2Zr2O7:Eu can be used to measure surface temperatures up to approximately 600o C and 800o C, respectively. However, Nd2Zr2O7:Eu showed little propensity for use as a thermographic phosphor.
Hume and Shaftesbury on the Self

In this paper I wish to discuss Norman Kemp Smith's thesis that Book II of Hume's Treatise preceded Book I in date of composition1 because (and this is the only point I am going to discuss out of several which Kemp Smith makes) there is a different conception of the self propounded in the two Books. For, in Book II, according to Kemp Smith, Hume offers an early, constant, reliable, Hutchesonian sort of self, spared from the sceptical analyses employed in Book I. In other words, he presents a moral self dependable enough in terms of identity that we can properly impute moral responsibility to him ;2 whereas, in Book I, he presents, in opposition, a later, more sophisticated "self", one that lends itself to a Newtonian analysis, dissolving its presence into a Heraclitean rate of change and reducing it to " nothing but a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement " (T. I, p. 252). This later self, according to Kemp Smith, is an epistemological one, as contrasted with the moral self presented in Book II.
Feasibility and acceptance of a robotic surgery ergonomic training program.

Background and objectives Assessment of ergonomic strain during robotic surgery indicates there is a need for intervention. However, limited data exist detailing the feasibility and acceptance of ergonomic training (ET) for robotic surgeons. This prospective, observational pilot study evaluates the implementation of an evidence-based ET module. Methods A two-part survey was conducted. The first survey assessed robotic strain using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Participants were given the option to participate in either an online or an in-person ET session. The ET was derived from Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines and developed by a human factors engineer experienced with health care ergonomics. After ET, a follow-up survey including the NMQ and an assessment of the ET were completed. Results The survey was sent to 67 robotic surgeons. Forty-two (62.7%) responded, including 18 residents, 8 fellows, and 16 attending physicians. Forty-five percent experienced strain resulting from performing robotic surgery and 26.3% reported persistent strain. Only 16.6% of surgeons reported prior ET in robotic surgery. Thirty-five (78%) surgeons elected to have in-person ET, which was successfully arranged for 32 surgeons (91.4%). Thirty-seven surgeons (88.1%) completed the follow-up survey. All surgeons participating in the in-person ET found it helpful and felt formal ET should be standard, 88% changed their practice as a result of the training, and 74% of those reporting strain noticed a decrease after their ET. Conclusion Thus, at a high-volume robotics center, evidence-based ET was easily implemented, well-received, changed some surgeons' practice, and decreased self-reported strain related to robotic surgery.
SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award Talk: Online Communication and Psychological Well-being

Since the dawn of the Internet era, researchers, policy-makers and the general public have questioned how new technology is influencing our psychological well-being. This talk will review research I've done with students and collaborators over the past 18 years to cast light on this question. Our earliest work in the 1990s indicated that more Internet use, independent of type, predicted increases in depression and declines in other measures of well-being. However, later research that differentiated communication with stronger from communication with weaker ties and differentiated types of communication shows that whom one communicates with online and the nature of the communication are the important factors, not Internet use per se. In Facebook, for example, receiving targeted, composed communication from strong ties predicts improvements in well-being, while viewing wide-audience broadcasts, receiving one-click feedback, and receiving composed communication from weak ties does not. In online health support groups, it is messages exchanged in public that predicts improvements in well-being, while private message exchanges predict declines.
161 PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR GAMMA LIGAND 15d-PGJ2 REPRESSES PROINFLAMMATORY RESPONSES IN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS: THE ROLE OF NITRIC OXIDE.

Purpose Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) activation prevents atherosclerotic vascular disease and reduces vascular dysfunction and inflammation in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. The precise molecular mechanisms for this vascular protection remain to be defined. We have previously shown that PPARg ligands enhance endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, in part, by reducing superoxide anion (O22.) generation and suppressing expression of selected subunits of NADPH oxidase and by enhancing eNOS activity at the level of post-translational regulation. We hypothesized that PPARg-induced increases in endothelial NO production contribute to previously described vascular anti-inflammatory effects following PPARg activation. Methods Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with 10 μM 15d-PGJ2 with or without human recombinant TNFa (100 U for 2 hours) followed by analysis of cytokine production, adhesion molecule expression, and monocyte adhesion. In separate studies, HUVECs were treated with the NOS inhibitor L-NAME prior to treatment with PPARg ligands. Results 15d-PGJ2 attenuated TNFa-mediated induction of IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and IP-10, endothelial-monocyte adhesion, and ICAM, VCAM, and E-selectin expression. The NOS inhibitor L-NAME reduced 15d-PGJ2-mediated NO production and attenuated 15d-PGJ2 repression of TNFa-mediated ICAM expression. Conclusions These data indicate that treatment with 15d-PGJ2 suppressed TNFa-stimulated expression of inflammatory genes in vascular endothelial cells. L-NAME-mediated attenuation of the ability of 15d-PGJ2 to suppress ICAM expression suggests that PPARg-stimulated NO production may contribute to the anti-inflammatory effects of PPARg ligands in vascular endothelial cells.
Structural Evolution in Hollandite Solid Solutions Across the A-site Compositional Range from Ba1.33Ga2.66Ti5.34O16 to Cs1.33Ga1.33Ti6.67O16

