cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Injury-induced mechanical hypersensitivity requires C-low threshold mechanoreceptors

Mechanical pain contributes to the morbidity associated with inflammation and trauma, but primary sensory neurons that convey the sensation of acute and persistent mechanical pain have not been identified. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons transmit sensory information to the spinal cord using the excitatory transmitter glutamate, a process that depends on glutamate transport into synaptic vesicles for regulated exocytotic release. Here we report that a small subset of cells in the DRG expresses the low abundance vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT3 (also known as SLC17A8). In the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, these afferents project to lamina I and the innermost layer of lamina II, which has previously been implicated in persistent pain caused by injury. Because the different VGLUT isoforms generally have a non-redundant pattern of expression, we used Vglut3 knockout mice to assess the role of VGLUT3(+) primary afferents in the behavioural response to somatosensory input. The loss of VGLUT3 specifically impairs mechanical pain sensation, and in particular the mechanical hypersensitivity to normally innocuous stimuli that accompanies inflammation, nerve injury and trauma. Direct recording from VGLUT3(+) neurons in the DRG further identifies them as a poorly understood population of unmyelinated, low threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs). The analysis of Vglut3(-/-) mice now indicates a critical role for C-LTMRs in the mechanical hypersensitivity caused by injury.
Medical Futility in Resuscitation: Value Judgement and Clinical Judgement

Mr. F. Smith was a 63-year-old man admitted to the Veterans Administration hospital with fever, respiratory distress, and a possible recurrent pneumonia. He had entered a community hospital with pneumonia approximately 18 months earlier. His 80 pack-year tobacco history and 10-year emphysema history complicated the clinical course on the first admission, and his status worsened to the point of respiratory failure. He suffered a cardiac arrest while on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. He was asystolic for approximately 5 minutes but was resuscitated.
Prolactin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in schizoaffective depressed compared to depressed and schizophrenic men and healthy controls

Biological tests may help clarify the relationship of schizoaffective disorder to major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), 500 μg, was administered intravenously to eight schizoaffective depressed (SD), ten SCZ, 23 MDD patients and 43 healthy controls (HC), all males, ages 20–66 years and drug-free. Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) were utilized for establishing diagnoses, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) total scores were used for assessing depressive symptoms. There were no differences in dmax PRL (post-TRH prolactin peak minus baseline, mean ± SD) amongst SD, SCZ and HC groups (27.3±5.2, 28.8±5.4 and 31.5±5.6 ng/ml respectively). Mean dmax PRL in MDD was significantly lower than each of the other three groups (17.1±2.2 ng/ml, P<0.05 for all). The essentially normal PRL response to TRH in SD, significantly different from MDD but similar to SCZ parallels our previous observations on the pattern of thyrotropin (TSH) response to TRH in the same diagnostic groups. These biological findings may be taken to indicate that schizoaffective disorder, depressed subtype, is closer to schizophrenia than to major depressive disorder. However, they cannot be considered definitive evidence to that effect since schizoaffective disorders are known to be quite heterogeneous, and since the utilized biological tests lack specificity.
On the chromatic index of graphs with 2 m + 1 vertices and 2 m 2 edges

Abstract Consider the chromatic index problem for K 2 m + 1 , the complete graphs with 2 m + 1 vertices, m = 1,2,…. The chromatic index of these graphs is known to be 2 m + 1, the degree of the graphs plus one. Plantholt proved that K 2 m + 1 − m , the graph obtained after removing arbitrary m edges from K 2 m + 1 , has the chromatic index 2 m . In this paper, we present a much simpler constructive proof for this problem as well as an O( m 2 ) optimal time algorithm for actually assigning colors to the edges.
PLANAR LAMINAR DIFFUSION FLAMES: A SIMPLIFIED MODEL FOR FLAME SHAPE

