cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
User capacity for synchronous multirate CDMA systems with linear MMSE receivers

The performance of linear MMSE multiuser receivers in a dual-rate synchronous DS-CDMA system is investigated using the effective interference and effective bandwidth methodology first proposed by Tse and Hanly (see IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol.45, no.2, 1999). Both multi-code (MC) systems and variable spreading length (VSL) systems are studied. User capacity regions are obtained for these systems.
Diel Activity and Behavior of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on Desert Cole Crops

Patterns of diel activity and behavior of the Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), were investigated in a series of field and greenhouse experiments in Yuma, AZ. Adults of B. hilaris were monitored by on-site direct observation on broccoli and cauliflower plants in large-block experimental plots at various intervals throughout consecutive 24-h periods. In the field trials, mean number of B. hilaris adults differed among sampling times, with peak abundance observed consistently between 1300 and 1800 hours. There was a positive correlation between temperature and numbers of B. hilaris adults in all fields, and a negative relationship between humidity and adult numbers in 7 of 12 fields. Significant relationships between temperature and B. hilaris numbers were revealed in regression models for all trials. Slopes were not significantly different among all broccoli blocks or in three of the four cauliflower fields. In greenhouse studies, mating occurred throughout the day but peaked between 1000 and 1600 hours. Females of B. hilaris caused more feeding damage than males on the first true leaf of broccoli, and additional differences in behavior between sexes were observed. Our results suggest that higher temperatures increase field activity and influence the behavior of adult B. hilaris, and temperature is a more reliable indicator to predict the activity of B. hilaris than other environmental parameters measured. The implications of these findings for developing monitoring and management programs for B. hilaris in cruciferous crops are discussed.
Mutational Analyses of Packaging Signals in Influenza Virus PA, PB1, and PB2 Genomic RNA Segments

The influenza A virus genome consists of eight negative-sense RNA segments that must each be packaged to produce an infectious virion. We have previously mapped the minimal cis-acting regions necessary for efficient packaging of the PA, PB1, and PB2 segments, which encode the three protein subunits of the viral RNA polymerase. The packaging signals in each of these RNAs lie within two separate regions at the 3' and 5' termini, each encompassing the untranslated region and extending up to 80 bases into the adjacent coding sequence. In this study, we introduced scanning mutations across the coding regions in each of these RNA segments in order to finely define the packaging signals. We found that mutations producing the most severe defects were confined to a few discrete 5' sites in the PA or PB1 coding regions but extended across the entire (80-base) 5' coding region of PB2. In sequence comparisons among more than 580 influenza A strains from diverse hosts, these highly deleterious mutations were each found to affect one or more conserved bases, though they did not all lie within the most broadly conserved portions of the regions that we interrogated. We have introduced silent and conserved mutations to the critical packaging sites, which did not affect protein function but impaired viral replication at levels roughly similar to those of their defects in RNA packaging. Interestingly, certain mutations showed strong tendencies to revert to wild-type sequences, which implies that these putative packaging signals are critical for the influenza life cycle.
Malpractice in Pathology: What to Do When You Are Sued

A malpractice suit arises when a patient brings legal charges against a physician for suffering that the patient claims to have endured because the physician failed to provide appropriate care. Suffering usually encompasses a measure of misdiagnosis and of rude treatment of the patient by medical staff. Polite treatment of all patients by all laboratory staff will prevent some disputes from ever forming, thus preventing some charges of malpractice. Even if a patient is treated rudely, that rudeness alone is insufficient to justify a charge of malpractice. Attorneys must follow legal guidelines to determine whether the physician's actions caused actual damage. As soon as a physician is served notice of a lawsuit, the physician must notify the office that insures him or her against claims of malpractice (eg, the office of risk management or the physician's malpractice insurance carrier). Being sued creates an overwhelming urge to talk about the case, but a physician who has been sued must not talk to anyone about the lawsuit or the case involved. Conversations about the lawsuit may only safely be had with the attorney who will defend the physician against the charge of malpractice. Despite any frustrations with the legal system, the physician must work with and even trust the attorney handling the defense. It is possible to overcome a charge of malpractice, but not if the physician creates an indefensible situation by committing fraud. Examples of fraud are changing the medical record or destroying the pertinent microscope slide.
Electrospun Composite Nanofibers for Sensor Applications