Hollandite solid solutions along the A-site compositional range from the pure barium end-member Ba1.33Ga2.66Ti5.34O16 to the pure cesium end-member Cs1.33Ga1.33Ti6.67O16 have been synthesized using a solid-state reaction technique. The crystal structure of the hollandite across the entire compositional range remained in the I4/m space group. Structural evolution was resolved by neutron diffraction, total scattering data, and density functional theory calculations. A trend of decreasing thermodynamic stability with smaller tunnel cations was attributed to increased structural distortion observed in the system. In addition, the tunnel cations' local environment was studied in the eightfold coordinated oxygen cavities. Local binding features of the tunnel cations reveals that the hollandite structure can strongly stabilize tunnel cations, even at elevated temperatures up to 500 K.
Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Patients with Sickle Cell Disease Display Intact Functionality

Abstract Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only cure for sickle cell disease (SCD), but engraftment remains challenging in patients lacking matched donors. Infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) at the time of HCT may promote hematopoiesis and ameliorate graft-versus-host disease. Experimental murine models suggest MSC major histocompatibility complex compatibility with recipient impacts their in vivo function, suggesting autologous MSCs could be superior to third-party MSCs for promoting HCT engraftment. Here we tested whether bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs from SCD subjects have comparable functionality compared with MSCs from healthy volunteers. SCD MSC doubling time and surface marker phenotype did not differ significantly from non-SCD. Third-party and autologous (SCD) T cell proliferation was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by all MSCs. SCD MSCs comparably expressed indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase, which based on transwell and blocking experiments appeared to be the dominant immunomodulatory pathway. The expression of key genes involved in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)–MSC interactions was minimally altered between SCD and non-SCD MSCs. Expression was, however, altered by IFN-γ stimulation, particularly CXCL14, CXCL26, CX3CL1, CKITL, and JAG1, indicating the potential to augment MSC expression by cytokine stimulation. These data demonstrate the feasibility of expanding BM-derived MSCs from SCD patients that phenotypically and functionally do not differ per International Society of Cell Therapy essential criteria from non-SCD MSCs, supporting initial evaluation (primarily for safety) of autologous MSCs to enhance haploidentical HSC engraftment in SCD.
Mixed effects logistic regression modeling of daily evaluations of nurse anesthetists’ work habits adjusting for leniency of the rating anesthesiologists

Abstract Ideally operating room professionals work hard, are enthusiastic, and punctual. These are the characteristics of "work habits." This article covers mixed effects logistic regression modeling for the identification of outlier nurse anesthetists (ratees) while treating daily evaluation scores of their work habits as binary data and statistically adjusting for the leniency of scoring among rating anesthesiologists. We show no apparent lack of additional useful information from treating the work habits scores as simply binary. In addition, the results are insensitive to the threshold. However, we show complications (e.g., different statistical packages giving different answers) when some anesthesiologists rate all nurse anesthetists as having perfect work habits. Because of this, representing the rating anesthesiologist as a fixed effect has numerical advantages. We consider a random effects model for the nurse anesthetists' work habits scores. This provides shrinkage towards the overall mean especially for those nurse anesthetists with few evaluations (i.e., less likely to classify average providers as outliers). Identification of individual nurse anesthetists as outliers can be insensitive to the statistical methods, including different frequentist and Bayesian models. However, results are dramatically different from the simple ranking of raw scores of the nurse anesthetists.
The Importance of Methods: Archontan Phylogeny and Cladistic Analysis of Morphological Data

Perusal of the recent systematic literature leaves the impression that cladistic methodology has contributed little to resolving the relationships between primates and other placental mammals. Despite numerous cladistic analyses, no viable consensus has yet been reached among workers studying morphology (e.g., Novacek and Wyss, 1986; Wible and Novacek, 1988; Pettigrew et al., 1989; Novacek, 1990; Dumont, 1992; Beard, 1993) or molecular data (e.g., Ammerman and Hillis, 1990, 1992; Baker et al., 1991a; Mindell et al., 1991; Adkins and Honeycutt, 1991; Bailey et al., 1992). Most workers agree that primate origins lie somewhere among “archontan” mammals (tree shrews, bats, gliding lemurs, extinct plesiadapiformes), but there is little agreement concerning relationships among these groups and monophyly of Archonta is still an open question (Fig. 1). If cladistic analysis is the powerful tool that we suppose, then why haven’t the relationships of primates been resolved? Part of the answer may lie in the different approaches and methods employed by workers using cladistic methods to address archontan relationships.
The Role of Sirtuins in Antioxidant and Redox Signaling

