cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary and Hepatic Complications of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Significant advances have been made in allogeneic transplantation for both adults and pediatric transplant recipients over the past 20 years, corresponding with dramatic declines in treatment-related mortality (TRM). The cumulative incidence of TRM at 1 year following unrelated donor transplants has decreased from 40 to 15 % between 1987 and 2006 for children with acute leukemia, the primary indication for transplant in the pediatric population (MacMillan et al., Biol Blood Marrow Transpl 14(9 Suppl):16–22, 2008). Improvements in conditioning regimen, supportive care, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing have all been associated with incremental improvements in survival during this period. In particular, the management of both infectious and noninfectious organ complications has changed dramatically, with improved sensitivity for diagnostic testing for pathogens and tremendous improvements in our understanding of organ complications. Two organ complications in particular, pulmonary and hepatic, have been a major focus of investigation over the past several decades. The introduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for the management of acute, noninfectious lung injury and the introduction of an endothelial stabilizing agent (defibrotide) for the management of hepatic veno-occlusive disease have been major advances in the past decade.
A neuromorphic approach to object detection and recognition in airborne videos with stabilization

Research has shown that the application of an attention algorithm to the front-end of an object recognition system can provide a boost in performance over extracting regions from an image in an unguided manner. However, when video imagery is taken from a moving platform, attention algorithms such as saliency can lose their potency. In this paper, we show that this loss is due to the motion channels in the saliency algorithm not being able to distinguish object motion from motion caused by platform movement in the videos, and that an object recognition system for such videos can be improved through the application of image stabilization and saliency. We apply this algorithm to airborne video samples from the DARPA VIVID dataset and demonstrate that the combination of stabilization and saliency significantly improves object recognition system performance for both stationary and moving objects.
Empathy and Otherness

This chapter (“Empathy and Otherness”) examines the phenomenon of empathy from the point of view of sensorimotor and kinesthetic experience. It begins by considering the components of empathy and looking at cognitive and phenomenological definitions of empathy. Drawing on Emmanuel Levinas’s Infinity and Totality, it considers the place of alterity in empathic interactions and what it means for spectators and actors to navigate otherness and difference empathically. The chapter concludes by addressing the issue of actors performing characters from different identity communities, including the controversial practice of non-disabled actors taking on disabled roles. Scenes and performances analyzed in this chapter include Gloucester’s blinding in Shakespeare’s King Lear, director Sam Gold’s production of The Glass Menagerie, and Proteus Theatre’s Merrick, the Elephant Man.
When does vesicoureteral reflux in pediatric kidney transplant patients need treatment

Purpose The treatment of VUR in children with UTI has changed significantly, due to studies showing that antibiotic prophylaxis does not decrease renal scarring. As children with kidney transplants are at higher risk for UTI, we investigated if select patients with renal transplant VUR could be managed without surgery. Materials and methods A total of 18 patients with VUR into their renal grafts were identified, and 319 patients underwent transplantation from 2006 to 2016. The cause for the detection of the VUR, treatment, and graft function was reviewed. Results Six boys and 12 girls were identified, 13 of whom had grade 3 or 4 VUR into the renal graft. Nine patients presented with hydronephrosis or abnormal renal biopsy: eight were successfully managed with antibiotic prophylaxis and bladder training, one developed UTI and underwent Dx/HA subureteric injection. Nine patients presented with recurrent febrile UTI, only one was successfully managed without surgery. Only 2 of 9 (22%) patients who underwent Dx/HA injection had resolution of their reflux. Of the remaining seven, five required open ureteral reimplantation (two for obstruction), one lost the graft due to rejection, and one had significant hydronephrosis. eGFR was similar between the hydronephrosis, UTI, and abnormal renal biopsy groups at all times. Conclusion Patients with transplant VUR and recurrent febrile UTI are more likely to require surgical therapy, but the complication and failure rate for Dx/HA injection is significant. Patients with transplant VUR without febrile UTI can be successfully managed with bladder training and temporary antibiotic prophylaxis.
Compact Comparator for Dual-Polarized Monopulse Array Based on Novel Eight-Port Coupler

A compact planar comparator is proposed for a dually-polarized monopulse beamforming. A novel eight-port coupler is employed as the central part to produce the sum- and difference- beams for two orthogonal polarizations, independently and simultaneously. The proposed comparator has a double-layer microstrip configuration smaller than the area of 0.75λ g × 0.2λ g , and without using T-junctions, vias, closed loops, or steps on each layer. An example of a dual linearly-polarized monopulse array composed of two elements working at 5.8 GHz is built and simulated to verify and demonstrate the performance of the compact comparator. Satisfying properties of sum- and difference-beams for two orthogonal polarizations can be observed, and good matching, isolation, and power division can be achieved in a 10% fractional bandwidth.
A Novel Medical Student Assistant Accommodation Model for a Medical Student With a Disability During a Required Clinical Clerkship.

