cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Political Mood in Leningrad during the First Year of theSoviet‐German War

The 872-day siege of Leningrad is one of the largest life-and-death struggles in history. No city in modern times has suffered greater loss of life over a comparable period of time. According to recent estimates, close to two million Soviet citizens died within the city or defending it from the outside between 1941 and 1944. The civilian death toll within Leningrad was about one million. When most of those deaths occurred, during the first year of the Soviet-German War, Leningrad was strategically important for the USSR. Had Germany taken the city in the latter half of 1941, it could have linked up with Finland, consolidated its position on the Baltic, and directed additional hundreds of thousands of troops to the offensive against Moscow. In turn, had Germany then quickly seized Moscow (and perhaps Stalin), Soviet resistance might have ended.' For historians of the Soviet Union, Leningrad's first year of war represents an important period for gauging the extent to which the general population supported the Communist state following years of state-directed mass terror, which had left an indelible mark on Leningrad. Expressions of support for the system, or protests against it, assumed a much greater significance in the first year of the war than at any time during the 1930s. With German Army Group North camped less than three miles south of Leningrad, the city's defense was very much in doubt. The prevailing uncertainty compelled supporters of the party-state to rally to its defense, and, likewise, gave opponents with pent-up grievances their best chance since the Civil War to overthrow the government, though all realized that political revolution would lead almost automatically to enemy occupation of Leningrad.
Therapeutic potential of the Streptococcus pneumoniae competence regulon.

The quorum sensing (QS) system allows bacteria to communicate with each other, share the information about cell density and adjust the gene expression pattern accordingly in response to changes in envi -ronmental cues. Among the most impor-tant class of genes regulated by QS are the virulence genes. The equivalence of the QS system in the Gram-positive pathogen
Tropical Atlantic coral oxygen isotopes: glacial–interglacial sea surface temperatures and climate change

Abstract We have generated a detailed oxygen isotope time-series from the fossil coral reefs from offshore Barbados. The Barbados coral-based record is a unique paleoceanographic data set with an equivalent sedimentation rate in excess of 600 cm/kyr where not only is the annual signal uniquely preserved but seasonality as well. Oxygen isotope values during the late glacial and LGM (16–20 14C kyrs; 19–24 calendar kyrs) are ∼2.3‰ heavier than corresponding living specimens, and indicate a regional cooling on the order of 4.5°C. There is also an isotopic expression of the Bolling-Pre-Boreal climate oscillation, with values reflecting a cooling during the Younger Dryas. Seasonality, a key diagnostic of the state of the climate system, remained the same or slightly less than present and indicates that the observed coolings were a change in the mean state of the western tropical Atlantic. Pan-tropic cooling during the last glaciation is best explained by a change in the radiative balance of the tropics. Variable tropical sea surface temperatures during climate oscillations such as the Younger Dryas challenge the paradigm that climate change only cascades from variations in North Atlantic deep water production.
Mechanical Augmentation of Convective Heat Transfer in Air

An experimental investigation was conducted into augmentation of forced convection heat transfer in air by mechanical removal of the boundary layer. A rotating blade element passing in close proximity to a flat plate convective surface was found to increase the rate of convective heat transfer by up to eleven times in certain situations. The blade element effectively scrapes away the boundary layer, thus reducing the resistance to heat flow. Parameters investigated include scraping frequency, scraper clearance, and type of boundary layer. Increased coefficients were found for higher scraping frequencies. Significant augmentation was obtained with clearance as large as 0.15 in. (0.0038 m) between the moving blade element and the convective surface. The technique appears most useful for laminar and transitional boundary layers, although some improvement was obtained for the turbulent boundary layers investigated. The simple surface renewal theory developed for scraped surface augmentation in liquids was found to approximately predict the coefficients obtained. A new relation is proposed which gives a better prediction and includes the effect of scraper clearance.
Math Lessons: A Case Study in the Adoption of an Innovative Math Curriculum.

This is the story of an innovative math curriculum that was heavily pro moted by the chair of the math department, but not adopted by the teachers. Why was the curriculum not adopted, and what lessons did the team learn from the situation about the adoption process, the power of inclusion, and the nature of systems?
Effects of insularisation on plant species richness in the prairie-forest ecotone

Abstract Data on plants from five groups of remnant prairies and forests in the prairie-forest ecotone of the midwestern United States show that: (1) Archipelagos of small sites tend to contain more species than do single large ones of equal total area. (2) No species are excluded from small sites. (3) Small sites tend to have surprisingly many species, and large sites surprisingly few, relative to a random colonisation model. (4) ‘Rare’ species (those that occur in only one site) are found more often in small sites than a random colonisation model would predict. (5) There is no evidence for any of these sites that species number is ‘relaxing’, but all these sites have been remnants for only a short time. Result (1) is consistent with results from similar studies on other taxa and suggests that there is no automatic reason to believe that species richness is maximised by single large refuges.
Radiative properties of the arctic aerosol