Abstract Significance: Antioxidant and redox signaling (ARS) events are regulated by critical molecules that modulate antioxidants, reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and/or oxidative stress within the cell. Imbalances in these molecules can disturb cellular functions to become pathogenic. Sirtuins serve as important regulators of ARS in cells. Recent Advances: Sirtuins (SIRTs 1–7) are a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent histone deacetylases with the ability to deacetylate histone and nonhistone targets. Recent studies show that sirtuins modulate the regulation of a variety of cellular processes associated with ARS. SIRT1, SIRT3, and SIRT5 protect the cell from ROS, and SIRT2, SIRT6, and SIRT7 modulate key oxidative stress genes and mechanisms. Interestingly, SIRT4 has been shown to induce ROS production and has antioxidative roles as well. Critical Issues: A complete understanding of the roles of sirtuins in redox homeostasis of the cell is very im...
Scaffolding Assignments and Activities for Undergraduate Research Methods

This article details assignments and lessons created for and tested in research methods courses at two different universities, a large state school and a small liberal arts college. Each assignment...
Profile Monitoring for Examining Impact of Hurricane Katrina and Rita on Highway Construction Cost

Extensive destruction and damage to communities in the aftermath of large-scale disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes can cause substantial disorder in social and economic activity....
A treatment comparison study of a photo activity schedule and Social Stories for teaching social skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: brief report.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of two procedures, a photo activity schedule intervention and Social Stories, to teach social skills to four children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)....
The Conceptual Flow of a Community-Based Project

The point of this chapter is to engage in what is often called a “gedankenexperiment” or thought experiment (Irvine, Thought experiments in science and philosophy, 1991, pp. 149–165). The goal of this exercise is to provide a mental image of an activity to be undertaken, in this case the planning and implementation of a social intervention. Since these plans are imaginary or hypothetical, many options can be entertained; a wide variety of variations are possible. In a way, this mental game represents a simulation, but without the technological apparatus. But this exercise should not provide recipes for planning. In fact, following the format supplied by a cookbook would violate the basic philosophy of community-based planning. Planning is not disorganized but also should not follow a strict regimen. Adhering to an a priori schedule would likely reify the planning process and hardly help a community. For this reason, the term “conceptual flow” is used to perform this task. A community-based project, in other words, has certain components that are often connected in a particular manner. Nonetheless, these connections do not necessarily form a fixed system. Such a portrayal would be too narrow and confining. A flow is a better descriptive, since this image suggests the presence of contingencies and various alternatives.
Soil-Cement as Slope Protection for Earth Dams

Laboratory tests to establish basic mix and construction procedure for special experimental test section; results of 10 yr performance test are evaluated and modifications in mix design, construction procedure, and structure design are determined for application to dam under construction; proposed methods for selecting soils, performing laboratory tests, evaluating test results, and modifying designs to make soil cement facings applicable.
Digicams and Video Astronomy

Prior to 1990 the vast majority of amateur astrophotographers used photographic film to record objects in the night sky. Since the early 1990s there has been a gradual shift towards charge-coupled devices (CCDs), and with the possible exception of visual variable star and comet magnitude estimates, every aspect of astronomy has been transformed by the CCD detector.
Reasoning and Communicating in the Language of Statistics

Although graduate students in education are frequently required to write papers throughout their coursework, they typically have limited experience in communicating in the language of statistics, both verbally and in written form. To succeed in their future careers, students must be provided with opportunities to develop deep understandings of concepts, develop reasoning skills, and become familiar with verbalizing and writing about statistics. The instructional approach described here spans the entire semester of a statistics course and consists of several aspects including cognitively rich individual assignments, small group activities, and a student-led scoring activity. To demonstrate the impact of this approach on student learning, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students in two statistics courses. Several assessments indicate improvement in students' reasoning and understanding, written and verbal communication, and confidence.
A Conceptual Model of Financial Toxicity in Pediatric Oncology