Electrospun polymer nanofiber materials have attracted tremendous interest in sensor applications as their effective sensing surface area dramatically increases with decreasing fiber diameter. The highly tunable polymer composite chemistry and surface functionality of the nanofiber material provides a wide platform for exploring different applications, such as filtration media, sound isolation materials, and sensor components. This paper presents a nanofiber sensor platform device composed of electrospun polymer/carbon composite nanofibers combined with electrodes directly printed onto the surface of the electrospun fiber mat. This structure forms an integrated sensor system for detecting various chemical vapors including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxidative gases. In this sensor, the composite polymer nanofibers form a chemo-resistor sensing material, and the conductivity of these composite sensing materials varies with chemical vapor exposure. The sensor performance exhibits very stable baselines with dramatically reduced noise levels compared to conventional interdigitated electrodes. Furthermore, the sensor response to different vapors shows a linear relationship between conductivity change and vapor concentration in the range of ppb – ppm for some analytes, including methanol, chloroform and ozone. The sensitivity and selectivity of these sensors to different vapor analytes will also be discussed.
A molecular filter based technique for simultaneous measurements of velocity and thermodynamic properties

A molecular filter based flow diagnostic technique termed Filtered Angularly-Resolved Raleigh Scattering (FARRS) is used to measure velocity, density, and temperature simultaneously. The technique uses an anamorphic optical system to record the Rayleigh scattered signal viewed at different angles and focused onto an intensified CCD camera. The experimentally obtained intensity versus viewing angle profiles are then combined with a computational model to solve for the velocity, density, and temperature. The technique was used in a supersonic axisymmetric jet operated at a variety of flow conditions from Mach 1 to Mach 2.3. Three different FARRS optical arrangements were investigated The first arrangement was used to make average measurements in the core of the jet where the velocity and thermodynamic conditions are well known. The measured values are within 11% for the velocity and 7% for the other thermodynamic properties. The second optical arrangement was used to measure three components of velocity in an isothermal supersonic jet where the temperature is approximately constant across the mixing layer. Both average velocity and turbulence intensities were determined. The final optical system measures the instantaneous streamwise velocity, density and temperature simultaneously. For all the FARRS cases, the optical configurations are described and methods of backing out the velocity, density, and temperature from the experimental intensity profiles are discussed. f Currently Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, Member AIAA * Professor, Associate Fellow AIAA NOMENCLATURE A; = transmission b = thickness of shear layer f = frequency fo = laser frequency I = intensity Io = reference intensity k = Boltzmann's constant ko = incident unit light wave vector k, = observed unit light wave vector K = magnitude of the scattered wave vector Me = equivalent Mach number M = molecular weight P = pressure P0 = stagnation pressure r = Rayleigh scattering profile in terms of dimensional quantities R(x,y) = nondimensional Rayleigh scattering profile T = temperature T0 = stagnation temperature U = Average streamwise velocity U0 = Average streamwise velocity at jet exit core u,v, w = Instantaneous velocities Y = velocity vector V0 = most probable molecular velocity x = dimensionless frequency x, = streamwise direction y = y-parameter, ratio of the collision frequency to the acoustic spatial frequency y, = lateral direction y0 = lateral location of U/U0 = 0.5 velocity in shear layer z, = spanwise direction a = viewing angle AfD = Doppler shift A = wavelength of laser 0 = angle between the incident and scattered wave vectors p = density
Role of Nanoparticle Selectivity in the Symmetry Breaking of Cylindrically Confined Block Copolymers

We have comprehensively studied the effect of nanoparticle selectivity on the self-assembly of symmetrical block copolymer (BCP) under cylindrical confinement using simulation and experiment. For the simulation, a coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulation has been utilized, and we investigated the confined assembly using nanoparticles with three different interactions with block copolymer: (i) neutral to both A (wall-attractive) and B (wall-repulsive) phases, (ii) B domain selective, and (iii) A domain selective. It is predicted that nonselective (neutral) nanoparticles (NPs) tend to be placed near the interface between radially alternating layers of A or B domains, while selective (A or B) NPs swell the corresponding phase, inducing discrete asymmetrical morphologies. We also find that pure asymmetrical BCP forms more radially perforated morphologies, while symmetrical BCP/NP forms more discrete morphologies. Experimentally, we have incorporated gold or magnetite NPs with the matching three typ...
Abstract 4034: An integrated analysis of the eph/ephrin family: implications in endometrial cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Objective: Members of the Eph/Ephrin family are known to play seminal roles in cancer growth and metastasis in many solid tumors; however, a comprehensive analysis has not been carried out. We analyzed the clinical relevance of all Eph/Ephrin family members in endometrial cancer. Methods: Level 3 data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was utilized to assess the clinical significance of all 14 Eph receptors available in the database (EphA1-8, EphA10, EphB1-4, and EphB6), as well as EphrinA1-A5 and EphrinB1-B3. We examined gene methylation status and copy number changes in these tumors. Clinical information extracted included age, tumor histology, tumor grade, stage, estrogen(ER)/progesterone(PR) receptor status, and overall survival. Results: A total of 320 samples were available for analysis. Increased EphA2, EphA4, EphB1, and EphB2 expression was significantly correlated with poorer overall survival (p=0.03, p=0.04, p=0.01, and p=0.008, respectively) and lack of ER and PR expression (r=-0.34, p=2.25e−6; r-0.24, p=0.0007; r=-0.22, p=0.002; r=-0.46, p=2.38e−11, respectively). Compared to endometrioid histology, serous histology was associated with increased expression of EphA2 (p 63 years had greater tumoral expression of EphA4 (p<0.0001), EphB2 (p=0.001), and EphrinA3 (p=0.03). Increased copy number correlated with EphB2 (r=0.41, p=0.001) and EphrinA3 (r=0.23, p=0.02) expression, but was not correlated with other Eph or Ephrin gene expression. Gene methylation inversely correlated with EphA2, EphA4, EphB1, EphB2, EphrinA3, and EphrinA5 receptor expression (r<-0.22, p<0.0001; r<-0.26, p<0.0002; r<-0.23, p<0.0006; r<-0.21, p<0.003; r<-0.2, p<0.01; r<-0.2, p<0.01, respectively). In patients with advanced stage expression of EphrinA3 and EphrinA5 was associated with poorer OS (p=0.002 and p=0.012). In a multivariate analysis, stage and Eph expression were the strongest independent predictors of poor survival, of which, EphA4 was the most significant (p=0.0024). In further support of the significance of EphA4, increased expression of its ligands EphrinA3 and EprhinA5 correlated with poorer OS. Conclusions: Concordant with emerging roles for the Eph receptor and Eprhins in driving malignant biology, increased EphA2, EphA4, EphB1, and EphB2 expression, as well as EphrinA3 and EphrinA5 expression, is predictive of poor patient outcome and constitutes attractive targets for biological therapies. Citation Format: Heather J. Dalton, Cristina Ivan, Chad V. Pecot, Rajesha Rupamaiole, Behrouz Zand, Justin Bottsford-Miller, Wei Hu, Alpa M. Nick, Robert L. Coleman, Anil K. Sood. An integrated analysis of the eph/ephrin family: implications in endometrial cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4034. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4034
Gingival swelling associated with hypoplasminogenemia.

