cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of La2CuO4 solid-state powder reaction by quantitative XRD and impedance spectroscopy

Reaction kinetics for CuO + La{sub 2}O{sub 3} {yields} La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} were quantified by X-ray diffraction on quenched samples reacted in air. The rate was successfully modeled by the Valensi-Carter equation, taking into account the particle size distribution. Kinetics followed diffusion-limited rather than reaction-limited behavior; the activation energy was 265 kJ/Mol. Conductivity-time behavior from in situ impedance spectra confirmed the reaction model; CuO rapidly coats the La{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles and produces an La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} diffusion barrier. This is consistent with the basic assumptions of the Valensi-Carter equation. It is believed that copper diffusion controls the rate of reaction.
A Blackboard Architecture for Integrating Process Planning and Production Scheduling

As companies attempt to increase customization levels in their product offerings, move toward smaller lot production, and experi ment with more flexible customer/supplier arrangements such as those made possible by electronic data interchange (EDI), they increas ingly require the ability to (1) respond quickly, accurately, and competitively to customer requests for bids on new or modified products and (2) efficiently work out supplier/subcontractor arrangements for these products This in turn requires the ability to (1) rapidly convert standard-based product specifications into process plans and (2) quickly integrate process plans for new orders into the existing production schedule to best accommodate the current state of the manufacturing enterprise
Analysis of Coleman-Weinberg potentials in orbit space: General method and application to the inflationary universe

Abstract We present a general method to analyze Colemann-Weinberg potentials in the orbit space, which is applicable to any irreducible representation. As an example, the structure of the SU(5) Coleman-Weinberg potential with scalars asigned to the adjoint representation is analyzed in complete detail, which confirms the general conclusion reached by Breit, Gupta and Zaks, and Moss that the phase transition in the new inflationary scenario of the early universe is problematic. We show that the disease found in the SU(5) case is common to all SU (N) ( N > 3) and SO(2 N ) ( N ≠ 4,8) adjoints, and that the adjoints of SO(8) and exceptional groups are immune from the 1 disease.
Nucleate boiling instability of alkali metals.

Nucleate boiling instability of alkali metals noting effects of surface material, chemical treatment, heat flux and cavity geometry
Seeing the disappearance of unseen objects

Because of the massive amount of incoming visual information, perception is fundamentally selective. We are aware of only a small subset of our visual input at any given moment, and a great deal of activity can occur right in front of our eyes without reaching awareness. While previous work has shown that even salient visual objects can go unseen, here we demonstrate the opposite pattern, wherein observers perceive stimuli which are not physically present. In particular, we show in two motion-induced blindness experiments that unseen objects can momentarily reenter awareness when they physically disappear: in some situations, you can see the disappearance of something you can't see. Moreover, when a stimulus changes outside of awareness in this situation and then physically disappears, observers momentarily see the altered version--thus perceiving properties of an object that they had never seen before, after that object is already gone. This phenomenon of 'perceptual reentry' yields new insights into the relationship between visual memory and conscious awareness.
Intrarater and interrater reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS).

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the intrarater and interrater reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). Design A prospective observational study. Setting Academic sports medicine center. Participants Three scorers participated in this study. Methods Three scorers experienced in using the BESS viewed a videotape depicting 30 consecutive individuals performing the BESS stance positions. The 3 scorers independently scored each of the 30 videotaped individuals using the BESS scoring criteria. A week later, the same 3 subjects viewed and scored the videotape again. Main Outcome Measurements The interrater and intrarater reliability of the BESS was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), reported with 95% confidence intervals. The minimum detectible change was also determined. Results The interrater and intrarater reliability ICCs for the total BESS scores were 0.57 and 0.74, respectively. The interrater reliability ICCs for the 6 different stance positions were between 0.44 and 0.83, while the intrarater reliability ICCs were between 0.50 and 0.88. The interrater and intrarater minimum detectible change for the total BESS score were 9.4 and 7.3 points, respectively. Conclusion This study suggests that certain subcategories of the BESS have sufficient reliability to be used in the evaluation of postural stability but that the total BESS score is not reliable. In addition, a change in score of greater than 9.4 (interrater) or 7.3 (intrarater) points is required before the change in postural stability can be attributed to the balancer rather than to the scorer.
High performance computing using MPI and OpenMP on multi-core parallel systems

The rapidly increasing number of cores in modern microprocessors is pushing the current high performance computing (HPC) systems into the petascale and exascale era. The hybrid nature of these systems - distributed memory across nodes and shared memory with non-uniform memory access within each node - poses a challenge to application developers. In this paper, we study a hybrid approach to programming such systems - a combination of two traditional programming models, MPI and OpenMP. We present the performance of standard benchmarks from the multi-zone NAS Parallel Benchmarks and two full applications using this approach on several multi-core based systems including an SGI Altix 4700, an IBM p575+ and an SGI Altix ICE 8200EX. We also present new data locality extensions to OpenMP to better match the hierarchical memory structure of multi-core architectures.
Bertie Speaks: Identifying the Narrator in a Wodehouse Short Story