Background As efforts continue to diversify the physician workforce so that it better matches the patient population, the number of medical students with disabilities will increase. U.S. medical schools and emergency medicine (EM) clerkships should be prepared to provide full and meaningful access to learners with disabilities. Methods We created a novel means of providing access to a senior medical student with a mobility disability (secondary to a cervical spinal cord injury) to participate in a fourth-year EM clerkship. We hired four second-year medical students as intermediaries to perform senior medical student-directed physical examination maneuvers, during his 15 required 8-hour emergency department shifts. The senior medical student dictated his documentation using Dragon Natural Speaking (Nuance Communications, 2015) voice recognition software. Results The senior medical student successfully completed the required clinical clerkship and earned a honors grade for his work. Both the senior medical student and the second-year medical student intermediaries gave positive feedback about the experience. Conclusions Given the significant prevalence of disability among medical students in U.S. medical schools, medical educators should provide greater access to students with disabilities and opportunities for advanced education for all learners by creating innovative clinical curriculum. The authors recommend the student intermediary model for senior medical students with physical disabilities in required clinical clerkships.
Patterns of Denitrification Potential in Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands

Limited evidence for spatial patterns of denitrification in tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFWs), seemingly due to high spatial variability in the process, is surprising considering the various spatial gradients of its biogeochemical and hydrogeomorphic controls in these ecosystems. Because certain physical environmental gradients may be useful for the prediction of denitrification in TFFWs, we measured denitrification and ecosystem attributes in hummock-hollow microtopography of TFFWs along longitudinal riverine positions (upper, middle, and lower tidal river sites, and nearby upstream nontidal forested floodplains) of the adjoining Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers, Virginia. We tested differences by river, site, and plot in denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) and substrate limitations of denitrification potential (DP). The Pamunkey River carries greater river nitrate concentrations, and we found less nitrate limitation of DP and greater soil nitrate in hollows of this river. DEA in tidal hummocks was positively correlated with soil organic matter, nitrogen, and carbon, with the highest rates in lower tidal sites. Hummocks also promoted greater oxygen-controlled substrate limitation of DP, whereby experimental aeration stimulated DP under subsequent inundation more in hummocks than hollows. Additionally, tidal sites had greater DEA than nontidal sites, inferred to be caused by a combination of higher moisture, organic, and nutrient content. Our results indicate that the increasing nitrogen concentrations in these rivers will increase denitrification more on the Mattaponi River by alleviating its greater nitrogen limitation compared to the Pamunkey River, and modification to sedimentation, inundation, or microtopography from sea level rise may alter denitrification gradients in TFFWs and upstream low-elevation nontidal floodplains.
Iron–sulfur cluster signaling: The common thread in fungal iron regulation

Abstract Iron homeostasis in fungi involves balancing iron uptake and storage with iron utilization to achieve adequate, nontoxic levels of this essential nutrient. Extensive work in the nonpathogenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe has uncovered unique iron regulation networks for each organism that control iron metabolism via distinct molecular mechanisms. However, common themes have emerged from these studies. The activities of all fungal iron-sensing transcription factors characterized to date are regulated via iron–sulfur cluster signaling. Furthermore, glutaredoxins often play a key role in relaying the intracellular iron status to these DNA-binding proteins. Recent work with fungal pathogens, including Candida and Aspergillus species and Cryptococcus neoformans, has revealed novel iron regulation mechanisms, yet similar roles for iron–sulfur clusters and glutaredoxins in iron signaling have been confirmed. This review will focus on these recent discoveries regarding iron regulation pathways in both pathogenic and nonpathogenic fungi.
Record-High ${K_{T}}^{2}$ Exceeding 7.4% Through Low-Impedance Lithographically Defined Resonant Rods in Aluminum Nitride Thin Plates

We demonstrate the first prototype of a novel class of Aluminum Nitride resonators, labeled Two-Dimensional-Resonant-Rods (2DRRs), for operation in the radiofrequency (RF) range. 2DRRs rely, for the first time, on the excitation of an array of locally resonant rods, micro-fabricated in thin-film AlN plates. In this work, we built a low-impedance $((\omega\mathrm{C}0)-1\approx 208\Omega)\ 2\mathrm{DRR}$ , operating at 2.35 GHz and showing an unprecedented electromechanical coupling coefficient ( ${k_{t}}^{2}$ ), for lithographically defined AlN resonators, exceeding 7.4%. Such a high ${k_{t}}^{2}$ -value, that matches closely the predicted value through Finite Element Methods (FEM), can be attained while relying on an unpatterned bottom metal plate. This unique feature permits to simultaneously attain large capacitance values and an optimal AlN crystalline orientation. Moreover, as verified through FEM, the resonance frequency of 2DRRs can be lithographically tuned without a substantial degradation of ${k_{t}}^{2}$ .
Nanobiophotonics and fluorescence nanoscopy in 2020