A middle-aged woman presented for evaluation of gingival swelling. She was previously diagnosed with hypoplasminogenemia and current plasminogen level was 29% (reference value: 78–130%). Intraoral examination revealed swelling of the right maxillary gingiva (Figure 1). Biopsy with routine histopathologic analysis revealed fibrinoid deposits and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate within the lamina propria, consistent with hypoplasminogenemia (Figure 2). Hypoplasminogenemia (type 1 plasminogen deficiency) is commonly associated with ligneous conjunctivitis and ligneous gingivitis.1–3 An oral mucosal biopsy can aid in the diagnosis of this rare condition as histopathologic evidence of fibrin deposition is highly suggestive of hypoplasminogenemia.2,3
Nearly convex segmentation of polyhedra through convex ridge separation

Decomposing a 3D model into approximately convex components has gained more attention recently due to its ability to efficiently generate small decompositions with controllable concavity bounds. However, current methods are computationally expensive and require many user parameters. These parameters are usually unintuitive thus adding unnecessary obstacles in processing a large number of meshes with various types and shapes or meshes that are generated online within applications such as video games. In this paper, we investigate an approach that decomposes a mesh P based on the identification of convex ridges. Intuitively, convex ridges are the protruding parts of the mesh P . Our method, called CoRiSe, extracts nearly convex components of P by separating each convex ridge from all the other convex ridges through the new concept of residual concavity. CoRiSe źtakes a single user parameter: concavity tolerance which controls the maximum concavity of the final components, as input, along with other two fixed parameters for encoding the smoothness term of graph cut. We show that our method can generate comparable (sometimes noticeably better) segmentations in significant shorter time than the current state-of-art methods. Finally, we demonstrate applications of CoRiSe, including physically-based simulation, cage generation, model repair and mesh unfolding. A segmentation method produces meshes with bounded concavity.The method detects and separates protruding parts called convex ridges.The proposed method requires very few user parameters.The segmentation can be done faster than the existing approaches.Applications in simulation, deformation, mesh repair and unfolding are shown.
Anorectal abscess fistula.

Suppurative anorectal disease requires a thorough knowledge of the anatomy and structures surrounding the anorectum to enable early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Surgical techniques are described and illustrated.
Controlled violation of temporal process constraints - Models, algorithms and results

While there has been much work on modeling and analysis of temporal constraints in workflows in the context of many real-world applications, there has not been much work on managing violations of temporal constraints. In real-time workflows, such as in medical processes and emergency situations, and also in logistics, finance and in other business processes with deadlines some violations are unavoidable. Here we introduce the notion of controlled violations as the ability to monitor a running process and develop an approach based on constraint satisfaction to determine the best schedule for its completion in a way so as to minimize the total penalty from the violations. The violations are evaluated in terms of metrics like number of violations, delay in process completion, and penalty of weighted violations. We also relate our work to the concept of controllability in literature and show how it can be checked using our method. Finally, we analyze the properties of our approach and also offer a proposal for implementation. First, we develop and illustrate a new approach to temporal workflow consistency.Second, we introduce the notion of controlled violations of temporal constraints.Third, we relate our work to earlier work on controllability.Fourth, we discuss correctness and completeness aspects of our approach.Finally, we describe a spread-sheet based implementation of our approach.
How Prepared Are They? Exploring Couple and Family Therapy Faculty Members’ Training Experiences in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Affirmative Therapy