The short story “Uncle Fred Flits By” in P. G. Wodehouse's collection Young Men in Spats (1936) introduces one of Wodehouse's best-known recurring characters, Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistlet...
The Role of Variable Coriolis Parameter in the Propagation of Inertia-Gravity Waves During the Process of Geostrophic Adjustment

Abstract This analysis treats the transient inertia-gravity wave response of a shallow fluid to an impulsive addition of momentum. The Coriolis parameter varies with latitude, but Rossby waves are not considered. The square of the Coriolis term is approximated by a constant term plus a term linear in the northward coordinate. In this approximation, monochromatic waves, which reach a turning point at the latitude where the wave frequency equals the local Coriolis frequency, are given by Airy functions. A contour integral solution to the initial value problem is expressed as a Fourier integral over wave frequency with an Airy function argument and is evaluated approximately using the stationary phase technique. The solution at a given latitude is first dominated by waves from the source and then waves reflected from turning points poleward of the source. The results are applied to give a qualitative description of the wake of a hurricane moving over a stratified ocean.
Abstract 4305: Refinement of the glioma cancer stem cell marker profile

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Infiltrating gliomas are the most frequently occurring adult brain tumor and, among high-grade forms, typically result in poor patient survival. These tumors tend to be refractory to most treatments, including aggressive surgical resection and chemoradiation. This treatment resistance is hypothesized to be the result of a small population of cells within the tumor which are responsible for tumor initiation, called glioma cancer stem cells (GCSCs). As is true in other stem cell systems, such as hematopoiesis, multiple cell-surface protein markers are needed to accurately define the true stem cell population. We and others have previously identified the glycoprotein podoplanin (pdpn) as a marker of GCSC, which improves upon the established marker, CD133. To refine the GCSC marker profile beyond these two proteins, we examined a number of candidate markers in combination with pdpn that have been proposed as stem cell markers in gliomas or other tumors or tissues. Candidate markers were analyzed by flow cytometry using primary glioma cell lines maintained as neurosphere cultures and fresh tumor specimens. Markers identifying a unique cell population either alone or in combination with pdpn were further analyzed by in vitro neurosphere formation assay and clonogenic survival assay following 2 Gy ionizing radiation. Candidates showing enrichment for stem cells based on these assays were examine for in vivo tumor initiation using flow sorted subpopulations of cells with and without the expression of the candidate protein. As expression of putative stem cell markers will likely predict for poor patient survival, candidate markers were also examined in human tumors by immunohistochemsitry. Among the most promosing candidates were CD97, CXCR4, CD58 and CD44. Flow cytometry revealed CD97 expression in 75%, CD58 in 80%, CXCR4 in 100%, and CD44 in 100% of tumors examined to date. Examination of primary neurosphere cultures, found CD97 in 80%, CXCR4 in 83%, CD58 in 100%, and CD44 in 100% of lines examined. Both CD44+ and CD58+ cells exhibited increased neurophere formation rates and in vivo tumor initiation. These stem-like characteristics were enhanced in those subpopulations also expressing pdpn. RNAs collected from these subpopulations were used for expression profiling to determine if these subpopulation express a unique gene expression. Results thus far indicate that pdpn expression is needed for the stem-like phenotype and that this is enhanced in populations co-expressing CD44, CD15, and/or CD58. Further refinement of this profile will aide in the isolation of the “true” GCSC and allow for improved therapeutic targeting of these resistant cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4305.
Sequence-specific packaging of DNA in human sperm chromatin

The DNA in human sperm chromatin is packaged into nucleoprotamine (approximately 85%) and nucleohistone (approximately 15%). Whether these two chromatin fractions are sequence-specific subsets of the spermatozoon genome is the question addressed in this report. Sequence-specific packaging would suggest distinct structural and functional roles for the nucleohistone and nucleoprotamine in late spermatogenesis or early development or both. After removal of histones with 0.65M NaCl, exposed DNA was cleaved with Bam HI restriction endonuclease and separated by centrifugation from insoluble nucleoprotamine. The DNA sequence distribution of nucleohistone DNA in the supernatant and nucleoprotamine DNA in the pellet was compared by cloning size-selected single-copy sequences and by using the derived clones as probes of nucleohistone DNA and nucleoprotamine DNA. Two clones derived from nucleohistone DNA preferentially hybridized to nucleohistone DNA, and two clones derived from nucleoprotamine DNA preferentially hybridized to nucleoprotamine DNA, which demonstrated the existence of sequence-specific nucleohistone and nucleoprotamine components within the human spermatozoon.
Small molecules that selectively block RNA binding of HIV-1 rev protein inhibit rev function and viral production