Abstract Nanobiophotonics and fluorescence nanoscopy are two major disciplines of photonics that lead the forefront of research in biomedical engineering. Super-resolution imaging, quantum plasmonics, and label-free detection of pathogens have come to the forefront of research in 2020. In this chapter, an introduction to nanobiophotonics is presented with a detailed discussion on topics such as nanoscopy, nanoimaging techniques, biomolecule sensing, nanomanipulation, and nanomedicine. Several biomedical imaging techniques are reviewed and detailed with contemporary advances in that field to create an overview of contemporary nanobiophotonics research in 2020.
Necroulcerative dermatitis associated with Myxobolus dermatoulcerans n. sp. (Cnidaria: Myxobolidae) in red-bellied piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri Kner (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae), from Peru

A group of red-bellied piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, recently imported from Peru exhibited multifocal, cutaneous ulcerations with exposure of the underlying musculature. Skin scrapes yielded moderate numbers of myxospores morphologically consistent with Myxobolus Butschli, 1882. Myxospores from these fish were morphologically and molecularly distinct from other myxobolids infecting piranha. Myxospores are pyriform to capsular with a rounded posterior and slightly rounded to tapering anterior aspect in valvular view. Myxospore bodies are 14.3-17.8 (mean 16.1) µm long and 7.6-10.3 (mean 8.9) µm wide. Polar capsules are symmetrical, slender, elongate, and measure 7.4-10.2 (mean 9.2) µm long and 2.1-3.7 (mean 3.0) µm wide. Sequence generated for the 18S rRNA gene had no direct matches to any sequence available on GenBank but demonstrated less than 89% nucleotide similarity to various published and unpublished Myxobolus spp. from Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier) and Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier). This paper provides the morphological and molecular characterisation of Myxobolus dermatoulcerans n. sp. from red-bellied piranha and describes associated pathological lesions.
Tobacco and Nicotine Use Among US Adult "Never Smokers" in Wave 4 (2016-2018) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

INTRODUCTION A common criterion for being labeled a "never smoker" is having smoked <100 lifetime cigarettes. This category is often used as an unexposed reference group to estimate the relative harm from cigarettes. We examined the amount of current and past cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco/nicotine use among adults who met this "never smoker" criterion. METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional data from 17 179 adult "never smokers" (ie, reported <100 lifetime cigarettes) in Wave 4 (2016-2018) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a United States nationally representative sample. We used PATH-derived variables to describe "never smokers'" demographics as well as cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco/nicotine use. RESULTS Approximately half of "never smokers" were young adults (49.3%). Most were white (68.6%) with some college or more (64.4%). Most "never smokers" had tried any cigarette or non-cigarette tobacco/nicotine in their lifetime (66.7%), 8.5% smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, and 5.3% were current experimental (ie, some days or every day) cigarette smokers. By definition, "never smokers" reported smoking <100 lifetime cigarettes. One fifth (22.8%) had a lifetime history of established regular non-cigarette tobacco/nicotine use and 8.6% were current established regular non-cigarette tobacco/nicotine users. In total, 9.4% of "never smokers" were current experimental or established regular users of combustible tobacco. CONCLUSIONS The 100-cigarette lifetime threshold includes substantial amounts of current and past tobacco use and thus does not represent lack of exposure to cigarette or non-cigarette tobacco. "Never smoker" reference groups may produce underestimates of the relative harms from cigarettes. IMPLICATIONS The <100 lifetime cigarettes criterion may not capture what many would consider true "never smokers." Relying on the current definition of "never smokers" as a reference group will include a substantial number of those currently and recently using combustible tobacco and thus produce data that may underestimate the relative harm from cigarettes. Prospective longitudinal research is needed to compare how the 100-cigarette lifetime threshold versus other definitions of regular cigarette smoking differ in predictive validity of clinically meaningful outcomes and health harms to determine the optimal criteria to define established cigarette smoking.
Ordered hybrid metamaterial of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3–Au vertically aligned nanocomposites achieved on templated SrTiO3 substrate

Abstract Coupled multifunctionalities in nanocomposite thin films offer a pathway toward future integration of device applications. The oxide–metal two-phase nanocomposite thin films in a vertically aligned nanocomposite (VAN) morphology allow for unique structural control and functionality tuning toward future nanoscale devices. However, achieving in-plane ordering of the two phases remains challenging. In this work, we demonstrate an initial success of in-plane long-range ordering achieved in a new oxide–metal VAN system, La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO)–Au, through annealed SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. The combination of plasmonic Au and ferromagnetic LSMO enables multifunctionalities, including magneto-optic coupling, hyperbolic dispersion, and tunable ferromagnetic anisotropy. Beyond this LSMO–Au VAN system demonstrated in this work, the long-range ordered two-phase structures induced by perovskite substrate surface terraces can be applied to other oxide–metal VAN systems.
Bechtel: The Global Corporation