A theoretical model for the shape of a planar laminar jet diffusion flame in the buoyancy-controlled regime has been developed and the results of a comparison between the theoretical results and previously reported experimental data are presented. The two-dimensional flame shape model is based on an extension of the classical buoyancy-controlled flame height model of Roper. The derivation of the model is presented along with the simplifying assumptions. In the buoyancy-controlled regime, the flame height is known to be a function of the gravitational acceleration and, thus, the theoretical results are compared to experimental data at different gravitational levels. Despite its simplicity, results from the model showed good agreement with the experimental data. By employing a simplified description of flame behavior, a more tractable representation of the physical transport mechanisms responsible for the experimentally observed behavior is obtained.
Observation of ballooning modes in high-temperature tokamak plasmas.

The beta-degradation phase of a high-{beta}{sub {ital p}} plasma in the TFTR tokamak is analyzed with x-ray and electron cyclotron emission imaging techniques. Medium-{ital n} (toroidal mode number) instabilities with ballooning characteristics are observed near and within the {ital q}=1.5 surface during a slow degradation in the plasma {beta} and precede a sudden partial collapse in the central plasma pressure. This is the first reported observation of a ballooning instability in the interior of a large, collisionless tokamak plasma.
MIP-1α Induces Binding of Nuclear Factors to the κB DNA Element in Human B Cells

The chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1alpha) stimulates migration of B cells through an unknown mechanism. Furthermore, little is known about signal transduction mechanisms through which MIP-1alpha might signal phenotypic changes in B cells. We are investigating the role of MIP-1alpha in B cell signaling. Here we report that stimulation of the Ramos B cell line or tonsil B or peripheral blood-B (PBL-B) cells with MIP-1alpha caused the transcription factor NF-kappaB to bind to DNA. NF-kappaB induction was dose dependent, and was transient, with peak induction occurring at 30 min. MIP-1alpha treatment stimulated the degradation of IkappaBalpha, a cytoplasmic inhibitor of NF-kappaB. The biological significance of NF-kappaB activation by MIP-1alpha is currently unknown, but it is known that NF-kappaB modulates expression of genes involved in many inflammatory and immune responses. Here we show that NF-kappaB activation is a target of signals sent into B cells by MIP-1alpha.
Medical management of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common articular disease, and it continues to be a major public health problem related to pain, disability, loss of time from work, and economics. Most patients with OA seek medical attention because of pain. In the past few years, changes in the treatment of OA have been substantial. More effective nonnarcotic analgesics, cyclooxygenase-2-specific inhibitors, nutraceuticals, and intra-articular hyaluronates are some of the new medications and agents that are now available. The understanding and use of nonpharmacological interventions, including patient education, exercise programs, and weight reduction when appropriate, have also improved. Relief of pain and restoration of function can be accomplished in many patients, particularly with an integrated approach. This article focuses on medical treatment approaches for OA, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological.
Introduction to modeling and generating probabilistic input processes for simulation

Techniques are presented for modeling and generating the univariate probabilistic input processes that drive many simulation experiments. Emphasis is on the generalized beta distribution family, the Johnson translation system of distributions, and the Bezier distribution family. Also discussed are nonparametric techniques for modeling and simulating time-dependent arrival streams using nonhomogeneous Poisson processes. Public-domain software implementations and current applications are presented for each input-modeling technique. Many of the references include live hyperlinks providing online access to the referenced material.
The effects of working memory on brain-computer interface performance.

Abstract Objective The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between working memory and BCI performance. Methods Participants took part in two separate sessions. The first session consisted of three computerized tasks. The List Sorting Working Memory Task was used to measure working memory, the Picture Vocabulary Test was used to measure general intelligence, and the Dimensional Change Card Sort Test was used to measure executive function, specifically cognitive flexibility. The second session consisted of a P300-based BCI copy-spelling task. Results The results indicate that both working memory and general intelligence are significant predictors of BCI performance. Conclusions This suggests that working memory training could be used to improve performance on a BCI task. Significance Working memory training may help to reduce a portion of the individual differences that exist in BCI performance allowing for a wider range of users to successfully operate the BCI system as well as increase the BCI performance of current users.
Navajo Trading: The End of an Era

Navajo Trading: The End of an Era. Willow Roberts Powers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001. 282 pp.
The implant-supported milled-bar mandibular overdenture.