Replication of RNA viruses, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is dependent upon multiple specific interactions between viral RNAs and viral and cellular proteins. A small molecule that interferes specifically with one or more of these RNA-protein interactions could be an efficacious antiviral agent. Here we show that certain aminoglycoside antibiotics, in particular neomycin B, can block binding of the HIV Rev protein to its viral RNA recognition element. Inhibition appears to be highly selective, resulting from competitive binding of the drug to a small viral RNA region within the Rev-binding site. We further demonstrate that neomycin B can specifically antagonize Rev function in vitro and in vivo and can inhibit production of HIV. Our results establish the feasibility for developing antiviral drugs that act by selectively blocking RNA-protein interactions.
A Comparison of Multiple Discriminant Analysis and Multinomial Logit in Assessing the Relative Occupational Attainment of Minority Workers

Uses qualitative response models of occupational choice to investigate differences in the occupational structures of minority workers relative to white men. Compares the accuracy of multinomial logit and multiple discriminant analyses in predicting occupational distributions. Further, investigates whether these models yield consistent estimates of the level of occupational segregation of minority workers. The results suggest that logit and discriminant analysis are equally accurate and stable methods for comparing occupational structures across groups of workers.
Association between 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine formation and DNA strand breaks mediated by copper and iron

Abstract Oxidative DNA damage is involved in diverse biological phenomena and consists of several kinds of lesions, mainly, strand breaks, base modifications, and DNA-protein crosslinking. However, little is known about the existence of a chemical relationship among them or the ratio by which these different types of lesions are produced. In the present study we investigated whether a relationship exists between DNA strand breakage and base modification. We selected cupric [Cu(II)] and ferric [Fe(III)] ions for this study because these transition metals are active catalysts of DNA damage in vivo. Supercoiled plasmid DNA pZ189 was treated with Cu(II) or Fe(III) in the presence of different reducing agents. We measured in each sample both the number of DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) by quantitative electrophoresis and the amount of a modified DNA base, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) by HPLC with simultaneous electrochemical (EC) and spectrophotometric detection. The number of DNA SSBs produced was linearly related to the number of 8-OHdG present. The regression of the number of SSBs as a function of the number of 8-OHdG is expressed by the equation [SSBs] = b × [8-OHdG], where b = 1.7, 2.0, 2,7, 1.7, and 9.4, for Cu(II) in the presence of H 2 O 2 , l -cysteine and l -ascorbate, and for Fe(III) in the presence of H 2 O 2 and l -ascorbate, respectively. The linear correlation we observed between the production of SSB and 8-OHdG mediated by Fe(III) and by Cu(II) suggests that these products may arise via a common chemical mechanism and could allow an easier and more precise estimation of DNA breakage.
Factors Affecting Intramammary Pressures

Abstract Intramammary pressures were measured on 12 Holstein cows during the am and pm milkings at monthly intervals during the lactation period. Prestimulation pressure averaged 21.9 mm Hg at the am milking and 15.8 mm Hg at the pm milking. Poststimulation pressures were also highest at the am milking with the rear quarters exhibiting pressures of 42.7 and 42.2 mm Hg and the fore quarters 34.8 and 34.2 mm Hg. During the pm milking, pressures of 34.9 and 34.3 mm Hg were observed in the rear quarters and 28.3 and 27.9 mm Hg in the fore quarters. After-milking pressures ranged from 3.1 to 3.8 mm Hg. Milk yields were greater at the am milking, and in the rear quarters at all milkings. Level of intramammary pressures for each quarter was related to the amount of milk produced at each milking. Month of lactation had a marked negative effect on pressures as indicated by correlations ranging from −.70 to −.88.
Stimulus control of responding in the early trials of differential conditioning

Abstract In Experiment 1 two groups of rats were given 12 differential conditioning trials, seven to the rewarded alley (S+) and five to the nonrewarded alley (S−), prior to being extinguished in both alleys. Group S−S+ received S+ trials, following S− trials in acquisition, while Group S+S− did not receive S+ trials following S− trials in acquisition. In extinction S+ and S− trials were presented according to a quasi-random sequence for both groups. Running on the last 3 trials of acquisition was found to be faster following S+ than following S− trials. Group S−S+ showed greater resistance to extinction and less discriminative responding in extinction than Group S+S−. These results suggest that responding in differential conditioning is controlled not merely by S+ and S− but by the memories of reward (SR) and of nonreward (SN) as well. When the joint effects of both classes of cues were considered, e.g., SR+S+, responding in the early trials of differential conditioning was shown to be highly orderly. Experiment 2 was highly similar to Experiment 1 except that Groups S−S+ and S+S− were equated along dimensions not equated in Experiment 1. The results obtained in Experiment 2 were highly similar to those obtained in Experiment 1.
Effect of puromycin, cycloheximide and concanavalin A on in vitro synthesis of human reticulocyte membrane proteins.