This chapter provides a brief history and overview of Bechtel, the largest builder of megaprojects in the United States. Tracing the company’s 110-years of involvement with megaprojects, I discuss some of the controversy surrounding Bechtel, focusing on how Bechtel is criticized for being too cozy with government and business elites at the helm of the fossil fuel economy, or the organization of the U.S. political economy, and the everyday life around oil, gas, and coal. These controversies are political and not necessarily about Bechtel’s engineering, but have implications in how Bechtel may fare in the future. Bechtel is one of the world’s largest builders of urban rail transit and has a record of work in high speed rail transportation projects, both considered key components for reducing fossil fuel consumption in response to global warming and volatile energy prices. Bechtel has been involved in most of the new urban rail transit systems in the U.S. and is engaged in mega-rail projects in Europe and elsewhere. The chapter will conclude with some thoughts about how Bechtel might be poised to contribute to steering the U.S. away from the last century of access to cheap fossil fuels.
Israel's Palestinians: Introduction: The Other Palestinian Problem

Israel is liable in the end to doom its Arab citizens to fulfill its fears of them. How long can a relatively large minority be assumed by the majority to be an enemy without in the end actually turning into one? How long can the state exist as a stable political framework if this is how it treats a sixth of its citizens? Slowly and steadily, as if slumbering, Israel is missing its chance to rescue itself from a horrible mistake. It is creating for itself the enemy it will run up against after its other enemies have made their peace with it. David Grossman, Israeli writer No conflict in the world today receives more attention, attracts more controversy, and elicits more emotion than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, for all the diplomatic interest, news coverage, and political passion it generates, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is widely misunderstood. For some, the conflict is about the struggle of the Jewish state to survive in the Middle East and the unrelenting opposition it faces from Palestinians determined to prevent this. For others, the conflict is about the struggle of the Palestinians to end Israel's long-running occupation over them and achieve national self-determination.
Plasma Metabolome-Wide Association Study of Clinical Variables in Hospitalized Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

Aim: To explore the metabolism and underlying pathways relevant to nutritional status and acute illness in cystic fibrosis (CF), we examined the associations of lung function, length of hospital stay (LOS), and body mass index (BMI) with the plasma metabolome in adults with CF during a pulmonary exacerbation. Methods: Lung function of 25 adults with CF hospitalized for an acute pulmonary exacerbation was reported as a % of the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%). Plasma was analyzed via high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LTQ-Velos Orbitrap). An in-house R package performed linear regression with false discovery rate (FDR) correction to explore associations between clinical variables and plasma metabolites (q=0.20). The pathway analysis program, Mummichog, was used to match metabolites (p<0.05) to known metabolic pathways. Results: Of the 14,948 metabolites detected, FEV1% and LOS were associated with 41 and 99 metabolites, respectively (q<0.20). BMI was not associa...
Antecedents and Consequences of Burnout in Accounting: Beyond the Role Stress Model

The burnout condition of employees is a well-known phenomenon in psychology and several applied business disciplines. Despite some degree of recognition in the practice community, little explicit academic accounting recognition of this topic appears to exist. This paper introduces the burnout construct by showing that it has not been captured by other concepts in the literature. In addition to hypothesizing that burnout is directly related to several behavioral and attitudinal outcomes in public accounting practice, this paper proposes that burnout mediates the impact of role stressors on those outcomes. Within a national sample of accountants, the burnout condition is found to negatively affect satisfaction and performance and to positively affect turnover intentions. Furthermore, burnout partially mediated the influence of role conflict, role ambiguity and role overload on those outcomes. To some extent, burnout is capable of separating the functional and dysfunctional aspects of the role stressors on job outcomes.
Stress-induced Memory Enhancement for Inhibitory Fear Conditioning in Rats

The retroactive effects of stress on memory have not received a great deal of empirical attention; however, the research that has been conducted has reported both positive and negative effects of stress on memorial processes. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of a naturalistic Stressor—an intense bout of exercise—on memory for inhibitory fear conditioning in rats. Experiment 1 investigated the retroactive effect of a stressful swim treatment on memory for passive avoidance (PA) training. Rats that received an immediate posttraining swim treatment demonstrated a significant enhancement in performance when tested for retention 24 h later. Furthermore, the enhancing effect of the swim treatment was time dependent: Rats receiving the swim treatment 15 min after PA training no longer exhibited reliably better scores than did rats not receiving the swim treatment. Experiment 2 used preexposures to control for the possibility that the swim treatment was enhancing avoidance scores by acting as a punisher rather than a memory modulator. Results indicate that both the group that was preexposed and the group that was not preexposed showed reliably higher scores than did a group of animals receiving only PA training, thus replicating Experiment 1. Furthermore, the results of Experiment 2 suggest that swimming was not simply acting as a punishing agent, since preexposures to the treatment did not attenuate its memory-enhancing properties. The possible role of stress-related hormones on memory processes is considered.
Growth regulation of the interstitial cell population in hydra: I. Evidence for global control by nerve cells in the head☆