Osseointegrated dental implants have been proven successful in the treatment of edentulism. The predictability of the implant-supported prosthesis has also been established. Several techniques have been described for the successful restoration of the edentulous mandible: fixed-detachable prostheses with either the original Branemark hybrid prosthesis design or conventional implant-supported fixed partial dentures, implant-retained overdentures, and implant-supported overdentures. However, in cases of advanced ridge resorption in which facial tissue support is needed from the flanges of the prosthesis or when a removable type of prosthesis is preferred by the patient, an implant-supported prosthesis is indicated. Electric discharge machining is often used in the fabrication of the bar for an implant-supported overdenture. This procedure is very costly and technique sensitive. An alternative procedure to fabricate a milled-bar implant-supported overdenture is described. This procedure is simple and uses inexpensive equipment and materials. The milled-bar minimizes lateral and rotational displacement. The overdenture incorporates attachments that provide retention, minimizing possible movement along the path of insertion. This type of prosthesis is available to a broad patient population, especially those with advanced ridge resorption, providing an excellent result at a reduced cost. J Prosthodont 2001;10:46-51.
The intellectual given

Intuition is sometimes derided as an abstruse or esoteric phenomenon akin to crystal-ball gazing. Such derision appears to be fuelled primarily by the suggestion, evidently endorsed by traditional rationalists such as Plato and Descartes, that intuition is a kind of direct, immediate apprehension akin to perception. This paper suggests that although the perceptual analogy has often been dismissed as encouraging a theoretically useless metaphor, a quasi-perceptualist view of intuition may enable rationalists to begin to meet the challenge of supplying a theoretically satisfying treatment of their favoured epistemic source. It is argued, first, that intuitions and perceptual experiences are at a certain level of abstraction the same type of mental state, presentations, which are distinct from beliefs, hunches, inclinations, attractions, and seemings. The notion of a presentation is given a positive explication, which identifies its characteristic features, accounts for several of its substantive psychological roles, and systematically locates it in a threefold division among types of contentful states. Subsequently, it is argued that presentations, intuitive no less than sensory, are by their nature poised to play a distinctive epistemic role. Specifically, in the case of intuition, we encounter an intellectual state that is so structured as to provide justification without requiring justification in turn—something which may, thus, be thought of as ‘given’.
Alternating ictal and postictal nystagmus

A 65-year-old man presented with intermittent spells of unresponsiveness. EEG monitoring demonstrated seizures originating in the left temporo-occipital lobe attributed to hyperglycemia (>300 mg/dL).
Graph analysis and transformation techniques for runtime minimization in multi-threaded architectures

Describes a method of analysis for detecting and minimizing memory latency using a directed data dependency graph produced from a compiler. These results are applicable to the development of methods for the optimal generation of instruction threads to be executed on a multi-threaded, data-driven architecture. The resulting runtime reductions are accomplished by minimizing memory access times by individual processing elements. Additionally, these analysis methods can be used to predict measures of achievable parallelism for a given program graph which can be exploited by a reconfigurable, multi-threaded architecture.
Welcome to the era of interconnecting pathways

Our understanding of hematopoiesis has evolved from the turn of the last century when early hematopoietic cells were identified by morphologic examination of marrow cells after special stains. During the 1960s and 1970s, Till, McCulloch, Metcalf, and Sachs provided us in vivo and in vitro clonogenic
Technical Note: Bias correcting climate model simulated daily temperature extremes with quantile mapping