Abstract 1. The effect of puromycin, cycloheximide and concanavalin A (Con A) on in vitro synthesis of membrane proteins and haemoglobin, in the human reticulocyte, was investigated. 2. 2. Both puromycin and cycloheximide showed less inhibitory action against synthesis of membrane proteins than of haemoglobin. 3. 3. Addition of Con A at concentrations which agglutinate cells selectively stimulated membrane protein synthesis. 4. 4. Glucose and α-methylmannoside prevented the stimulatory effect of Con A. Dextran 500, at concentrations which cause similar cell agglutination as Con A, did not affect membrane protein synthesis. 5. 5. The stimulatory effects of Con A may be due to the clustering and hence the lateral mobility, of its surface receptors.
Initial results of a new access device for hemodialysis technical note.

Initial results of a new access device for hemodialysis Background. A new subcutaneous device (DIALOCK y ) provides vascular access to patients who currently require hemodialysis (HD). The device consists of a port-like valve, implanted subcutaneously below the clavicle, which provides a linear flow passage to two catheters placed in the right atrium via the internal or external jugular vein. The valve is accessed percutaneously with needle-cannulas that functionally convert the device to twin catheters for connecting the patient to the HD lines. Methods. The device was implanted in 10 outpatients under local anesthesia. Patients used the device during dialysis 3 times/ week, and data were collected on blood flow, pressures, adverse events and patient and nurse satisfaction. Results. The device was used for HD almost immediately (median 3 days after implantation) and functioned successfully for more than nine months (mean 6 SD 7.3 6 1.5) in all but one patient who died of unrelated causes after one month; there were .800 dialysis sessions total. Blood flows over 300 ml/min were consistently achieved (average 326 6 40) with venous and arterial pressures of 200 6 44 and 2246 6 29 mm Hg, respectively. After 66 patient-months, condition of the needle puncture sites remained satisfactory. Five systemic infections occurred in four patients, producing 2.3 bacteremic episodes per 1000 patient-days. All resolved without the need for device removal. There were no infections at the puncture sites. Two patients required fibrin sheath stripping of their catheters, one whose heparin lock was not changed for 23 days (for reasons unrelated to the device). Patient and nurse acceptance was excellent. Conclusion. The device represents a positive improvement in the area of HD access.
A hybrid nano-CMOS architecture for defect and fault tolerance

As the end of the semiconductor roadmap for CMOS approaches, architectures based on nanoscale molecular devices are attracting attention. Among several alternatives, silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes are the two most promising nanotechnologies according to the ITRS. These technologies may enable scaling deep into the nanometer regime. However, they suffer from very defect-prone manufacturing processes. Although the reconfigurability property of the nanoscale devices can be used to tolerate high defect rates, it may not be possible to locate all defects. With very high device densities, testing each component may not be possible because of time or technology restrictions. This points to a scenario in which even though the devices are tested, the tests are not very comprehensive at locating defects, and hence the shipped chips are still defective. Moreover, the devices in the nanometer range will be susceptible to transient faults which can produce arbitrary soft errors. Despite these drawbacks, it is possible to make nanoscale architectures practical and realistic by introducing defect and fault tolerance. In this article, we propose and evaluate a hybrid nanowire-CMOS architecture that addresses all three problems—namely high defect rates, unlocated defects, and transient faults—at the same time. This goal is achieved by using multiple levels of redundancy and majority voters. A key aspect of the architecture is that it contains a judicious balance of both nanoscale and traditional CMOS components. A companion to the architecture is a compiler with heuristics to quickly determine if logic can be mapped onto partially defective nanoscale elements. The heuristics make it possible to introduce defect-awareness in placement and routing. The architecture and compiler are evaluated by applying the complete design flow to several benchmarks.
Incomplete markets over an infinite horizon: Long-lived securities and speculative bubbles

This paper studies sequence economies over an infinite horizon with general security structures. Assumptions are given under which a pseudo-equilibrium exists for all economies and an equilibrium exists for a dense set of (appropriately parameterized) economies. Under these assumptions the indebtedness of the agents in equilibrium can be limited either by an explicit bound on their debts or by a transversality condition limiting the asymptotic growth of their debts. The qualitative properties of equilibrium prices of infinite-lived securities are studied: the prices of infinite-lived securities in zero net supply are shown to permit speculative bubbles and the existence of bubbles can affect the equilibrium allocation. The prices of securities in positive supply (equity contracts) cannot have speculative bubbles: the extent of speculation in this class of model is thus severely limited.
The internal ribosomal entry site of the encephalomyocarditis virus enables reliable coexpression of two transgenes in human primary T lymphocytes.