The interstitial cells of hydra form a multipotent stem cell system, producing terminally differentiated nerve cells and nematocytes during asexual growth. Under well-fed conditions the interstitial cell population doubles in size every 4 days. We have investigated the possible role of nerve cells in regulating this behavior. Nerve cells are normally found in highest concentrations in the head region of hydra, while interstitial cells are primarily located in the body column. Our experimental approach was to construct, by grafting, animals in which the density of nerve cells varied in (1) the head region, or (2) the body column. The growth of the interstitial cell population was then measured in these hydra. The results indicate that differences in head nerve cell density are closely correlated with how fast the interstitial cell population increases in size. Variations in the level of either nerve cells or interstitial cells in the body column showed no such correlation. These findings suggest the existence of a signaling mechanism in the head region. This signal, which is a function of the density of head nerve cells, emanates from the head tissue and exerts global control on the growth of the interstitial cell population in the body column.
Open skin boats of the Aleutians, Kodiak Island, and Prince William Sound

This article examines the relationship between the open skin boat (umiak) traditions of the Unangax/Aleut who inhabited the Aleutian Islands and the Sugpiat of Kodiak Island and Prince William Sound, the two southernmost Indigenous Alaskan peoples who used such watercraft. In a larger geographical context, the Aleutian Islands and the Kodiak Archipelago form a chain of lands stretching from the Alaska Peninsula to the eastern coast of Eurasia. Drawing from archaeological and ethnographic evidence, the author discusses both technological and social aspects of open skin boats. A comparison between Sugpiaq and Unangax/Aleut boats demonstrates similarities in some structural details and leads to a discussion of technological exchange in the larger region that encompasses Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, the Kodiak Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The different Indigenous boat types influenced each other along a chain of overlapping related elements and structural features, rather than being adopted in each case as a complete technological corpus. This exchange occurred along routes of trade and war but ultimately created a dynamic intellectual network of watercraft technology.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae elongation factor 2. Mutagenesis of the histidine precursor of diphthamide yields a functional protein that is resistant to diphtheria toxin

Protein synthesis elongation factor 2 (EF-2) is the target of the ADP-ribosylating activity of diphtheria toxin which is responsible for cell killing. Diphthamide, an unique post-translationally modified histidine residue, is both required for and the site of this ADP-ribosylation. Although present in the EF-2 of all eukaryotes and archaebacteria, the function of diphthamide is unknown. Here we describe the site-specific mutagenesis of the histidine precursor of diphthamide, histidine 699, in yeast EF-2. Plasmid-borne EFT was randomly mutagenized at the histidine 699 codon, and the technique of plasmid shuffling was utilized to select strains that were maintained by the mutant EFT. These mutants were screened for diphtheria toxin resistance. Sequence analysis of the EFT in 49 toxin-resistant isolates showed that histidine 699 had been replaced by 1 of 4 amino acids: asparagine, glutamine, leucine, or methionine. All 11 of the possible codons corresponding to these 4 amino acids were found. The growth rates of cells sustained by the mutant forms of EF-2 were slightly slower than those of isogenic wild-type cells. We conclude that despite its strict conservation and universal post-translational modification, the histidine precursor of diphthamide is not essential to the function of yeast EF-2 in protein synthesis.
Infrastructure Design Issues in Disaster-Prone Regions

Advances in infrastructure assessment and design should help designers and builders support sustainability and resilience goals.
Ideology-Specific Patterns of Moral Indifference Predict Intentions Not to Vote

Results from a nationally representative survey (N = 1, 341) provide evidence that self-reported nonvoting behavior is associated with lower endorsement of moral concerns and values (Study 1). Across three studies, five large samples (total N = 27,038), and two presidential elections, we replicate this pattern and show that the explicit intention not to vote is associated with lower endorsement of moral concerns and values (Studies 2–4). This pattern was not found for endorsement of nonmoral values. Separate analyses for liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and Tea Party supporters reveal that the intention not to vote is specifically associated with low endorsement of the moral concerns most associated with one's ideological group: Care and Fairness concerns predicted voting intentions for liberals, while Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity concerns predicted voting intentions for conservatives and members of the Tea Party group FreedomWorks.
Calculation of a fluctuating entropic force by phase space sampling