AbstractThis study investigated the training that couple and family therapy (CFT) faculty members have received on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) affirmative therapy. The sample consisted of 65 faculty members from accredited CFT programs. The on-line data collection involved two Likert scale items and one open-ended question. The study found that 45.6% of CFT faculty members reported receiving at least some LGB affirmative therapy training during their graduate studies. Additionally, the qualitative data analysis revealed that the LGB affirmative training of faculty members could be described by the following four categories: (1) Negligible Training, (2) Informal Training, (3) Coursework, and (4) Experiential Learning. The findings of this study provide crucial implications for both CFT training programs as well as for current CFT faculty members.
Growth of foxtail pine seedlings at treeline in the southeastern Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A.

AbstractI examined elevational trends in growth and nutrient use of foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) seedlings in the south-eastern Sierra Nevada, U.S.A., in areas where seedlings have established above the current treeline. I measured growth, foliar nitrogen concentration, and nitrogen relative accumulation rates of seedlings at three elevations: (i) forest interior sites (3435 m), (ii) treeline (3460 m), and (iii) above treeline (3485 m). As elevation increased, the basal area of adult trees and density of seedlings declined, nutrient inputs from aboveground litter declined, and litter C:N ratio declined. Annual height growth of seedlings increased significantly with elevation in 7 of 8 years measured (1985-1992). There was no significant change in annual lateral twig growth with elevation. There was a positive trend in relative growth rates and nitrogen relative accumulation rates with elevation. Variance among years in height and twig growth was higher at and above treeline than in forested sites. Sig...
Higher order acoustoelastic Lamb wave propagation in stressed plates

Modeling and experiments are used to investigate Lamb wave propagation in the direction perpendicular to an applied stress. Sensitivity, in terms of changes in velocity, for both symmetrical and anti-symmetrical modes was determined. Codes were developed based on analytical expressions for waves in loaded plates and they were used to give wave dispersion curves. The experimental system used a pair of compression wave transducers on variable angle wedges, with set separation, and variable frequency tone burst excitation, on an aluminum plate 0.16 cm thick with uniaxial applied loads. The loads, which were up to 600 μe, were measured using strain gages. Model results and experimental data are in good agreement. It was found that the change in Lamb wave velocity, due to the acoustoelastic effect, for the S1 mode exhibits about ten times more sensitive, in terms of velocity change, than the traditional bulk wave measurements, and those performed using the fundamental Lamb modes. The data presented demonstrate the potential for the use of higher order Lamb modes for online industrial stress measurement in plate, and that the higher sensitivity seen offers potential for improved measurement systems.
Measuring Sterilizing Values In Containers of Food Using Thermocouples and Biological Indicator Units 1,2.

Three series of experiments were carried out. Each experiment consisted of six or seven tests where four or five containers were fitted with thermocouples and five were fitted with biological indicator units (BIU). The sterilization value (F0) delivered to cans of peas in brine was calculated from heat penetration data. The heat penetration data were analyzed for test-to-test reproducibility within each experimental series. Sterilization values for all tests were calculated from the BIU test results. The sterilizing values F0 (PHY) determined from physical (PHY) heat penetration data were compared with sterilizing values F0 (BIO) determined using the BIUs, both on the basis of accuracy and variability. The mean F0 (PHY) - F0 (BIO) was + 1.2 min. The mean coefficient of variation of the F0 (PHY) was 0.03 and the F (BIO) was 0.06.
The logic of representing dependencies by directed graphs

Data-dependencies of the type "x can tell us more about y given that we already know z" can be represented in various formalisms: Probabilistic Dependencies, Embedded-Multi-Valued Dependencies, Undirected Graphs and Directed-Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). This paper provides an axiomatic basis, called a semigraphoid, which captures the structure common to all four types of dependencies and explores the expressive power of DAGs in representing various types of data dependencies. It is shown that DAGs can represent a richer set of dependencies than undirected graphs, that DAGs completely represent the closure of their specification bases, and that they offer an effective computational device for testing membership in that closure as well as inferring new dependencies from given inputs. These properties might explain the prevailing use of DAGs in causal reasoning and semantic nets.
Electronic data processing controls for the rolling mill operation

At Taranto, the data control center was based on acquiring operating data, and then integrating this data into the actual plant production procedures, with the ultimate aim of reducing production costs. Today, a completely satisfactory degree of implementation has been reached in this area.
The Importance of Authentic Assessments in Eligibility Determination for Infants and Toddlers.