The internal ribosomal entry site of the encephalomyocarditis virus enables reliable coexpression of two transgenes in human primary T lymphocytes
A nonenzyme-coupled assay for triosephosphate isomerase based upon circular dichroism of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate.

Abstract An assay procedure is described for triosephosphate isomerase based on measurement of the ellipticity of l -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate remaining when d,l -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is the source of substrate and d -glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is converted by triosephosphate isomerase to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The assay method has advantages over the conventional coupled-enzyme assays in that it circumvents the difficulties posed by instability of the coupling enzymes and their cofactors, as well as by inhibitors of triosephosphate isomerase which may be present in preparations of the coupling enzymes. Although the method is not suited for routine assays during purification or in most clinical applications, it has advantages for detailed kinetic studies where pH, temperature, or other factors cause the coupled-enzyme assay procedures to be unreliable.
A Queueing System with General-Use and Limited-Use Servers

We consider a queueing system with two types of servers and two types of customers. General-use servers can provide service to either customer type while limited-use servers can be used only for one of the two. Though the apparent Markovian state space of this system is five-dimensional, we show that an aggregation results in an exact two-dimensional representation that is also Markovian. Matrix geometric theory is used to obtain approximations for the mean delay times and other measures of interest for each customer type. We illustrate the methodology by applying it to analyze a token discount policy used by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
Effect of grape seed extract on postprandial oxidative status and metabolic responses in men and women with the metabolic syndrome - randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled study

Objective : This investigation was undertaken to determine whether a grape seed extract (GSE) that is rich in mono-, oligo- and poly- meric polyphenols would modify postprandial oxidative stress and inflammation in individuals with the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Background : MetS is known to be associated with impaired glucose tolerance and poor glycemic control. Consumption of a meal high in readily available carbohydrates and fat causes postprandial increases in glycemia and lipidemia and markers of oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance. Materials/methods : After an overnight fast, twelve subjects with MetS (5 men and 7 women) consumed a breakfast meal high in fat and carbohydrate in a cross-over design. A GSE (300 mg) or placebo capsule was administrated 1 hr before the meal (-1 hr). Changes in plasma insulin, glucose, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers were measured hourly for 6 hr. Results : Plasma hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) measured as the positive incremental area under the curve (-1 to 5 hr) was significantly increased when the meal was preceded by GSE compared with placebo (P 0.05). No changes in inflammatory markers were evident. Conclusion : These data suggest that GSE enhances postprandial plasma antioxidant status and reduces the glycemic response to a meal, high in fat and carbohydrate in subjects with the MetS. Key words : Polyphenols, Oxidative stress, Inflammation, ORAC, Oxidized LDL
Antioxidant Selection for Peroxide Cure Elastomer Applications

Abstract For applications demanding the best high temperature aging performance with lowest compression set, polymers are crosslinked with peroxides. The carbon-carbon bonds that are formed are more thermally stable than crosslinks containing sulfur atoms generated by conventional vulcanization by sulfur- and sulfur based cure systems. However, peroxide crosslinking requires special attention to the selection of compounding ingredients. Materials such as plasticizers, oils, and acidic materials such as silicas and air-floated clays detract from crosslinking efficiency by competing with the polymer for the free radicals produced by peroxides. Antioxidants, as a class, are free-radical scavengers and inhibit peroxide crosslinking. This paper discusses selecting the best antioxidant systems for peroxide cured elastomers by comparing various classes of antidegradants: peroxy and alkoxy radical traps (amines and hindered phenols), hydroperoxide decomposers, and synergists. Among the most effective include: 1) ...
Peer Acceptance of Included Students with Disabilities as a Function of Severity of Disability and Classroom Composition

This preliminary study examined the effects of severity of disability and classroom composition on the peer acceptance of included students with disabilities. Two hundred eighty-five students, 44 of whom had disabilities, from 14 elementary classrooms in southern California constituted the sample. Twenty-nine students were rated by teachers as having no immediately noticeable, or mild, disabilities; 15 received ratings indicating immediately obvious, or severe, disabilities. Peer acceptance was measured by nominations from classmates regarding with whom they would most like to play and work, as well as with whom they actually played on a regular basis. Students were separated into heterogeneous and nonheterogeneous classroom composition groups based on proportion of classmates who were included students with disabilities, minority students, and students whose reading performance was at least 1 year below grade level. Predicted severity of disability-by-classroom composition interaction effects on peer acc...
Bilateral cytomegalovirus (CMV) oophoritis mimicking widely metastatic carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