Abstract. When applying a quantile mapping-based bias correction to daily temperature extremes simulated by a global climate model (GCM), the transformed values of maximum and minimum temperatures are changed, and the diurnal temperature range (DTR) can become physically unrealistic. While causes are not thoroughly explored, there is a strong relationship between GCM biases in snow albedo feedback during snowmelt and bias correction resulting in unrealistic DTR values. We propose a technique to bias correct DTR, based on comparing observations and GCM historic simulations, and combine that with either bias correcting daily maximum temperatures and calculating daily minimum temperatures or vice versa. By basing the bias correction on a base period of 1961–1980 and validating it during a test period of 1981–1999, we show that bias correcting DTR and maximum daily temperature can produce more accurate estimations of daily temperature extremes while avoiding the pathological cases of unrealistic DTR values.
Bond Selective Chemistry with Photon-Stimulated Desorption

Photon stimulated desorption of fluorine ions from silicon surfaces was studied via excitation of the Si 2p core level with synchrotron radiation. These results showed that the process is chemically selective in that the removal of a fluorine ion from a silicon species in a given oxidation state can be enhanced by tuning the photon energy to the excitation wavelength corresponding to a transition from the 2p core level of the bonding atom to the conduction band minimum. This process was studied as a possible means for the production of surfaces with selected compositions of species. The results of selective exposures of fluorinated surfaces to monochromatized radiation indicated that secondary desorption processes and the inherent chemistry of the surface reactions can override the effects of selective desorption. Other possibilities for selective surface reactions via core-level excitations are discussed.
Utilization of inorganic and organic nitrogen by bacteria in marine systems1

Professorships for Women Program (grant RTI-83 10369) and by NSF grants OCE 83-08753 (to P. A. Wheeler) and OCE 8 1-17834 (to R. E. Hodson).
A Formal Ethnographic Analysis of Tenejapa Ladino1 Weddings

W E PRESENT in this paper2 a preliminary statement of some field procedures directed toward ethnographic descriptions that parallel the categorizations of the people under study. By way of example, we describe wedding ceremonials among the ladino population of Tenejapa, Chiapas, Mexico, in terms of the ways in which they perceive weddings to differ in form, as well as the kinds of inferences which they draw on the basis of the occurrence of one form rather than another in particular weddings. The description, and the procedures employed in arriving at it, are intended to be free of the distortion introduced by investigators' pre-definition of problem and by the investigators' own implicit perception or assumption of descriptive units. The "units" employed arise from the data through the application of procedures outlined below, and the description is largely an extended definition of these units and their relation to other units.
Ecological measurements of light exposure, activity, and circadian disruption.

In humans, circadian rhythms have an average period of 24.2 hours. The 24-hour patterns of light and dark on the retina synchronise circadian rhythms to the local time on earth. Lack of synchronisation between the endogenous clock and the local time has been associated with a host of maladies. Therefore, it is important to measure circadian light exposures over the course of the 24-hour day and to be able to assess circadian entrainment and disruption in actual living environments. Presented is an overview of the recently developed Daysimeter, a personal measurement device for recording activity and circadian light exposure. When the Daysimeter is worn on the head, two light sensors near the eye are used to estimate circadian light exposures over extended periods of time. Phasor analysis combines the measured periodic activity-rest patterns with the measured periodic light—dark patterns to assess behavioural circadian entrainment/disruption. As shown, day-shift and rotating-shift nurses exhibit remarkably different levels of behavioural circadian entrainment/disruption. These new ecological measurement and analysis techniques may provide important insights into the relationship between circadian disruption and well-being.
An experimental analysis of social traps: A second life analog

Social traps are examples of social dilemma situations, where an individual acts for personal advantage that is damaging the group as a whole. Traps can be avoided, nevertheless, by the proper coordination between the group members. A laboratory analog of social traps was implemented by Brechner in the 1970's. We built a Second Life analog for Brechner's experiment to explore how coordination takes place in a 3D virtual world. We observed group response patterns that are very similar to the original experiment. That, in turn, shows a great potential for using virtual worlds as collaborative tools.
Carbonate Platform Drowning and Oceanic Anoxic Events on a Mid-Cretaceous Carbonate Platform, South-Central Pyrenees, Spain