Population changes, legislative changes, time and cost constraints, and practitioner and family perceptions each affect the delivery of early intervention services. This pilot project examined curr...
Resonant Acoustic Frequency Shifts Associated With Cracks in Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was used in this paper to measure shifts in resonant frequency that arise from the presence of cracks in barium-titanate-based multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). This paper was motivated by an industrial need for a nondestructive quality-control technique with enhanced capabilities for detecting dielectric cracks that have no initial effect on electrical characteristics of MLCCs. In this quality-control application, no information will generally be available on acoustic spectra of capacitors prior to the introduction of cracks during manufacture or mounting in devices. However, information on the distribution of frequencies of a specified resonant acoustic mode of a population of uncracked MLCCs could serve as a reference for determining whether the resonant frequency of an individual MLCC is within an acceptable range. In this paper, acoustic spectra were obtained from sets of MLCCs before and after thermal quenching that generated surface-breaking cracks in a fraction of the specimens. Three resonant modes below 1000 kHz were studied. The largest of these three resonant peaks, in the range of 575 kHz to 595 kHz in MLCCs before heat treatment, was found to be most sensitive to the presence of visible cracks. An analysis of Gaussian fits of the frequency distributions for this mode before and after heat treatment shows that approximately 71% of the visibly cracked MLCCs and less than 1% of the uncracked quenched MLCCs are rejected when the criterion for rejection is that the frequency is more than two standard deviations different than the mean frequency before heat treatment. These results show that RUS is a promising approach for nondestructive screening for the presence of cracks in MLCCs.
Leveraging SDN to improve security in industrial networks

In recent years, several important initiatives have appeared worldwide, aimed at bringing significant innovation in industrial networked systems (INSs). As an example, the Industry 4.0 and Factory of the Future frameworks are paving the way to modern intelligent factories, where issues such as the communication complexity between smart devices and system on-the-fly reconfiguration are dealt with in efficient and cost-effective manner. However, global connectivity also implies constant increase of cyber threats targeting industrial systems, so security must be considered since the very beginning when new appealing solutions need to be conceived. In this paper, we exploit the innovative Software Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm to introduce improvements in managing the network infrastructure of INSs, as this can help in reducing the management costs and complexity. In particular, enhanced SDN functionalities are adopted, which are able to provide security support in additions to their native switching/routing functionalities. The paper also shows how this approach can overcome some limitations of many current INS security architectures. The feasibility of the proposed solution is confirmed by the development of a simple laboratory prototype based on commodity hardware, and used to obtain some preliminary evaluation of the achievable functionality and performance benefits.
Toward Shared Value Consciousness Through CSR Discovery Leadership

Building on the realizations necessary for an associative mindset given previously, this chapter describes the type of executive who can activate the organizational values that make the provision of triple bottom line benefits possible. Swanson provides a partial inventory of these constructive values and models the responsible organization as a means-end continuum that can facilitate them. By highlighting how an executive can direct boundary spanners to detect stakeholder value expectations and respond to them, Swanson elaborates on the discovery element of CSR leadership in terms of the book’s main proposition, which is that: An associative mindset at the apex of corporate life has the potential to create unity consciousness between business and society based on shared understandings of the constructive values at stake in the relationship. As such, this chapter elaborates on the shared value consciousness aspect of the book’s 3S approach to CSR discovery leadership.
Regional control of regulatory immune cells in the intestine.

The intestine contains the largest compartment of immune regulatory cells which include T regulatory cells and IL-10-producing macrophages. These cell populations serve to restrain unnecessary immune responses of the intestine, which may lead to the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease or food allergy. This review discusses the recent findings pertaining to the functional regulation of these cells which may provide insight into novel therapies. Both T regulatory cells and macrophages are regulated in microbiota-dependent and microbiota-independent manners, i.e., dietary antigens. Often, this is specific to regional specialization and environment in small intestine vs. colon. These immune regulatory cells are largely regulated by microbiota in the colon, whereas in the small intestine, the microbiota has less affect, as seen in germ-free mouse studies. Targeting these cells in their specific compartments may direct future treatment modalities for inflammatory bowel disease as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s are vastly different diseases.
A review of research on Sunn Pest {Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae)} management published 2004–2016

Abstract Wheat is an important food crop that provides over 40% of the per capita dietary supply of calories and proteins in many developing countries. Wheat production has a crucial role in food security and the global economy. With the world's population estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, the demand for wheat is expected to increase 60%. Sunn Pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), is one of the major constraints to wheat production in Central and West Asia, Eastern Europe and North Africa. The economic impact of Sunn Pest is around 42 million USD for the region and that is only the cost of the chemicals used for its management. Application of chemical insecticides has been the main strategy for management of Sunn Pest. However, emergence of resistance in Sunn Pest populations against most pesticides and increased awareness of their adverse impacts on the environment have prompted investigation of alternative approaches. This review provides information on the most current literatures on Sunn Pest management with emphasis on practices such as application of chemical insecticides, insect growth regulators (IGRs) and anti-juvenile hormones, use of Sunn Pest egg parasitoids, entomopathogenic nematodes, entomopathogenic fungi, use of digestive enzyme inhibitors and development of resistant wheat varieties.
BEYOND THE NATION: PENNY FICTION, THE CRIMEAN WAR, AND POLITICAL BELONGING