Abstract Absorption coefficients of the Arctic aerosol have been measured by means of diffuse transmission techniques using filter samples collected at Barrow, Alaska. These measurements show a highly absorbing aerosol with an average winter absorption coefficient, σ α , of ≈ 1.9 × 10 −6 m −1 . We have used these absorption measurements, concurrent aerosol composition measurements, and estimates of sizes and refractive indices for the individual aerosol components to model the radiative properties of the Arctic aerosol. Our results show good agreement between observed and modeled quantities and indicate that the Arctic aerosol has optical properties that are quite similar to those of an aged pollutionderived mid-latitude tropospheric aerosol. Our results also indicate that particle growth with increasing relative humidity above the surface may cause the overall climatic impact of the Arctic aerosol to be different from that expected solely on the basis of measurements at the surface.
A Goal-Energy-Effort Requirement Model of Work Motivation

A model of work motivation is presented that postulates the following five variables as determinants of the force to perform: (a) Task Goal Level, (b) Task Goal Specificity, (c) Task Goal Commitment, (d) Energy Potential, and (e) Perceived Effort Required. Propositions for the model are presented, relevant literature is reviewed, and concepts for the model are operationalized.
Zones of optimal functioning research: A review and critique

Abstract This manuscript reviews and critiques Hanin's (1980, 1986) Zones of Optimal Functioning (ZOF) state-anxiety performance relationship hypothesis and the research that has been conducted to test its effectiveness. The review of the ZOF research revealed that it has fairly good support, although a number of the existing studies have inherent methodological and/or conceptual limitations. One major weakness identified with the ZOF notion was its lack of any theoretical base. Hence, it was emphasized that future investigators design studies aimed at better understanding “why” ZOFs exist and “how” they may influence athletic performance via mechanisms such as attentional and muscle tension/coordination changes. Finally, a number of future research directions were forwarded. These included: the need for more adequate and complete ZOF tests; direct comparisons of the power of multidimensional and undimensional state anxiety generated ZOFs to predict performance; ZOF task type performance studies; investig...
THE INFLUENCE OF AMMONIUM SALTS ON CELL REACTION

1. It may be shown by means of cells of the flowers of a hybrid Rhododendron which contain a natural indicator, by means of starfish eggs stained with neutral red, and by means of an "artificial cell" in which living frog's skin is employed that increased intracellular alkalinity may be brought about by solutions of a decidedly acid reaction which contain ammonium salts. 2. These results are analogous to those previously obtained with the CO(2)-bicarbonate system, and depend on the facts: (a) that NH(4)OH is sufficiently weak as a base to permit a certain degree of hydrolysis of its salts; and (b) that living cells are freely permeable to NH(4)OH (or NH(3)?) and not to mineral and many organic acids, and presumably not at least to the same extent to ammonium salts as such.
How trusted computers can enhance privacy preserving mobile applications

Trusted computing is designed to be a cheap, exportable and ubiquitous way of improving the security of personal, corporate and government data. The paper gives an introduction to how trusted computing can be relevant to mobile and pervasive computing and provides some examples of what can be done to enhance privacy and trust using (extensions of) this technology.
Decoupled thermal resistances of phase change material and their impact on PCM devices

We report the thickness and phase dependent thermal properties of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) films using electrical Joule heating thermometry (3ω method) and validate the data with optical thermometry. The intrinsic thermal conductivity of GST increases from 0.26 W/mK for the amorphous phase to 0.57 W/mK for the crystalline phase. The thermal boundary resistance between GST and Si 3 N 4 films decreases from 134×10−9 m2KW−1 to 25×10−9 m2KW−1 after the phase change. The effective thermal resistance of GST shows a nonlinear dependence on the film thickness that infers the presence of microstructural defects. We separate the contributions of defects from intrinsic thermal transport and summarize possible causes for their thickness dependent behavior. An electrothermal simulation of PCM cell estimates the potential impact of the measured properties. This work improves the quality of PCM simulations by offering detailed knowledge of the distribution of thermal resistances.
Antibody-Mediated Renal Allograft Rejection: Diagnosis and Pathogenesis

Alloantibodies to HLA class I or II and other antigens expressed by endothelium cause a variety of effects on renal transplants, ranging from acute to chronic rejection, and even apparent graft acceptance (accommodation). Recognition of these conditions and appropriate therapy requires demonstration of C4d in biopsies, commonly confirmed by tests for circulating alloantibody. Substantial practical experience by pathologists in the interpretation and pitfalls of C4d stains are reviewed along with considerations of the clinical significance and pathologic mechanisms of the different effects of antibody on the endothelium of the renal allograft. Clinical trials will be needed to ascertain the optimal treatment for the newly appreciated conditions chronic humoral rejection and accommodation.
Lawyerization of the Engineering and Construction Industry