ABSTRACT The Cenomanian-Turonian carbonate platform of the south-central Pyrenees (northern Spain) records an abrupt transition from benthic carbonate deposits to pelagic deposits near the Cenomanian-Turonian (C/T) boundary. This shift coincides with a globally recognized oceanic anoxic event (OAE), characterized by the widespread deposition of organic-rich sediments in deep marine environments. A positive d13C excursion of up 3 is recorded in carbonate and organic carbon deposited near the C/T boundary, and provides evidence of a direct link between the C/T boundary OAE and the demise of shallow benthic carbonate production on the Pyrenean platform. Furthermore, carbon isotope tratigraphy provides a means for dating the platform drowning event on the shelf, where biostratigraphic control is poorly constrained. An analysis of the shape of the carbon excursion suggests a depositional hiatus or a period of condensed sedimentation at the drowning surface on the shelf. Sedimentological, paleontological, and geochemical evidence suggests that the platform was drowned near the C/T boundary as a result of changing environmental conditions. Pelagic-rich strata overlying the drowning surface are highly bioturbated, and concentrations of redox-sensitive elements (Mn, Fe, Cr, Cu, and Zn) indicate deposition under well-oxygenated conditions. The pelagic sediment contains abundant calcispheres, which are interpreted to be opportunistic organisms that inhabit eutrophic, but unstable, environments. Elevated concentrations of Ba, P, and Si (in the form of chert nodules) observed in the pelagic facies are typical of modern and ancient upwelling systems. Petrographic evidence for oxygen deficiency is limited to the lower slope region. The warm mid-Cretaceous clim te and a global rise in sea level resulted in changes in oceanic circulation patterns, increased organic productivity, and a shift in the trophic structure to one that favored planktonic productivity over benthic productivity. Pelagic deposition persisted for approximately 1 to 1.5 m.y., longer than the OAE. The time difference between the end of the OAE and the reestablishment of a shallow, benthic platform is attributed to increased accommodation caused by the Turonian sea-level rise and tectonic subsidence.
Crosstalk-induced jitter equalization

A novel jitter equalization circuit is presented that addresses crosstalk-induced jitter in high-speed communication links. A simplified model of electromagnetic coupling demonstrates the generation of crosstalk-induced jitter. This model suggests an equalizer that compensates for the data-induced electromagnetic coupling between adjacent links. Additionally, a data-dependent jitter equalizer that provides separate adjustments of rising and falling edge deviations is presented. The circuits are implemented using 130 nm MOSFETs and operate at 5-10Gb/s. The results demonstrate reduced deterministic jitter and lower bit-error rate. At 10Gb/s, the crosstalk-induced jitter equalizer opens the eye at BER of 10-12 from 17ps to 45ps
Sensor-directed response surface sampling designs for characterizing spatial variation in soil properties

In many applied precision farming applications, remotely sensed survey data are collected specifically because these data correlate well with some soil property of interest. Additionally, a general model for the functional relationship between the soil property and the sensor data is often known a priori, but the exact parameter estimates associated with the model must still be determined via some type of site-specific sampling strategy. The main objective of this paper is to present an objective sampling and simplified modeling strategy for predicting soil property information from such spatially referenced sensor data. Some common types of spatial linear prediction models and linear geostatistical models are reviewed, and the assumptions needed to reduce these more complicated models to a spatially referenced, ordinary linear regression model (LR) are discussed. Next, a model-based sampling strategy for estimating an ordinary linear regression model in the spatial setting is described. This sampling strategy incorporates a traditional response surface design into an iterative, space-filling type algorithm for purposes of selecting sample site locations that are (i) nearly optimal with respect to matching the selected response surface design levels and (ii) physically separated far apart as possible to ensure the best chance that the independent error assumption is adequately met. This strategy can in principal be used to select a minimal number of optimal sample site locations that satisfy the residual independence assumptions in the ordinary model. A detailed case study of a salinity survey using electromagnetic induction (EM) and four-electrode sensor data is then presented. These case study results confirm that the sampling strategy was highly effective at ensuring efficient regression model parameter estimates and a reliable salinity prediction map. An additional simulation study confirmed the effectiveness of this model-based strategy over a more traditional simple random sampling strategy with respect to four regression model design criteria. Under the right conditions, this methodology should be applicable to many types of precision farming survey applications where soil property/sensor data prediction models need to be fitted using only a limited number of soil samples.
Teaching engineering ethics to non-engineering students