The purpose of this article is to explicate a conceptual framework for financial toxicity in pediatric oncology to guide nursing practice and research. The framework is based on one for financial outcomes of severe illness attributed to Scott Ramsey and adapted by the National Cancer Institute to describe relationships between preexisting factors, a cancer diagnosis, financial distress, and health outcomes for adult cancer patients and survivors. The adaption for pediatric oncology was informed by the results of a systematic scoping review to identify advances and gaps in the recent literature about the personal costs of illness to parents in the pediatric oncology context. The conceptual model for pediatric oncology indicates that existing and dynamic parent and family factors, other risk and protective factors, the child's diagnosis and treatment, and treatment-related financial costs can affect parent financial coping behaviors and parent health and family financial outcomes, all of which may affect child outcomes. Additionally, nursing's historic emphasis on holistic care, quality of life, and health determinants justify attention to financial toxicity as a nursing role. Therefore, pediatric oncology nurses must be sensitive to financial toxicity and related risk factors, become comfortable communicating about treatment-related financial costs and financial distress with parents and other health professionals, and collaborate in efforts that draw on the expertise of multiple stakeholders to identify potential or actual financial toxicity in parents and mitigate its impact on childhood cancer health outcomes through direct care, referral, research, quality improvement, and health advocacy.
Interpolation and Extrapolation Algorithm for Switching Events Compensation in Semi-Physical Simulation of Cascaded STATCOM

To improve the accuracy of semi-physical simulation, this paper mainly discussed interpolation and extrapolation algorithms for switching events compensation of cascaded static synchronous compensators (STATCOM). The moment of the switching events was captured by Field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Two linear interpolations and one extrapolation were adopted to compensate the error caused by multiple switching events during one simulation step. In addition, a linear interpolation was also applied for time delay compensation in hardware in loop test. Both rapid control prototyping and hardware in loop tests were performed to verify the effectiveness of the interpolation algorithms. Experimental results indicated that the time delay was almost eliminated and the output waveform was improved after compensation.
Low Awareness of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Population-Based Cohort Sample: the CARDIA Study.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the United States, yet little is known about NAFLD awareness in individuals with incidental fatty liver on imaging. To assess the level of awareness of imaging-defined NAFLD among individuals with and without metabolic risk factors. Cross-sectional analysis within a prospective longitudinal population-based cohort study conducted in four U.S. cities. Adults age 43 to 55 years enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study who underwent computed tomography and a personal health questionnaire at the year 25 exam (2010–2011, n = 2788). NAFLD was defined as liver attenuation ≤ 51 Hounsfield units after exclusion of other causes of liver fat. Participants were considered “NAFLD aware” if they reported being told previously by a doctor or nurse that they had “fatty liver.” NAFLD prevalence was 23.9%. Only 16 of 667 (2.4%) participants with CT-defined NAFLD were aware of a NAFLD diagnosis. NAFLD aware participants were more likely to be white (81.3% vs. 53.5%, p = 0.03) and have the metabolic syndrome (87.5% vs. 59.3%, p = 0.02) and/or hypertension (75.0% vs. 50.2%, p = 0.05). In multivariable analyses adjusted for demographics, metabolic syndrome and hypertension remained predictive of NAFLD awareness. There is low awareness of NAFLD among individuals with hepatic steatosis on imaging, even among those with metabolic risk factors. These findings highlight an opportunity to raise public and practitioner awareness of NAFLD with the goal of increasing diagnosis and implementing early treatment strategies.
EFFECT OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION ON CONSUMER SATISFACTION: A CASE OF THE NIC BANK LIMITED

Purpose : The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of customer information on consumer satisfaction, a case of the NIC bank limited. Methodology : The descriptive survey research design was preferred for the study. The population of the study was over 10,000 credit card holders in NIC Bank. Snow balling sampling technique was appropriate for this study because credit card customers were not keen on cooperating because of the sensitivity of information gathered and only cooperated on referral from friends. Fishers’ formula was used for calculating the sample size of an infinite population which amounted to 384 but for the purpose of improving the response rate, the study added 16 more respondents to total up to 400. The study used primary data. The study used a questionnaire as the preferred data collection tool. Information was sorted, coded and input into the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for production of descriptive statistics. The results were presented using tables and pie charts to give a clear picture of the research findings. Results : Based on the findings, the study conclded that the organization did not provide enough information to enable the customers use credit cards wisely. Results also led to conclusion that Consumers should take credit cards with sufficient information on the credit terms. Results also concluded that that Consumers’ should have attitudes and perceptions towards credit cards. Results concluded that the proliferation of credit cards and their ease of access had given consumers increased opportunities for making credit purchases. Results also concluded that the organization should consider leveraging information on social sites with regard to finding a customer’s most recent location.. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Based on the findings, the study recommends that banks should emphasize on leveraging information on social sites with regard to finding a customer’s most recent location. In addition the study recommends that the banks should adopt sending credit card information through twitter and facebook. In addition, banks should invest in consumer groups to sensitive customers on credit card issues.