Lawyerization has become more and more prevalent in the engineering and construction industry. Some would argue the merits of firms’ retaining lawyers on staff as providing cost savings on projects through averting potential litigation. Others view lawyers as increasing project costs due to increased overhead. Therefore, it is important to understand the pros and cons of lawyerization as viewed by the contractor, designer, owner, manufacturer, and supplier. This paper discusses the current role of lawyers in the engineering and construction industry and examines the factors that contribute to the lawyerization of the industry.
Pairings of categories and spectra

One flourishing branch of category theory, namely coherence theory, lies at the heart of algebraic K-theory. Coherence theory was initiated in MacLane’s paper [13]. There is an analogous coherence theory of higher homotopies, and the classifying space construction transports categorical coherence to homotopical coherence. When applied to interesting discrete categories, this process leads to the products and pairings (and deeper internal structure) of algebraic K-theory. In much of the literature on algebraic K-theory, the underlying coherence theory is tacitly assumed (as indeed it is throughout mathematics). However, the details of coherence theory are crucial for rigor. For one thin g, they explain which diagrams can, and which cannot, be made simultaneously to commute. For example, a symmetric monoidal category is one with a coherently unital, associative, and commutative product. It can be replaced by an equivalent permutative category, namely one with a strictly unital and associative but coherently commutative product. One cannot achieve strict commutativity except in trivial cases. Thomason [26] has given an amusing illustration of the sort of mistake that can arise from a too cavalier attitude towards this kind of categorical distinction when studying pairings of categories, and one of my concerns is to correct a similar mistake of my own. In [ 171, I developed a coherence theory of higher homotopies for ring spaces up to homotopy and for pairings of H-spaces. That theory is entirely correct. I also discussed the analogous categorical coherence, proving some results and asserting others. That theory too is entirely correct, my unproven assertions having been carefully proven by Laplaza [unpublished]. However, my translations from the categorical to the homotopical theories in [17], that of course being the part I thought to be obvious, are quite wrong. The moral is that to treat the transition from categorical coherence to homotopical coherence smoothly and rigorously, one should take advantage of the definitional framework established by the category theorists. Given the work of MacLane, Kelly, Street, Laplaza, and others [9, 10,241, this transition is really quite easy. One can handle the simplest coherence situations satisfactorily without it, as in Segal’s original passage from permutative categories to f-spaces [22] or my original
The Loss of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate in Human Serum under Suboptimal Preanalytical Conditions Can Only Partially Be Recovered by an Oxidation Product

BACKGROUND Maintaining folate stability during sample handling is important, yet challenging. OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of suboptimal preanalytical conditions on serum folate stability. METHODS By using an HPLC-tandem MS method we measured folates [5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methylTHF), folic acid, MeFox (5-methylTHF oxidation product, pyrazino-s-triazine derivative of 4α-hydroxy-5-methylTHF), and other minor folate forms at or below the limit of detection] in human serum exposed to suboptimal conditions. RESULTS Whole blood samples (n = 21) stored at 32°C for ≤ 3 d (Expt. 1: delayed processing) showed significant decreases in serum total folate (tFOL; sum of folate forms: 11-32%, 5.5-15.9 nmol/L) and 5-methylTHF (36-62%, 14.5-25.1 nmol/L) and a significant increase in MeFox (346-415%, 7.17-8.63 nmol/L). Serum samples (n = 21) stored at 11°C for 7-14 d (Expt. 2: delayed freezing) also showed significant decreases in tFOL (4.6-10.4%, 2.3-5.1 nmol/L) and 5-methylTHF (8.4-29%, 3.4-11.6 nmol/L) and significant increases in MeFox (88-320%, 1.82-6.62 nmol/L). The molar loss in 5-methylTHF exceeded the gain in MeFox in these 2 experiments. When we exposed 3 serum pools (tFOL: 16.7-58.3 nmol/L) for 24 h to an elevated temperature of 37°C (Expt. 3), the significant decrease in 5-methylTHF (33% on average) was compensated for by an equimolar gain in MeFox. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles (≤ 3 cycles) of serum [closed (Expt. 4) and open (Expt. 5) vials] showed generally stable folates with small ( 2 d or for a long term stored at -20°C.
Predicting Employment Outcomes for Consumers in Community College Short-Term Training Programs.

Postsecondary education has been linked to improved access to employment opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with increased employment outcomes for Vocational Rehabilitation consumers enrolled in community college short term occupational skill training programs. Findings indicate that certain student and program factors were associated with more positive program and employment outcomes. Females, older participants, and those who received financial support were more likely to complete a certificate, be employed at exit, and maintain employment for 90 days. Individuals with psychiatric disabilities and other skill barriers were less likely to obtain positive program outcomes. Being female or a member of an ethnic minority group was associated with lower annual wages, while completion of all program outcomes predicted higher total annual wages. Implications for rehabilitation practice are discussed.
Analysis of heart rate in dogs during retraction and impression procedures.