ngineering surrounds us. Technology permeates our dailylives: every day, we drive in, on, and over it on our way towork; we wear it, we cook with it, and we entertain our-selves using it. As a capitalist culture, we are wedded tothe fruits of engineering ingenuity. Engineering is, aboveall, a public profession, as Herbert Hoover so eloquentlyreminisced about his experiences as a mining engineer:“The great liability of the engineer as compared to menof other professions is that his works are out in the openwhere all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hardsubstance. He cannot bury his mistakes in the grave likethe doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or blamethe judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the architects,
Dynamic priority protocols for packet voice

Since the reconstruction of continuous speech from voice packets is complicated by the variable delays of the packets through the network, a dynamic priority protocol is proposed to minimize the variability of packet delays. The protocol allows the priority of a packet to vary with time. After a discussion of the concept of dynamic priorities, two examples of dynamic priorities are studied through queueing analysis and simulations. Optimal properties of the oldest customer first (OCF) and earliest deadline first (EDF) disciplines are proven, suggesting that they may be theoretically effective in reducing the variability of packet delays. Simulation results of the OCF discipline indicate that the OCF discipline is most effective under conditions of long routes and heavy traffic, i.e., the conditions when delay variability is most likely to be significant. Under OCF, the delays of packets along long routes are improved at the expense of packets along short routes. It is noted that more complex and realistic simulations, including simulations of the EDF discipline, are needed. >
Hanford solid waste management system simulation

The paper describes systems analysis and simulation model development for a proposed solid waste management system at a US Department of Energy Site. The proposed system will include a central storage facility, four treatment facilities, and three disposal sites. The material managed by this system will include radioactive, hazardous, and mixed radioactive and hazardous wastes. The objective of the modeling effort is to provide a means of evaluating throughput and capacity requirements for the proposed treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. The model is used to evaluate alternative system configurations and the effect on the alternatives of changing waste stream characteristics and receipt schedules. An iterative modeling and analysis approach is used that provides macro-level models early in the project and establishes credibility with the customer. The results from the analyses based on the macro models influence system design decisions and provide information that helps focus subsequent model development. Modeling and simulation of alternative system configurations and operating strategies yield a better understanding of the solid waste system requirements. The model effectively integrates information obtained through systems analysis and waste characterization to provide a consistent basis for system and facility planning.
Consistently low mercury concentrations in dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, an oceanic pelagic predator.

Abstract Compared to total mercury concentrations in other oceanic pelagic and syntopic fish species examined from waters of the southeastern United States (e.g., king mackerel, Scomberomorus cavalla; wahoo, Acanthocybium solanderi; yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares; blackfin tuna, T. atlanticus), total mercury concentrations in dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, examined were consistently low. Dorsal-muscle tissue from 385 dolphinfish (317–1395 mm fork length) from Florida offshore waters was analyzed for total mercury content. Total mercury concentration in individual fish ranged from 0.012 to 0.55 mg/kg (wet weight), with a mean of 0.10 mg/kg (±0.089 SD). Compared to mercury concentrations in other similar species, mercury concentrations detected in dolphinfish did not vary widely with respect to fish size, estimated age, or sex. A positive relationship between total mercury concentrations and fish length was observed, indicating that mercury tends to increase moderately over time as dolphinfish grow. Low mercury concentrations in dolphinfish occur on a global scale throughout tropical and subtropical waters. The short life span, rapid growth rate, known physiology, and feeding ecology of dolphinfish are comparable regardless of where they are found, suggesting that the forcing factors that influence mercury concentrations in this species are similar throughout its circumtropical range.
Cloud Data Integrity Using a Designated Public Verifier