A polymer chain pinned in space exerts a fluctuating force on the pin point in thermal equilibrium. The average of such fluctuating force is well understood from statistical mechanics as an entropic force, but little is known about the underlying force distribution. Here, we introduce two phase space sampling methods that can produce the equilibrium distribution of instantaneous forces exerted by a terminally pinned polymer. In these methods, both the positions and momenta of mass points representing a freely jointed chain are perturbed in accordance with the spatial constraints and the Boltzmann distribution of total energy. The constraint force for each conformation and momentum is calculated using Lagrangian dynamics. Using terminally pinned chains in space and on a surface, we show that the force distribution is highly asymmetric with both tensile and compressive forces. Most importantly, the mean of the distribution, which is equal to the entropic force, is not the most probable force even for long chains. Our work provides insights into the mechanistic origin of entropic forces, and an efficient computational tool for unbiased sampling of the phase space of a constrained system.
DMFC system design for portable applications

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) in portable applications are expected to provide substantially higher energy density and longer operating times over advanced batteries. The time threshold of advantage of using a fuel cell instead of a battery is almost independent of the power level, and is determined by the power density of the fuel cell and its operating efficiency. The various requirements for portable fuel cells that determine system design are defined with examples. The system design process and analysis methods are illustrated. The characteristics of cells and stacks required for system design are described. The dependence of DMFC stack performance on airflow rate, methanol concentration and temperature are necessary for developing closed loop mathematical models for system design. Such a closed loop system model has been developed and the consequences of varying airflow rate on water recovery, thermal management and overall system performance have been analyzed. Using this model, the effect of crossover rate on the overall efficiency, power density and the operating methanol concentrations have also been investigated. Effect of components on the overall power budget and design issues relating to start-up and transient response are also discussed. Keywords: direct methanol fuel cell; portable fuel cell requirements; system model; water recovery; efficiency; crossover rate; system design; closed loop operation; methanol sensor
Hitler. By A. N. Wilson. (New York, NY: Basic Books, 2012. Pp. 200. $24.99.)

Readers expecting A. N. Wilson's Hitler to be a detailed biography in the tradition of the author's earlier books might, upon first glance, be disappointed in this one. Wilson's contribution is not...
Open process and open-source enterprise systems

Enterprise systems have become pervasive, especially at the high end of the market where SAP and Oracle service large organisations. There is a great deal of value in enterprise systems offered to all organisations, but many small and medium businesses (SMBs) cannot afford the excessive software costs of established ERP systems. There have been a number of alternative forms of enterprise systems developed, to include open-source software. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) allows vendors to efficiently adopt new processes within their products. Organisations (and open-source ERP systems) can use SOA in customising or improving their systems. Web 2.0 helps collaborative development of knowledge which can be invaluable in identifying better business processes. The Web 2.0 era makes innovative access to enterprise systems possible for many SMBs. This paper reviews the role of SOA and Web 2.0 in making ERP systems more open, and classifies open enterprise systems on the dimension of process. We propose that organisations should conduct knowledge development for business processes through Web 2.0 prior to implementing external to enterprise systems. Once better processes are developed, they can be implemented to improve enterprise systems.
Pulsewidth Locked Loop (PWLL) for Automatic Resonant Frequency Tracking in LLC DC–DC Transformer (LLC -DCX)

In recently developed distributed power architecture, the LLC resonant converter has been widely used as a dc–dc transformer (DCX) to provide a semiregulated or unregulated bus voltage. In order to achieve the highest efficiency, this paper proposes a novel switching frequency control scheme for the LLC-DCX. First, the synchronous rectifier (SR) gate-driving signals are tuned by eliminating the body diode conduction. Then, the pulsewidth locked loop (PWLL) is presented, by minimizing the pulsewidth difference between the main switch and the well-tuned SR gate-driving signals, the LLC-DCX always runs at the $f_0$ point to achieve the highest efficiency. For rapid prototyping purposes, the PWLL used to track $f_{0}$ is realized in a Cyclone III field programmable gate array.
Two‐dimensional operation of a scanning optical microscope using a vibrating knife‐edge corner

We analyze and demonstrate a scanning optical microscope that uses a vibrating knife-edge corner to provide arbitrary, electronically variable resolution. Implications for general near-field microscopy are discussed.©1993 John Wiley & Sons Inc
Unit-hydrograph lag and peak flow related to basin characteristics

Unit-hydrograph lag and peak-flow values have been empirically related to basin characteristics and to the duration of rainfall excess. Characteristic data for 20 basins ranging from 20 to 1600 sq mi of drainage area and located in the North and Middle Atlantic States were used in the study. Unit-hydrograph values were obtained from 65 rainfall excess periods. The study indicates that the most significant basin characteristics were drainage area, length of longest watercourse, length to center of area, and equivalent mainstream slope. Graphs of the correlation studies are given and a method for determining equivalent main-stream slope is presented. A nomograph for the computation of synthetic unit hydrographs is included and is based on equations developed in the study. The data presented will aid in the determination of unit hydrographs for ungaged watersheds in similar areas.
Media matrix: a digital library research tool