This study recorded heart rates of fasting and nonfasting dogs that had gingival sulci packed with 8% epinephrine-impregnated retraction cords followed by impressions with elastic impression material. No significant increase in heart rate was observed in the retraction and impression procedures.
Structural requirements for ligand binding by a probable plant vacuolar sorting receptor.

How sorting receptors recognize amino acid determinants on polypeptide ligands and respond to pH changes for ligand binding or release is unknown. The plant vacuolar sorting receptor BP-80 binds polypeptide ligands with a central Asn-Pro-Ile-Arg (NPIR) motif. tBP-80, a soluble form of the receptor lacking transmembrane and cytoplasmic sequences, binds the peptide SSSFADSNPIRPVTDRAASTYC as a monomer with a specificity indistinguishable from that of BP-80. tBP-80 contains an N-terminal region homologous to ReMembR-H2 (RMR) protein lumenal domains, a unique central region, and three C-terminal epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeats. By protease digestion of purified secreted tBP-80, and from ligand binding studies with a secreted protein lacking the EGF repeats, we defined three protease-resistant structural domains: an N-terminal/RMR homology domain connected to a central domain, which together determine the NPIR-specific ligand binding site, and a C-terminal EGF repeat domain that alters the conformation of the other two domains to enhance ligand binding. A fragment representing the central domain plus the C-terminal domain could bind ligand but was not specific for NPIR. These results indicate that two tBP-80 binding sites recognize two separate ligand determinants: a non-NPIR site defined by the central domain–EGF repeat domain structure and an NPIR-specific site contributed by the interaction of the N-terminal/RMR homology domain and the central domain.
Feasibility of dexmedetomidine in facilitating extubation in the intensive care unit.

SUMMARY Background: Spontaneous breathing trials (SBT) and intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) are common techniques utilized to expedite the ventilator weaning process. These techniques often require the reduction and ⁄or discontinuation of sedatives and analgesics. Reducing these medications can lead to agitation and the inability to conduct SBTs or weaning by IMV. Adding dexmedetomidine (dex), a potent alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist that possesses sedative, anxiolytic and analgesic effects without causing significant respiratory depression, may facilitate extubation in these patients. Objective: To assess the feasibility of adding dex to facilitate extubation in a group of difficult-toextubate patients secondary to agitation. Methods: Mechanically ventilated patients who were deemed difficult to wean and extubate secondary to agitation were evaluated for dex therapy. Inclusion criteria were location in an intensive care unit, intubated and mechanically ventilated, required IV sedation, deemed suitable by unit criteria for weaning and extubation within 24 h of dex initiation, previous attempts at weaning sedation and ⁄or analgesia resulted in agitation causing either severe patient ventilator dyssynchrony, prolong need for intubation, or an inability to conduct a successful SBT. Additional inclusion criteria were unsuccessful use of traditional intravenous agents to control agitation. Recommended dex dosing was a bolus of 1 lg ⁄kg followed by an infusion of 0AE2‐0AE7 lg ⁄kg ⁄h. Results: Twenty-five patients were evaluated for dex therapy with 20 meeting the criteria to treat. All had failed prior attempts at weaning. Fourteen of the 20 patients were successfully weaned and extubated and one patient was reintubated within 48 h, giving a 65% success rate. Heart rate trended down after dex initiation in most patients but did not result in the discontinuation of dex in any patient. The addition of dex was associated with minimal changes in mean arterial pressure. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine was initiated in a group of mechanically ventilated patients who failed previous attempts at weaning and extubation secondary to agitation. After dex initiation, 65% of the patients was successfully extubated. Dexmedetomidine was associated with a reduction in concomitant sedative and analgesic use with minimal adverse effect.
A Practical Method for Building the FE-based Phase Variable Model of Single Phase Transformers For Dynamic Simulations

A finite-element (FE)-based phase variable model of single-phase transformers is developed for fast and accurate dynamic simulation purposes. In the developed model, the winding flux linkages, psi1 and psi2 are used as the phase variables. Their values are obtained from a series of nonlinear FE computation over the full operating range of the transformer. An equivalent magnetizing current, iem is defined. The variation of flux linkages psi 1 and psi2 with the defined iem and the primary current i1 or the secondary current i2 are used to describe the magnetization nonlinearity of the core. Our study shows that the utilization of iem enables the FE-based phase variable model has the same accuracy as the full FE model without the necessity of excessive number of FE computations. The validity of the developed FE-based circuit model is verified through comparing with the full FE model and demonstrated by simulating the inrush current and the magnetizing currents at various saturation levels
Engaging Users: The Future of Academic Library Web Sites

This article examines current academic library Web site practices and recommends a conceptual model for future academic library Web site design. The author investigated 111 ARL member library Web sites and has summarized current site content, design patterns, and innovative features. The author discusses the Web 2.0 principles as defined by Tim O'Reilly and reviews the current literature on Web 2.0 implications for library Web services. The author proposes making the academic library Web site a virtual place and recommends a conceptual model to inform future academic library Web site design based on the investigation and the discussion. Future academic library Web sites might feature any of the following: 1) user focus, 2) personalization, 3) user engagement, 4) online communities, and 5) remixability.
Enhanced systemic T-cell activation after in situ gene therapy with radiotherapy in prostate cancer patients