“The nation state . . . found the novel. And vice versa: the novel found the nation-state” (Moretti 17). Franco Moretti's famous formulation has proved as partial as it is influential, challenged by a growing body of transnational scholarship. It is challenged as well by a different set of novels from the canonical ones Moretti has in mind: working-class penny fiction. Given the inequities of society, it is not surprising that this literature expresses a more complicated relationship to England. The working classes laid claim to England itself, insisting that their autochthonic status made them its true sons but that within the nation-state they were subjects, not citizens. The gap between this deep sense of belonging and formal political exclusion structures hundreds of penny novels produced in the mid-nineteenth century.
Hif1α Deletion Limits Tissue Regeneration via Aberrant B Cell Accumulation in Experimental Pancreatitis.

Summary Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the exocrine pancreas and ranks among the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Inflamed tissues frequently experience conditions of insufficient oxygen availability, or hypoxia. Here, we demonstrate that hypoxia and consequent stabilization of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) transcription factor occur in murine and human pancreatitis. Mice lacking pancreas-specific HIF1α expression display markedly impaired pancreatic regeneration following cerulein-induced pancreatitis, which is associated with excessive intrapancreatic B cell accumulation. Notably, B cell depletion in mice with established pancreatitis significantly enhances tissue regeneration. Our study reveals a crosstalk between pancreatic HIF1α expression and B cell trafficking that regulates tissue regeneration, and identifies plausible molecular targets for treating pancreatitis patients.
Distributed hierarchical team resource allocation

This paper considers distributed hierarchical team resource allocation in a dynamic environment. A hierarchical team of one leader and three subordinates is to process multiple types of randomly arriving tasks. Sharing a limited amount of renewable resources with other subordinates, each subordinate is responsible for processing a subset of tasks that arrive in his/her subsystem. The leader does not process tasks, but is responsible for coordinating subordinates' task processing through announcing the resource transfer plan and carrying out resource transfers among the subordinates. The objective of the team is to maximize the expected team reward through task processing.
Astrocytic Kynurenines as Modulators of Dopaminergic Function in the Rat Basal Ganglia

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses astrocytic kynurenines as the modulators of dopaminergic function in the rat basal ganglia. The close association of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid oxygenase (3HAO)-containing and kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT)-containing astrocytic processes with asymmetric synapses in the striatum and SNc strongly indicates that both quinolinic acid (QUIN) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) are in an excellent position to influence excitatory amino acid (EAAs) receptor function in these structures. Assuming that the engulfed synapses are indeed glutamatergic, the anatomical arrangements also imply that the local concentration of QUIN and KYNA may be sufficiently high to modulate receptor function. This is noteworthy in view of the low endogenous concentration of both compounds and the relatively low affinity of QUIN at the NMDA site and of KYNA at the glycine/ N-ethyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) site. Because glutamatergic and DA afferents have been shown to terminate on the same striatal neuron and because intimate functional interactions between NMDA and dopamine Dl receptors have been demonstrated in the striatum, it is conceivable that astrocytic QUIN and KYNA may serve a significant modulatory function in the interplay between glutamate and DA.
Bioassay of Prostacyclin and Thromboxane A2

Bioassay of the products of cyclo-oxygenation of arachidonic acid (AA) is not only a laboratory technique, it is also a way of biological thinking. Unlike phychicochemical techniques bioassay offers a continuous monitoring of changes in concentration of prostaglandins (PGs), prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) in blood of anesthetized animals or in the perfusate from isolated organs. The price which is paid for the devotion to bioassay is uncertainty about the real chemical nature of a substance which is assayed. The approximation is sometimes very near to the certainty but it never reaches this point. Therefore, we frequently refer to PGI2-like or TXA2-like substances instead of the firm statement — this is PGI2 and that is TXA2. However, this handicap may appear as an advantage of bioassay. A rabbit aorta contracting substance (RCS) had been described as an unstable metabolite of AA before cyclic endoperoxides (PGG2 and PGH2) and TXA2 were discovered. The existence of PGI2 was discovered only because of its “peculiar” behaviour in the bioassay system. Bioassay, when mastered, stimulates research because of its yet unexploited possibilities. Bioassay was created by pharmacologists and thus a number of pharmacological “tricks” are available to increase its specifity and sensitivity.
Lost foam casting of aluminum alloys: metallurgical aspects