Cloud computing presents many advantages over previous computing paradigms such as rapid data processing and increased storage capacity. In addition, there are many cloud service providers (CSPs) that ensures for easy and an efficient migration and provide varying levels of security with respect to information or assets contained in the storage. However, the average cloud service user (CSU) may not have the auditing expertise and sufficient computing power to perform the necessary auditing of cloud data storage and an accurate security evaluation which facilitates to maintain the trust deficit between CSUs and CSPs. Therefore, the use of a trusted third party (TTP) to perform the required auditing tasks is inevitable since it provides several advantages to both CSUs and CSPs in terms of efficiency, fairness, trust, etc. -- which is essential to achieve the economies of scale for the cloud computing. Motivated with this, we present a new data security scheme which allows a CSU to enable a public verifier (e.g., a third-party auditor) to perform the necessary auditing tasks at the cloud data. Our proposed scheme is the extension of the TTP based encryption scheme proposed in [7]. Specifically, the auditing tasks include the checking of cloud data integrity on cloud user's request employing a public verifier. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of our proposed scheme when auditing the cloud data integrity in terms of reliability of CSPs and the trust-level between the CSUs and a public verifier.
Challenging Current Medical Misconceptions

Medicine offers us a treasury of knowledge, and much of `it will be validated over time. But tucked in our reference books and hidden in the seldom-revised PowerPoint slides of our professors and continuing medical education (CME) meeting lecturers are some spurious “facts.”
Multi-scale evaluation of the effect of rejuvenators on the performance of high RAP content mixtures

Abstract Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques were used to study the effects of rejuvenators on the nano-mechanical properties of the interfacial blending zone that forms between RAP and virgin asphalt binders in a high RAP content mixture . In addition, examined links between the nano-scale properties and the macro-scale performance were evaluated. This was done by evaluating the macro-scale properties and performance of RAP and the virgin asphalt binders’ blends as well as the mixtures with high RAP content. The results of the AFM indentations tests indicated that the rejuvenators did not have a significant effect on the modulus of the virgin binder. However, the indentation modulus of the interface blending zones was significantly decreased. Furthermore, the AFM force spectroscopy results showed that the rejuvenators increased the interfacial blending zone adhesive bonding energy. The comparison between the Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) and AFM results indicated that the interfacial blending zone properties are different than those of the blends prepared by manually mixing RAP and virgin binders. This might suggest that the 100 percent blending is not attainable and an alternative method such as the one presented in this paper could be a better tool to evaluate the composite asphalt binder in mixtures with high RAP content. The AFM indentation modulus of interfacial blending zone correlated well with the Hamburg Wheel Tracking test of the high RAP content mixtures. Finally, the results the beam fatigue test suggested that the interfacial blending zone bonding energy might be one of the factors dictating fatigue performance of high RAP mixtures.
Add Punch to Your Writing

This article offers tips for adding punch to legal writing. Among the suggestions are to prefer strong verbs, avoid nominalizations, be direct, and vary sentence beginnings and lengths. Examples illustrate how to use the tips.
Socioeconomic Status and the Reward Value of Smoking Following Tobacco Abstinence: A Laboratory Study