Media Matrix (version 1.0) is an online server side tool that helps users to find, segment, annotate, organize, and publish streaming media found in digital libraries on the Internet. Media Matrix works within a user's browser, using the browser's bookmark feature
Parenteral vs Oral Antibiotics in the Prevention of Serious Bacterial Infections in Children with Streptococcus pneumoniae Occult Bacteremia: A Meta‐analysis

. Objective: To determine whether parenteral antibiotics are superior to oral antibiotics in preventing serious bacterial infections in children with Streptococcus pneumoniae occult bacteremia. Methods: Using the MEDLINE database, the English language literature was searched for all publications concerning bacteremia, fever, or Streptococcus pneumoniae from 1966 to January 1, 1997. All nondupli-cative studies with a series of children with S. pneumoniae occult bacteremia having both orally treated and parenterally treated groups were reviewed. Children were excluded from individual studies if at the time of their initial evaluation they were immuno-compromised, had a serious bacterial infection, underwent a lumbar puncture, or did not receive antibiotics. Results: Only 4 studies met study criteria. From these studies, 511 total cases of S. pneumoniae occult bacteremia were identified. Ten of 290 (3.4%) in the oral group and 5 of 221 (2.3%) in the parenteral antibiotic group developed serious bacterial infections (pooled p-value = 0.467, pooled OR = 1.48; 95% CI, 0.5–4.3). Two patients in the oral group (0.7%) and 2 patients in the parenteral group (0.9%) developed meningitis (pooled p-value = 0.699, pooled OR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.1–5.1). Conclusion: The rates of serious bacterial infections and meningitis did not differ between children who were treated with oral and parenteral antibiotics. The extremely low rate of complications observed in both groups suggests no clinically significant difference between therapies. A study with > 7,500 bacteremic children (or >300,000 febrile children) would be needed to have 80% power to prove parenteral antibiotics are superior to oral antibiotics in preventing serious bacterial infections.
Faculty Development: An Experimental Psychologist Teaches Abnormal Psychology.

Teaching a course outside one's area of expertise can enhance faculty development and alleviate burnout. This article describes the benefits and drawbacks of an experimentalist's classroom encounter with Abnormal Psychology as well as student reaction to the experience. In this case, the positive aspects outweighed the negative, and teaching a new course contributed to my development.
Lacustrine chronology links late Pleistocene climate change and mass movements in northern New Mexico

Well-dated lacustrine deposits in northern White Rock Canyon, New Mexico, record damming of the Rio Grande by at least four separate failures of a slump complex between about 17.5 and 12.4 ka ({sup 14}C), linking mass movements to a period of rapid climate change in the western United States. Failure of metastable slumps probably resulted from removal of lateral support during down-cutting and erosion by the Rio Grande and from a decrease in resisting forces due to increased pore pressures. Our chronology suggests that the lake that formed between 17.5 and 15.0 ka may record effects of both glacial melt and pluvial activity (mainly enhanced rainfall); the youngest lake (neary 12.4 ka) may record pluvial runoff; and the intermediate lakes (13.7 to 13.1 ka) may record pluvial and minor melt-water activity. We have not found lacustrine deposits younger than about 12.4 ka. The record of geomorphic response along the Rio Grande suggests that late Pleistocene climatic changes may have triggered similar mass movements elsewhere in the southwest. 27 refs., 4 figs.
The inverted-lecture model: a case study in computer architecture

This paper reports on an experience in using the inverted-lecture model ("flipping the classroom") in computer architecture. The first author concurrently taught two courses in computer architecture. One of these courses was CSC/ECE 506: Architecture of Parallel Computers, an introductory Graduate-level course, taught via lecture both residentially and distance-ed. The other was the CSC 456: Computer Architecture and Multiprocessing, a senior-level undergraduate course which was "flipped." Students in the inverted-lecture class exhibited high levels of engagement. Their performance on exams was not quite up to the level of the students in the graduate class, but the difference was not wide. From this experience, we offer observations and suggestions about inverted classes in general.
Conceptions of Effective Mathematics Teaching within a Cultural Context: Perspectives of Teachers from China and the United States.

This study investigates Chinese and U.S. teachers’ cultural beliefs concerning effective mathematics teaching from the teachers’ perspectives. Although sharing some common beliefs, the two groups of teachers think differently about both mathematics understanding and the features of effective teaching. The sample of U.S. teachers put more emphasis on student understanding with concrete examples, and the sample of Chinese teachers put more emphasis on abstract reasoning after using concrete examples. The U.S. teachers highlight a teacher’s abilities to facilitate student participation, manage the classroom and have a sense of humor, while the Chinese teachers emphasize a teacher’s solid mathematics knowledge and careful study of textbooks. Both groups of teachers agree that memorization and understanding cannot be separated. However, for the U.S. teachers, memorization comes after understanding, but for Chinese teachers, memorization can come before understanding. These differences of teachers’ beliefs are discussed in a cultural context.
SYSTEMATICS OF THE ZYGNEMATACEAE (CHLOROPHYCEAE). II. ZYGOSPORE‐WALL STRUCTURE IN SIROGONIUM AND A TAXONOMIC PROPOSAL1