Ovarian cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a rare finding reported in autopsy studies of immunocompromised patients. We report the first case of bilateral CMV oophoritis diagnosed in surgical resection specimens from a 63-year-old woman with metastatic brain lesions undergoing whole brain radiation and steroid treatment. The ovarian involvement of CMV infection was an incidental finding during the colectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy procedure for gastrointestinal bleeding and presumed ovarian metastases. In contrast to the prevailing dogma, a review of the literature found similar prevalence of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal cases. While age related vasculopathy was thought to be the prevailing mechanism for CMV oophoritis, the observation of an inflammation mediated microthrombosis in our case provides a plausible age independent mechanism suggesting that both restrictive and obstructive vascular changes can be involved in the pathogenesis of CMV oophoritis. To avoid misdiagnosis, both pathologists and clinicians should recognize ovarian involvement by CMV as a possibility in the immunocompromised patient.
A study on energy efficient multi-tier multi-hop wireless sensor networks for freight-train monitoring

The North American freight railroad industry is trying to leverage wireless sensor networks (WSN) onboard railcars for advanced monitoring and alerting. In railroad environments, freight train WSNs exhibit a linear chain-like topology of significant length. Thus, existing wireless technologies such as the IEEE 802.15.4 communication protocol, based on a star topology, are unable to provide reliable service. The end-to-end communication between nodes generally relies on individual nodes communicating with their respective neighbors to carry the information over multiple hops and deliver it to the preferred destination. The routing performance and reliability significantly degrades with increasing number of hops. We proposed a multitier multi-hop network which is designed to overcome these issues in large-scale multi-hop WSNs in railroad environments. This approach has significant advantages, such as more data bandwidth, higher reliability, and lower energy consumption. Our analytical results show that the proposed multi-tier communication approach spends energy more efficiently and utilizes less resource than the traditional chain topology onboard freight trains.
Reachability analysis for N-squared state charts over a Boolean semiring applied to a hysteretic discrete event structural control model

This paper presents reachability results for a class of discrete event systems modelled by industry-standard N-squared diagrams. These diagrams represent state transition charts using Boolean variables and functions, and form the basis for the design of hierarchical discrete event controllers used to operate, monitor and protect complex servomechanism systems. The presence of Boolean variables is addressed by means of dynamical systems modelled over semirings. Four distinct system descriptions capture the very subtle transformation from the physical problem to "standard" reachability constructions. The conditions are in a state space form and permit analytical assessment of plant and closed-loop system properties prior to coding in software, simulation and laboratory testing, thus offering immense savings in verification time and cost.
Using Intradisk Parallelism to Build Energy-Efficient Storage Systems

Server storage systems use numerous disks to achieve high performance, thereby consuming a significant amount of power. This paper discussed the intradisk parallelism that can significantly reduce such systems' power consumption by letting disk drives exploit parallelism in the I/O request stream. By doing so, it's possible to match, and even surpass, a storage array's performance for these workloads using a single, high-capacity disk drive.
Homologs of the small RNA SgrS are broadly distributed in enteric bacteria but have diverged in size and sequence

Sugar phosphate stress in Escherichia coli is sensed and managed by the transcriptional regulator SgrR and the small RNA (sRNA) SgrS. SgrS is a dual function RNA that performs base pairing-dependent regulation of mRNA targets and encodes a small protein, SgrT. Homologs of SgrR were analyzed for gene synteny and inter-homolog identity to identify those that are likely to be functionally analogous. These 22 SgrR homologs were used to manually locate adjacent sRNAs functionally analogous to SgrS. SgrS homologs shared little sequence identity with E. coli SgrS, but most shared several structural features. The most conserved feature of SgrS homologs was the base pairing region while the most variable feature was the sgrT-coding sequence. Analyses of predicted interactions between SgrS:ptsG mRNA pairs in different organisms revealed interesting differences in the patterns of base pairing interactions. RNA pairs with more interrupted regions of complementarity had a higher proportion of G:C base pairs than those with longer contiguous stretches of complementarity. The identification of this set of homologous sRNAs and their targets sets the stage for future studies to further elucidate the molecular requirements for regulation by SgrS.
International news on Japanese and American network television: Regionalism and conflict

This study compared the coverage of international news on Japanese and United States network evening newscasts. Support was found for the hypothesis that both countries' newscasts would carry more national news than international news. But, contrary to expecta tions, neither country's newscasts devoted more attention to conflictive than non-conflictive international news. Nor was there evidence to suggest that developing countries were reported in a more conflictive manner than that of developed countries in either country's newscasts.
Root Biomass of Individual Species, and Root Size Characteristics After Five Years of CO2 Enrichment on Native Shortgrass Steppe