Abstract Purpose In situ cytotoxic gene therapy can potentially trigger a systemic immune response, which could impact occult metastatic disease. We are currently conducting three clinical trials using in situ adenoviral vector mediated herpes simplex virus–thymidine kinase (HSV- tk ) gene delivery followed by the HSV- tk prodrug ganciclovir (GCV) or valacyclovir (VCV). This study evaluates the systemic T-cell response after gene therapy in each trial. Methods and materials The study protocol included three separate clinical trials in the Baylor Prostate Cancer SPORE Program: Trial A gene therapy in prostate cancer patients failing radiotherapy (36 patients), Trial B neoadjuvant gene therapy in pre–radical prostatectomy patients (22 patients), and Trial C gene therapy in combination with radiotherapy for prostate cancer (27 patients). Heparinized blood was collected at the time of vector injection and at selected intervals afterward. A complete blood count was performed, and peripheral blood lymphocytes were analyzed by fluorescent antibody cell sorting after labeling with dual color–labeled antibody pairs. Results The pretreatment mean percentage of activated CD8+ T cells (DR+CD8+ T cells) was 12.23%, 16.72%, and 14.09% (Trials A, B, and C, respectively). Two weeks posttreatment, this increased to 22.87%, 26.15%, and 39.04% (Trials A, B, and C, respectively), and these increases were statistically significant ( p = 0.0188, p = 0.0010, p p = 0.0044) or Trial B ( p = 0.0288). Total CD8+ T cells significantly increased at 2 weeks posttreatment in Trial B and C ( p = 0.0013, p = 0.0004, respectively). Interestingly, only in Trial C were significant increases in activated CD4+ T cells seen at 2 weeks ( p = 0.0035). Conclusions This is the first report of systemic T-cell responses after HSV- tk +GCV/VCV gene therapy under three clinical trial conditions. There was an increase in activated CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood after vector injection, suggesting the potential for activation of components of cell-mediated immune response in all trial conditions. The addition of radiotherapy to in situ gene therapy seems to further increase the total CD8+ T cells and activated CD4+ T cells.
System-Level Resource Monitoring in High-Performance Computing Environments

Low-overhead resource monitoring is key to the successful management of distributed high-performance computing environments, particularly when applications have well-defined quality of service (QoS) requirements. The dproc system-level monitoring mechanisms provide tools both for efficiently monitoring system-level events and for notifying remote hosts of events relevant to their operation. Implemented as extension to the Linux kernel, dproc provides several key functions. First, utilizing the familiar /proc virtual filesystem, dproc extends this interface with resource information collected from both local and remote hosts. Second, to predictably capture and distribute monitoring information, dproc uses a kernel-level group communication facility, termed KECho, which implements events and event channels. Third, and the focus of this paper, is dproc's run-time customizability for resource monitoring, which includes the generation and deployment of monitoring functionality within remote operating system kernels. Using dproc, we show that (a) data streams can be customized according to a client's resource availabilities (dynamic stream management), (b) by dynamically varying distributed monitoring (dynamic filtering of monitoring information), an appropriate balance can be maintained between monitoring overheads and application quality, and (c) by performing monitoring at kernel-level, the information captured enables decision making that takes into account the multiple resources used by applications.
Rituales de Género para el Orden Cósmico: Luchas Chamánicass Mapuche por la Totalidad

The struggle for uholeness-the melding of all experiencie and knowledge of the world-is central to the parctice of machi, or Mapuche shamans, in southern Chile. I explore how the gender and generational aspects of Mapuche persons are extender to the socio-cosmological order, to Mapuche ritual practice, and to the creation of a holistic machi personhood. I outline the application of holistic personbood in Mapuche cosmology and the analyze its performance in three kinds of Mapuche rituals. First, in divination rituals, gender difference is enacted by machi and dungumachife ("ritual interpreter for machi"), and wholeness is expressed though their ritual partnership. I demostrate that ecstatic and formal discourses are gendered independently of the sex of the actors. Second, in community-wide ngillatun rituals, difference is impersonated by diverse actors, and wholeness is enacted collectively to integrate the ritual community. I demostrate that both sex-based and performative dimensions of gender and generation are crucial for collective renditions of wholeness. Third, in individual healing rituals, difference is subsumed by the machi, who enacts wholeness as wellness, and the performative dimension of gender prevails over the notion of gender as linked to sex. Machi, both male and female, assume masculine, feminine, and cogendered identities-moving berween masculine and feminine, and cogendered identities-moving between masculine and feminine gender polarities or combining them-for the purpose of bealing. I conclude by analyzing the implications of ritual wholeness for theories of gender and embodiment and for Mapuche identity politics.
Feature Reduction and Texture Classification in MRI-Texture Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis

The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of texture analysis in texture classification and tissue discrimination between MS lesions, normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and normal white matter (NWM) in order to support early diagnosis of MS. T2-weighted MR images of sixteen relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients and sixteen healthy subjects were selected. Based on the lesion size, sixteen regions of interests (ROIs) were chosen from MS patient MR images and healthy subject MR images for MS lesions, NAWM and NWM respectively. Texture features extracted from grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) were selected based on greatest feature difference. For statistical analysis, raw data analysis (RDA), principal component analysis (PCA) and nonlinear discriminant analysis (NDA) were applied to the texture features. The k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) and artificial neural network (ANN) methods were used for texture classification. Fisher coefficient and classification accuracy were used to evaluate the performance of texture analysis. The results demonstrated that (1) classification was successful (>90.00%) between MS lesions and NAWM or NWM, less successful (88.89%) among the three tissue groups and worst (66.67%) between NAWM and NWM; (2) In statistical analysis, NDA outperforms RDA and PCA; (3) ANN classified more accurately than k-NN method between NAWM and NWM, and among the three texture types. This study demonstrated that MRI texture analysis can achieve high classification accuracy in tissue discrimination between MS lesions and NAWM or NWM, which is valuable in supporting early diagnosis of MS.
Cryptosporidium parvum: treatment effects and the rate of decline in oocyst infectivity

Cryptosporidium parvum has become the focus of numerous studies on waterborne disease and transmission in response to outbreaks endangering populations worldwide. The Foci Detection Method–Most Probable Number Assay (FDM– MPN) is an in vitro cell culture method that has been developed and used to determine the quantity of infectious C. parvum oocysts. This research evaluated 2 vendor's producing oocysts, Sterling Parasitology Laboratory (SPL) and Pleasant Hill Farms (PHF) (now known as Bunch Grass Farms as of 12/03), classified as young ( 165 days), for comparison of treatments (bleach, antibiotic, no treatment) before cell culture, as well as an age study, to determine any lot-to-lot differences and vendor differences regarding the rate of decline in infectivity. Bleach treatment (0.525%) appeared to be the optimum method for the FDM–MPN with regards to maximum infectivity, efficient disinfection, with no visible antagonistic affects on the C. parvum oocysts. The age study revealed th...
Comparison of the predicted and measured loss factor of the superconducting cavity assembly for the CESR upgrade

Superconducting cavities have been chosen to replace the existing copper cavities for the future upgrade of CESR. The use of superconducting cavity modules, specially designed for a high current collider, allows us to lower the cavity impedance and the loss factor of the accelerating system and thereby increase the threshold for multi- and single-bunch instabilities. The loss factor has been measured in a beam test using calorimetric method; we measure the water temperature rise and the flow rate of the cooling water for a higher order mode load. To measure the loss factor vs. bunch length (10 to 25 mm), we used two different sets of CESR optics and different RF voltages. The experimental data points are in a good agreement with predicted values.
Controlled modification of erbium lifetime by near-field coupling to metallic films

Systematic measurements of the photoluminescence lifetime of the 1.54µm transition of erbium implanted at different energies in SiO2 films with different metallic overlayers are reported. The lifetime shows a strong reduction up to a factor of 20 with decreasing distance between the erbium and the metal overlayer. The reduction of lifetime is mainly due to a near-field interaction between the erbium ions and the metal overlayers through generation of surface plasmon polaritons at the metal/SiO2 interface and direct generation of heat in the metal. These experiments combined with rigorous theoretical modeling demonstrate that a high degree of control over the radiative properties of erbium can be achieved in erbium-implanted materials in a wide range of implantation energies. The experiments also allow us to determine the radiative efficiency of erbium in bulk SiO2. Contents
Floating, Fixed, or Super-Fixed? Dollarization Joins the Menu of Exchange-Rate Options

Debate on relative merits of alternative exchange-rate regimes was revived in the 1990’s by a succession of exchange-rate crises and associated global contagion. Despite waning enthusiasm for market-determined rates, most developed countries continued to float with only limited intervention. The major exception is the European Union. After a period of crises that accompanied attempts to keep rates within predefined bands, 11 EU members opted for a common regional currency issued by a regional central bank—a choice not even on the policy menu at the start of the decade. Developing and transition economies were likewise divided between those willing to cope with a marketdetermined rate and those choosing to fix rates. The newest twist for countries with fixed rates concerns minimizing the risk of crisis, especially crisis via contagion. Traditional crisis prevention emphasizes sound macroeconomic fundamentals bolstered by adequate international reserves and emergency lines of credit. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund’s original mandate was to provide supplementary balance-of-payments finance as needed to maintain official par values, including defense against speculative attack while countries get their fundamentals back in order. But the crises of the 1990’s delivered a disheartening message. Neither sound fundamentals nor seemingly adequate reserves and credit lines offered reliable protection against determined speculators. Hence, there has been increased attention to an alternative approach to crisis prevention: making a fixed rate entirely credible, and thus uninteresting to speculators in search of targets for attack, by establishing a currency board or even dollarization (i.e., official adoption of another country’s currency). These options are hardly new. The U.S. dollar has been Panama’s official currency since 1904. Unofficial dollarization, also known as currency substitution, is common in developing and transition economies whose national currencies are subject to a high inflation tax. Currency boards were once standard arrangements in British colonies; Mauritius had the first in 1849 (John Williamson, 1995). However, currency boards and dollarization are now increasingly promoted as tools for reducing the risk of exchange-rate crises for countries with fixed exchange rates. Our purpose is to clarify this new role and to recast the familiar fixed versus flexible rate discussion by distinguishing adjustable pegs from rates that are more permanently fixed through a currency board or dollarization. The decision to create the regional Euro raises many of the same issues. However, the Euro is already the subject of an enormous literature. We therefore focus on the considerations most relevant for developing and transition economies.
Socrates’ Moral Problem