Zygospore-wall structure is described for nine species of Sirogonium using the light microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on spores from cultures and on glycerin-preserved spores from field collections. Zygospores possess four distinctive wall layers with the innermost and outermost smooth and composed of cellulose. The two median wall layers are pigmented and the innermost of these may be conspicuously ornamented as in Sirogonium ceylanicum Wittrock, S. hui (Li) Transeau, S. melanosporum (Randhawa) Transeau, S. ventersicum Transeau, S. pseudofloridanum (Prescott) Transeau and S. illinoisense (Transeau) G. M. Smith. Inner median wall layers of S. floridanum (Transeau) G. M. Smith, S. sticticum (J. E. Smith) Kutzing and S. tenuis (Nordstedt) Transeau lack distinctive ornamentation, but possess minor depressions or small raised areas on their surfaces. Types of ornamentation revealed by SEM are compared with earlier light microscope observations and the interpretations from SEM are used to construct improved taxonomic keys to Sirogonium.
Anonymous reviews: Self-serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable

Recently I became involved in an incident in which a manuscript was rejected on the advice of two anonymous reviewers and an anonymous associate editor. This re-activated my long-standing disgust at the entire system of anonymous reviews and pushed me—finally—into doing something about it. A few weeks or months ago, I read a similar protest, somewhere—one much more persuasive than I am likely to write—but my high-mileage brain has misplaced its provenance. Consider this a “high-five” to that misplaced author.
A specification language for planning and fault recovery in manufacturing systems

This paper presents the syntax and semantics of a component-oriented rule-based language for specifying the formal models of manufacturing systems. A model captures the state of a component of the system in a set of first-order logic predicates, and it captures the semantics of the operations performed by this component in a set of rules that determine the preconditions and postconditions of an operation. The models are then used to plan the sequence of operations of each class of jobs to be manufactured by these systems. A plan-oriented fault detection and correction strategy is proposed. This strategy can automatically handle any combination of faults that may occur when monitoring the operations of manufacturing systems. A fault-tree is consulted prior to executing the scheduled operations of a plan, and the faults that affect the execution of these operations are handled subsequently. Resuming the original cyclic schedule is attempted, whenever feasible. As a proof of concept, a prototype implementation of both the main constructs of the component-oriented rule-based language and the planning and fault-recovery algorithms presented in this paper have been completed. This prototype is implemented on a Unix-based system in the Ada programming language. The specification of a manufacturing system is first expressed in the proposed language. These statements are then translated into Ada code. This code is next compiled by a Verdix Ada compiler and is executed in order to create and populate the model data structure of the system. A detailed plan of execution and a set of fault-recovery plans may then be derived for a job to be manufactured on this system.
Stimulation and maintenance by nerve growth factor of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase in superior cervical ganglia of adult rats.

Summary Treatment of newborn rats with nerve growth factor (NGF) results in a striking increase inphenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in the superior cervical ganglia. Between one and three weeks of age there is normally a 10-fold decrease in PNMT activity in ganglia of infant rats. NGF treatment maintains the PNMT in ganglia at levels 10-fold greater than in untreated controls, but the levels of enzyme in the ganglion show the same magnitude of decrease with age. Epinephrine levels are markedly increased in ganglia of NGF-treated rats younger than one week of age, but at older ages the levels of the catecholamine are only slightly greater than the controls. Dexamethasone is less effective than NGF in increasing the levels of PNMT in ganglia of infant rats and, unlike NGF, becomes ineffective by 44 days of age. These results suggest that there may be two types of PNMT-containing cells in ganglia of newborn rats.
Gr64f Is Required in Combination with Other Gustatory Receptors for Sugar Detection in Drosophila

The mechanisms by which the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster detects sweet compounds are poorly understood; however, a subset of the family of 68 gustatory receptors (Grs) has emerged as the key receptors. These seven transmembrane receptors include Gr5a and at least one member of the six genes in the Gr64 cluster (Gr64a), which are expressed in sugar-responsive neurons. Disruption of Gr5a prevents the detection of trehalose [1-3], whereas mutation of Gr64a impairs the responses to sucrose, maltose, and glucose [4, 5]. Recent studies suggest that these sugar receptors may require a coreceptor for function in vivo [4-6]; however, the identity of the putative coreceptor is not known. In the current work, we demonstrate that Gr64f is required in combination with Gr5a for the behavioral response to trehalose and for production of nerve responses to trehalose. Gr64f was also required in concert with Gr64a to rescue the defects in the sensitivities to sucrose, maltose, and glucose, resulting from deletion of the entire Gr64 cluster. These data suggest that Drosophila sugar receptors function as multimers and that Gr64f is required broadly as a coreceptor for the detection of sugars.