Information from field studies investigating the responses of roots to increasing atmospheric CO2 is limited and somewhat inconsistent, due partly to the difficulty in studying root systems in situ. In this report, we present standing root biomass of species and root length and diameter after five years of CO2 enrichment (720 lmol mol )1 ) in large (16 m 2 ground area) open-top chambers placed over a native shortgrass steppe in Colorado, USA. Total root biomass in 100 cm long20 cm wide75 cm depth soil monoliths and root biomass of the three dominant grass species of the site were not significantly affected by elevated CO2. Root biomass of Stipa comata in the 0–20 cm soil depth was nearly 100% greater in elevated vs. ambient CO2 chambers, but this was not statistically significant (P=0.14). However, there was a significant 37% increase in fine root length under elevated CO2 in the 0–10 cm soil depth layer. Other reports from this study suggest that the increase in fine roots is primarily from improved seedling recruitment of S. comata under elevated CO2. Few treatment differences in root length or diameter were detected in lower 10 cm depth increments, to 80 cm. These results reflect the root status integrated over two wet, two dry and one normal precipitation years and approximately one complete cycle of root turn-over on the shortgrass steppe. We conclude that increasing atmospheric CO2 will have only small effects on standing root biomass and root length and diameter of most shortgrasss steppe species. However, the potential increased competitive ability of Stipa comata, a low forage quality species, could alter the ecosystem from the current dominant, high forage quality species, Bouteloua gracilis. B. gracilis is very well adapted to the frequent droughts of the shortgrass steppe. Increased competitive ability of less desirable plant species under increasing atmospheric CO2 will have large implications for long-term sustainability of grassland ecosystems. Abbreviations: OTC – open top chamber
Romantic partners’perceptions of social network attributes with the passage of time and relationship transitions

Data from five waves of a longitudinal study of romantic couples were analyzed to examine how the partners’perceptions of social network attributes (i.e., network approval for the relationship, network overlap, liking for partner's network) change with the passage of time and relationship transitions. The results indicated that perceptions of network approval, especially from the male partner's friends, tended to increase over time for the participants whose relationship remained intact throughout the longitudinal study. Furthermore, the transitions to engagement and to marriage were also associated with an increase in network approval from the male's friends. Individuals who experienced a breakup during the study reported more network approval than disapproval for the breakup. Finally, the likelihood of a breakup was significantly lower the more approval women reported from their friends and the more women expressed liking for their partner's family at Time 1 (these same associations were nonsignificant for men). These findings provide support for various social network perspectives, including social reactance (Lewis, 1973).
Optimal Lot Sizing Policies For Sequential Online Auctions

This study proposes methods for determining the optimal lot sizes for sequential auctions that are conducted to sell sizable quantities of an item. These auctions are fairly common in business to consumer (B2C) auctions. In these auctions, the tradeoff for the auctioneer is between the alacrity with which funds are received, and the amount of funds collected by the faster clearing of inventory using larger lot sizes. Observed bids in these auctions impact the auctioneer's decision on lot sizes in future auctions. We first present a goal programming approach for estimating the bid distribution for the bidder population from the observed bids, readily available in these auctions. We then develop models to compute optimal lot sizes for both stationary and non-stationary bid distributions. For stationary bid distribution, we present closed form solutions and structural results. Our findings show that the optimal lot size increases with inventory holding costs and number of bidders. Our model for non-stationary bid distribution captures the inter-auction dynamics such as the number of bidders, their bids, past winning bids, and lot size. We use simulated data to test the robustness of our model.
Self-Healing Materials with Interpenetrating Microvascular Networks

have been employedto create planar and 3D microvascular networks. However, todate, simple networks composed of single, uniform vascularpathways have mainly been constructed.Ofparticularinterestistheabilityofmicrovascularnetworkstoenable repetitive healing of damage in biological and syntheticsystems. For example, human skin can undergo repeated repairof damage in a single location (Fig. 1a). The outer layer of skin(the epidermis) serves as a protective coating, preventing outsidepathogens from inﬁltrating the body.
THE TIME CURVE OF FACET DETERMINATION IN AN ULTRABAR STOCK OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER.