ABSTRACT The metallurgical quality of simple lost foam castings has been evaluated. Strips of constant thickness were produced under carefully controlled conditions with alloys 319, 356 and 390. The castings were examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were estimated from machined tensile specimens. The results indicate that because of endothermic degradation of the polymer pattern at the metal front, steep thermal gradients are present in the casting. Consequently, dendrite arm spacing and grain size decrease with increasing distances along the length of flow. Furthermore, the distribution and the morphology of Si, Cu and Fe-rich phases depend on location in the casting. The porosity levels in the casting have been estimated by two different techniques to be of the order of 1.5 to 2%. Porosity levels of up to 7% have been detected near the surface of the casting. The ultimate tensile strength and %elongation increase slowly with distance from the downsprue. Defects such as folds and black inclusions are often observed on fracture surfaces.
Environmental Factors and Axial Skeletal Dysmorphogenesis

Axial skeletal development is part of the complex, inclusive process of axial or midline development. It involves the interaction of many tissues including the embryonic notochord, neural tube, somite compartments, intersomitic angiopotent cells, and neural crest cells. These tissues give rise to the axial skeleton, intervertebral discs, spinal cord, trunk musculature and dorsal dermis, intervertebral arteries, and spinal ganglia. Development of these tissues occurs in an interdependent and hierarchical manner over an extended period of time. These characteristics may make the axial skeleton disproportionately susceptible to environmental influence, accounting for the high incidence of axial skeletal defects among live and stillbirths. It may also account for the many manifestations of axial skeletal defects observed.
Prenatal exposure to organophosphate esters and cognitive development in young children in the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study

Abstract Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are a class of chemicals commonly used as flame retardants and plasticizers. OPEs are applied to a wide variety of consumer products and have a propensity to leach from these products. Consequently, OPEs are ubiquitous contaminants in many human environments and human exposure is pervasive. Accumulating evidence suggests that OPEs are capable of interfering with childhood cognitive development through both neurologic- and endocrine-mediated mechanisms. However, observational evidence of cognitive effects is limited. We used data collected in the third phase of the Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study to investigate cognitive effects of prenatal exposure to OPEs. In a spot prenatal maternal urine sample, we measured the following OPE metabolites: diphenyl phosphate (DPHP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl phosphate) (BDCIPP), isopropyl-phenyl phenyl phosphate (ip-PPP), and 1-hydroxyl-2-propyl bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPHIPP). We assessed children's language and multi-faceted and overall cognitive development between two and three years of age using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI) and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). We used linear regression to estimate the change in children's scores on these developmental assessments per interquartile range (IQR) increase in log-transformed, specific-gravity-corrected prenatal OPE metabolite concentrations, adjusted for maternal age, education, income, race/ethnicity, BMI, and child's sex. A total of 149 children had both OPE metabolite measurements and MB-CDI scores, and 227 children had both OPE metabolite measurements and MSEL scores. We observed that higher concentrations of ip-PPP (ng/ml) were associated with lower scores on the MSEL Cognitive Composite Score (β = −2.61; 95% CI: −5.69, 0.46), and separately on two of the four MSEL Scales that comprise the Cognitive Composite, specifically the Fine Motor Scale (β = −3.08; 95% CI: −5.26, −0.91) and the Expressive Language Scale (β = −1.21; 95% CI: −2.91, 0.49). We similarly observed that prenatal ip-PPP concentrations were inversely associated with age-standardized scores on the MB-CDI Vocabulary assessment (β = −1.19; 95% CI: −2.53, 0.16). Other OPE metabolites were not strongly associated with performance on either assessment. Our results suggest that isopropylated triarylphosphate isomers, the presumed parent compounds of ip-PPP, may adversely impact cognitive development, including fine motor skills and early language abilities. Our study contributes to the growing body of observational evidence that suggests prenatal exposure to OPEs may adversely affect cognitive development.
Sex-dependent changes in ketamine-induced locomotor activity and ketamine pharmacokinetics in preweanling, adolescent, and adult rats.

Abstract Although ketamine has long been known to increase locomotor activity, only recently was it realized that this behavioral effect varies according to both sex and age. The purpose of the present study was threefold: first, to measure the locomotor activating effects of ketamine in male and female rats across early ontogeny and into adulthood; second, to assess ketamine and norketamine pharmacokinetics in the dorsal striatum and hippocampus of the same age groups; and, third, to use curvilinear regression to determine the relationship between locomotor activity and dorsal striatal concentrations of ketamine and norketamine. A high dose of ketamine (80 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered in order to examine the complete cycle of locomotor responsiveness across a 280-min testing session. In separate groups of rats, the dorsal striata and hippocampi were removed at 10 time points (0–360 min) after ketamine administration and samples were assayed for ketamine, norketamine, and dopamine using HPLC. In female rats, ketamine produced high levels of locomotor activity that varied only slightly among age groups. Male preweanling rats responded like females, but adolescent and adult male rats exhibited lesser amounts of ketamine-induced locomotor activity. Ketamine and norketamine pharmacokinetics, especially peak values and area under the curve, generally mirrored age- and sex-dependent differences in locomotor activity. Among male rats and younger female rats, dorsal striatal ketamine and norketamine levels accounted for a large proportion of the variance in locomotor activity. In adult female rats, however, an additional factor, perhaps involving other ketamine and norketamine metabolites, was influencing locomotor activity.
Subelliptic estimates from Gromov hyperbolicity