The Oracle of Delphi, which found the sum of human wisdom in the expression “Know thyself,” also said that there was no man wiser than Socrates, from which one might conclude that no man knew himself better than Socrates. At first glance it might seem that this inference is given the lie by Socrates’ rather impudent attempt to pit himself against the Oracle and to show its judgment of himself to be wrong by discovering through the dialectical means another man wiser than himself (Apol. 21B-D). On the other hand, in putting this judgment to the question and by searching out the nature of such wisdom and ignorance as he had, he was actually vindicating the Oracle, at least the whole of the Socratic dialogues testifies to the conviction that a life of self-examination is the means to that knowledge which is virtue and is, therefore, the just life for a man to lead.
Complications and Surveillance After Bariatric Surgery.

Bariatric surgery represents a durable and safe treatment modality for morbid obesity. Bariatric surgery results in weight loss by one of two—and possibly both—primary mechanisms, reducing the amount of tolerable intake (restrictive) and reducing the amount of nutrients absorbed by bypassing absorptive intestine (malabsorptive). These procedures have consistently demonstrated superior resolution of obesity and many associated co-morbid conditions as compared to medical management. Beyond the periprocedural complications of surgery, there are longitudinal risks such as weight regain, anatomic complications, and micronutrient deficiencies. Complications related to the anatomic alteration after bariatric surgery include internal herniation, marginal ulcers, dumping syndrome, and gastric band-related complications. Physicians who take care of bariatric patients at any point in their post-operative care must be vigilant for these complications, as they may necessitate urgent intervention or re-operation. Micronutrient deficiencies, which commonly occur after malabsorptive procedures, may present with a wide range of symptoms—including neuropathies, anemia, poor wound healing, and hair loss, among others. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals frequently result in the need for long-term supplementation and may necessitate intravenous repletion when severe. Bariatric surgery may also alter the absorption of commonly prescribed medications, including anti-psychotic medications.
Cellular immunity in vitro: elaboration of MIF by thymic and marrow lymphoid cells.

SummaryDifferent populations of guinea pig lymphoid cells demonstrate marked heterogeneity in their ability to elaborate an in vitro chemical mediator of cellular immunity, migration inhibition factor. A concentration of 2.5% lymph node cells obtained from animals demonstrating cutaneous reactivity to tuberculin protein effectively inhibited the migration of peritoneal exudate cells from normal donors. Thymic and bone marrow cells were relatively ineffective in this assay; no significant reduction in the area of migration was observed with cell concentrations as high as 20%. The presence of a second but numerically small population of immunologically active cells in both these central lymphoid organs was suggested by the inhibition of migration in assays using 25% cells from sensitized donors. Results of these in vitro assays were further confirmed by in vivo cell transfer experiments.
A Research-Based Modification of a Computer Program for Reading Instruction

Two versions of a computer-based program for enhancing reading speed were examined. One program was based on a commercially available program that presents texts as randomly segmented chunks, while the other program segmented the text at meaningful breaks. College students read six passages at either 350 or 500 wpm and encountered both versions of the programs. Comprehension performance was lower for those students who read at 500 wpm. Students performed significantly better with the meaningful segment version. The difference was more pronounced for the 500 wpm condition, though the interaction was not significant. The authors argue that commercial computer programs for reading instruction should either be based on current research findings or allow for modification by the educators who purchase them.
Analysis of CRC Leak Check in Computer's Network

In communication of computer's network, for depressing of error code frequency in communication, one of the error-check controls of the communications of computer's network—Cyclic Redundancy Check(CRC).In this paper, it introduces the principle of CRC, the arithmetic rule of CRC, the arithmetic analysis of CRC, and analysis of CRC leak check.
A Parallel Power Flow Algorithm for Large-scale Grid Based on Stratified Path Trees and Its Implementation on GPU