By a dissection of the data obtained by Driver on the effective periods at different temperatures in males and females of an ultrabar stock of Drosophila melanogaster it has been found that a symmetrical sigmoid curve satisfactorily describes the time course of the facet-determining reaction. Consequently the differences between members of the bar series in regard to this reaction do not represent merely developmental arrests of the process at some greater or lesser distance from a common upper asymptote, but the termination of the process is approached asymptotically. The velocity constant/temperature relation shows a discontinuity in the neighborhood of 21° which may be causally related to the change in the position of the effective period from the second to the third instar. The velocity constant apparently does not conform to the well known Arrhenius equation in its relation to temperature.
The Home Field Advantage in Athletics: A Meta‐Analysis

This meta-analysis examined the home-field advantage in athletics, with an emphasis on potential moderators. The goal of this research was to quantify the probability of a home victory, thus only studies that included win‐loss data were included in the meta-analysis. A significant advantage for home teams was observed across all conditions (Mp = .604); and time era, season length, game type, and sport moderated the effect. Furthermore, it was found that season length mediated the effect of sport such that differences between sports could be attributed to some sports having longer seasons than other sports. This research has implications for athletes, fans, and the media alike. jasp_641 1819..1848 “Baseball? It’s just a game. As simple as a ball and a bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. It’s a sport, a business, and sometimes even a religion.” This quote by sportscaster Ernie Harwell shows just how important sports are in our society. Large numbers of fans attend sporting events every year. For instance, in 2007 alone, 78.5 million spectators attended Major League Baseball (MLB) games. These fans attending games often reside in areas near the stadium, thus spectators generally support the home team. Therefore, it is not surprising that competitors prefer playing games in their home venue in front of home crowds. This preference is not misguided, as athletes tend to experience a home-field advantage, which is “the consistent finding that home teams in sport competitions win over 50% of games played under a balanced home and away schedule” (Courneya & Carron, 1992, p. 14). Thus, simply playing at home increases the chances of winning. The current research aims to provide the most comprehensive description of the home-field advantage to date, while also identifying factors that impact the magnitude of this effect. Previous research on the home-field advantage generally has not cast a wide net on this phenomenon. Rather, research has focused on particular sports at particular times, whereas other studies have
A constrained linear approach to identify a multi-timescale adaptive threshold neuronal model

This paper is focused on the parameter estimation problem of a multi-timescale adaptive threshold (MAT) neuronal model. Using the dynamics of a non-resetting leaky integrator equipped with an adaptive threshold, a constrained iterative linear least squares method is implemented to fit the model to the reference data. Through manipulation of the system dynamics, the threshold voltage can be obtained as a realizable model that is linear in the unknown parameters. This linearly parametrized realizable model is then utilized inside a prediction error based framework to identify the threshold parameters with the purpose of predicting single neuron precise firing times. This estimation scheme is evaluated using both synthetic data obtained from an exact model as well as the experimental data obtained from in vitro rat somatosensory cortical neurons. Results show the ability of this approach to fit the MAT model to different types of reference data.
Impact of providing in-home water service on the rates of infectious diseases: results from four communities in Western Alaska

Approximately 20% of rural Alaskan homes lack in-home piped water; residents haul water to their homes. The limited quantity of water impacts the ability to meet basic hygiene needs. We assessed rates of infections impacted by water quality (waterborne, e.g. gastrointestinal infections) and quantity (water-washed, e.g. skin and respiratory infections) in communities transitioning to in-home piped water. Residents of four communities consented to a review of medical records 3 years before and after their community received piped water. We selected health encounters with ICD-9CM codes for respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal infections. We calculated annual illness episodes for each infection category after adjusting for age. We obtained 5,477 person-years of observation from 1032 individuals. There were 9,840 illness episodes with at least one ICD-9CM code of interest; 8,155 (83%) respiratory, 1,666 (17%) skin, 241 (2%) gastrointestinal. Water use increased from an average 1.5 gallons/capita/day (g/c/d) to 25.7 g/c/d. There were significant (P-value < 0.05) declines in respiratory (16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 11-21%), skin (20, 95%CI: 10-30%), and gastrointestinal infections (38, 95%CI: 13-55%). We demonstrated significant declines in respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal infections among individuals who received in-home piped water. This study reinforces the importance of adequate quantities of water for health.
Using Women's Studies/ Feminist Periodicals as a Resource for Researching Jewish Women

Articles on Jewish women are frequently published in women's studies/ feminist periodicals, where they may not readily come to the attention of Judaica researchers owing in large measure to the difficulties inherent in the indexing of this new interdisciplinary field. From her vantage point as publisher of Feminist Periodicals: A Current Listing of Contents and with a background in Judaica librarianship, the author has taken note of a wealth of material on Jewish women, covering both religious and secular aspects of Jewish women's identity, upbringing, and psyche; the status of Israeli women and feminism in Israel; the Holocaust, antisemitism, and women (including antisemitism within the women's movement); and creative expression by Jewish women on Jewish themes in the form of short stories, poetry, and art work. Examples from this material are provided, in order to encourage consideration of these periodicals as a resource in studying Jewish women.