In this paper we prove: if the complete Kahler-Einstein metric on a bounded convex domain (with no boundary regularity assumptions) is Gromov hyperbolic, then the $\overline{\partial}$-Neumann problem satisfies a subelliptic estimate. We also provide a characterization of Gromov hyperbolicity in terms of orbit of the domain under the group of affine transformations. This characterization allows us to construct many examples. For instance, if the Hilbert metric on a bounded convex domain is Gromov hyperbolic, then the Kahler-Einstein metric is as well.
Solar photovoltaic generation: Benefits and operation challenges in distribution networks

Abstract This paper presents the benefits of the solar photovoltaic technology and the operation challenges corresponding to the large-scale integration of this technology in the distribution networks. A voltage control algorithm is proposed to mitigate the adverse effects of PV generation on the voltage profile of the distribution network. An operation planning framework is proposed that captures the heterogeneous objectives of the generation and demand entities and features limited information sharing among these entities.
Total synthesis of zaragozic acid A (squalestatin S1). Synthesis of the relay compound

Compound 2 has been prepared from the 1,6-anhydropyranohexose 3. The key process for elaborating the 1,7-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane core of the zaragozic acids is addition of an organometallic reage...
Evaluation of Six Effect Size Measures of Measurement Non-Invariance for Continuous Outcomes

Measurement invariance is assessed in the factor analytic framework by testing differences in model fit of a sequential series of models; however, the statistical significance of these differences ...
Modeling Uncertain and Dynamic Interdependencies of Infrastructure Systems Using Stochastic Block Models

AbstractModeling the resilience of interdependent critical infrastructure (ICI) requires a careful assessment of interdependencies as these systems are becoming increasingly interconnected. The int...
Coca-Cola #Vereinsgeschichte: Viele Daten, viele Gefühle

Das Erzahlen von Geschichten gehort zu Coca-Cola wie zu kaum einem anderen Unternehmen. Unser Unternehmen und unsere Produkte brauchen eine glaubwurdige und wichtige Rolle in einer Story. Die alles entscheidende Frage lautet: „Kann ich diese Geschichte ohne Coca-Cola erzahlen?“ Ja? Dann ist es keine Geschichte fur uns. Immer wieder stehen wir vor der Herausforderung, dem Balanceakt, zwischen einer neuen, spannenden Idee und einer ikonischen Marke mit einer mehr als 130-jahrigen Geschichte gerecht zu werden. Wir arbeiten mit unseren Geschichten fortwahrend daran, die Relevanz unserer Marken in der sich verandernden Welt zu steigern. Und wir wagen ab, wo unsere Marken in aktuellen Debatten stehen, um zu entscheiden, wie wir einen Mehrwert in die Diskussion einbringen konnen.
Starve a cold, and perhaps a cancer

Stem cells tightly link their metabolism to cell fate decisions; however, how cancers co-opt and bypass metabolic pathways for growth advantage remains unclear. New evidence in this issue highlights how cancer stem cells avoid epigenetically driven differentiation by shutting down endogenous serine synthesis and becoming serine auxotrophs.
Group Play Therapy for Young Children Exposed to Major Stressors: Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation Methods

Examined the outcome of a 16-week play group therapy intervention for six highly stressed preschool-aged children compared to a preschool-aged control group. The focus of the group was to help the children build social skills, learn to express emotions appropriately, increase understanding of stress events, and learn new coping skills. The results indicated a significant increase in anxious and externalizing behaviors during the course of the intervention for the treatment group subjects compared to controls. Furthermore, group treatment subjects also indicated a significant increase in social skills during the group intervention. However, there were no significant differences on the psycho-social measure from pre-test to post-test. Despite the lack of differences on quantitative measures of children's functioning, parent report on a qualitative measure indicated improvement in children's psycho-social functioning at the end of treatment. Implications of the play therapy group approach for children exposed to major stressors are discussed.
An image inpainting model based on the mixture of Perona–Malik equation and Cahn–Hilliard equation

In this paper, a fourth-order PDE model is proposed for image inpainting. This model is based on the mixture of Perona–Malik equation and Cahn–Hilliard equation. Using the idea of energy splitting, a numerical scheme is introduced for solving the proposed PDE model. Numerical experiments for testing the proposed model are provided at the end of the paper. The numerical results indicate that the proposed model can provide better inpainting performance with less computational time comparing to the classical PDE based inpainting models.