For the demand on fast power flow calculation for large-scale power grid analysis and energy management systems,a sparse matrix factorization algorithm for graphic processing unit(GPU)based on stratified path trees is proposed.By referring to the algorithm,the Newton-Raphson method for solving the power-flow problem is implemented on GPU.To improve the efficiency,the calculation of the right-hand side of equation and the Jacobian matrix,LU decomposition and forward-back substitution are implemented on GPU,which reduces the data transfer time between GPU and central processing unit(CPU).Then,considering the multi-level memory architecture with registers,cache and global memory,a special data structure is designed to decrease the latency of data access.Moreover,considering the feature of threads arrangement on GPU,the task allocation is optimized,while the efficiency of parallelism is improved.Finally,compared with the power flow calculation module of power system analysis software package(PSASP)ran on CPU,numerical simulation test is conducted.The results show that the more the nodes,the more advantages GPU will get.In the test on a system with 43 602 nodes,the program is able to provide a 5.172 times speed-up ratio,which proves the effectiveness and practicality of the algorithm proposed.
Aligning incentives for value: The internal performance framework at Partners HealthCare.

Abstract • Incentives that reward performance at the intersection of organizational priorities and physician motivations are well positioned to spur behavioral change and accomplish organizational goals. • Metrics associated with financial incentives should be limited to those that are clinically meaningful and easy to understand. • Health systems must support physicians in the journey to value-based care. Placing physicians at financial risk for controlling health costs and improving quality—without equipping them with the tools to do so—leads to frustration and disillusionment. • Incentives that reward all levels of performance between baseline and a specified goal are effective at engaging physicians and promoting improvement.
Controlled delivery of β-globin-targeting TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 into mammalian cells for genome editing using microinjection

Tal-effector nucleases (TALEN) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) with CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins are genome editing tools with unprecedented potential. However, the ability to deliver optimal amounts of these nucleases into mammalian cells with minimal toxicity poses a major challenge. Common delivery approaches are transfection- and viral-based methods; each associated with significant drawbacks. An alternative method for directly delivering genome-editing reagents into single living cells with high efficiency and controlled volume is microinjection. Here, we characterize a glass microcapillary-based injection system and demonstrate controlled co-injection of TALENs or CRISPR/Cas9 together with donor template into single K562 cells for targeting the human β-globin gene. We quantified nuclease induced insertions and deletions (indels) and found that, with β-globin-targeting TALENs, similar levels of on- and off-target activity in cells could be achieved by microinjection compared with nucleofection. Furthermore, we observed 11% and 2% homology directed repair in single K562 cells co-injected with a donor template along with CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs respectively. These results demonstrate that a high level of targeted gene modification can be achieved in human cells using glass-needle microinjection of genome editing reagents.
Autoregulation of Cerebral Blood Flow

This chapter presents some of the fundamental aspects of cerebral vascular autoregulation with respect to its limits along with the consequences of exceeding those limits. Autoregulation of blood flow is a regulatory mechanism that allows blood flow in most vascular beds to remain relatively constant during variations of arterial pressure. This is particularly well developed in the brain presumably because it requires a high degree of homeostasis with respect to a balance of tissue nutrients and fluids. Without it, fluctuations of systemic arterial pressure would be accompanied by passive reductions or increases in flow, the consequences of which include cerebral ischemia and edema. The mechanisms responsible for cerebral blood flow autoregulation are not yet clearly understood. Possibilities that have been considered traditionally include neurogenic, myogenic, and metabolic factors. The intervention of neurogenic factors is unlikely as numerous experiments have demonstrated preservation of cerebral blood flow autoregulation in sympathetically and parasympathetically denervated animals. The chapter also considers some of the ways in which cerebral vascular autoregulation adapts to chronic hypertension.
The Design of a Heat Transfer Liquid Metal MHD Experiment for ALEX

An experiment to study heat transfer in liquid metal MHD flow, under conditions relevant to coolant channels for tokamak first wall and high heat flux devices, is described. The experimental configuration is a rectangular duct in a transverse magnetic field, heated on one wall parallel to the field. The specific objective of the experiment is to resolve important issues related to the presence and heat transfer characteristics of wall jets and flow instabilities in MHD flows in rectangular ducts with electrically conducting walls. Available analytical tools for MHD thermal hydraulics have been used in the design of the test article and its instrumentation. Proposed tests will cover a wide range of Peclet and Hartmann numbers and interaction parameters.
Thermodynamic Mechanism for Cation Diffusion Through an Intergranular Phase: Application to Environmental Reactions with Nitrogen Ceramics

A mechanistic model for the migration of cations from a continuous intergranular phase in response to environmental reaction at the surface of polyphase silicon nitrides is described. It predicts that the composition of the intergranular phase may be modified and controlled, with consequential beneficial or detrimental effects, by the deliberate formation of surface scales rich or poor in impurity cations. Two examples are illustrated, “purification” of the intergranular phase using an SiO2 surface layer leading to high temperature strength enhancement and strength degradation and corrosion when a CaO rich surface layer is employed.