Introduction Socioeconomic status (SES) indicators are robustly associated with smoking behaviors. Yet, the psychological mechanisms underlying relations are unclear. This study merged the socioecological construct of SES with laboratory psychological science to investigate how income, education, and employment status predicted the reward value of smoking following tobacco abstinence among a diverse sample of adult daily smokers. We hypothesized that participants with lower SES (i.e., less education, lower income, and unemployed) would experience greater abstinence-induced enhancement of the reward value of smoking. Methods Adult smokers (N = 240; 68.7% male; 51.7% Black, 33.8% White, 7.1% Latino, and 7.5% other) attended 2 laboratory sessions (1 nonabstinent and 1 following 16-hr tobacco abstinence) involving behavioral assessment of (a) latency to smoking when delaying smoking was monetarily rewarded and (b) purchasing individual cigarettes. Generalized estimating equations were used to test the interaction between each SES variable (education, income, and employment) and abstinence state to illustrate whether participants with certain SES characteristics were more sensitive to the abstinence-induced enhancement of the relative reward value of smoking. Results Participants who never attended college (vs. college attendees) exhibited greater abstinence-induced enhancement of the reward value of smoking, which was indicated by reduced willingness to delay smoking for money (ps = .03). Income and employment status did not moderate abstinence effects. Conclusions Less-educated smokers were particularly motivated to smoke during acute abstinence. Observed educational disparities in smoking behaviors and smoking cessation might reflect a biased valuation of immediate drug-related (over less immediate alternative) rewards. Future research should explore potential mediators of this association.
Responses of a Population of California Voles, Microtus californicus, to Odor-Baited Traps

Individuals in a wild population of California voles ( Microtus californicus ) were presented with a choice between clean and odor-baited traps to determine patterns of investigation or avoidance of conspecific odors by various sex and age groups in the field in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Adult California voles captured during the breeding season showed strong patterns of attraction to live-traps containing conspecific odors. Voles captured during the non-breeding season and juveniles captured during the breeding season did not show a preference for odor-baited traps. During the breeding season, large males and all adult females were attracted to both male and female odors. Smaller males were attracted to female odors only. These results indicate that intrasexual interactions may be stronger among male than among female M. californicus . However, territorial behavior among females is probably more well-developed than previously suggested for this species. Results of the present study and other studies utilizing odor-baited traps indicate that using soiled traps may violate the assumption of equal trappability of all individuals that is inherent in most density estimation techniques. While a greater number of animals might be attracted to soiled traps, a more accurate demographic cross section might be obtained if all traps were kept clean.
WHY URBAN GEOCHEMISTRY

In a very short period of time, the majority of the human population has become urban, and by 2050 two out of every three people in the world will live in cities. Urban areas are extremely important socially, economically, and culturally, but they also have a profound impact on the environment. In that context, this issue of Elements considers the geochemical significance of 21st-century cities and some of the unprecedented challenges they face.
Relationship of Some Soil Pore Parameters to Movement of First-Instar Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The movement of first-instar western corn rootworms, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, was studied in relation to soil porosity. Movement toward corn roots was restricted to 0.30 mm. The distance moved did not increase with time. Movement decreased significantly with distance in continuous artificial pores with a diameter of 0.15 mm. Pores approximating the larvae head-capsule size and larger did not limit larval movement out to 30 cm. Movement toward a host depends on continuity of soil pores.
Use of automated scoring and feedback in online interactive earth science tasks

In formative assessment, constructed response questions are typically used for scientific argumentation, but students seldom receive timely feedback while answering these questions. The development of natural language processing (NLP) techniques makes it possible for the researchers using an automated scoring engine to provide real-time feedback to students. As is true for any new technology, it is still unclear how automated scoring and feedback may impact learning in scientific argumentation. In this study, we analyze log data to examine the granularity of students' interactions with automated scores and feedback and investigate the association between various students' behaviors and their science performance. We first recovered and visualize the pattern of students navigating through the argumentation items. Preliminary analyses show that most students did make use of the automated feedback. Checking feedback and making revisions also improved students' final scores in most cases. We also cluster the activity sequences extracted from the time-stamped event log to explore patterns in students' behavior.
Elements of the Finite Difference Method

Purpose of Lesson To introduce the finite difference method for finding approximate solutions to plane stress problems.
Surface Stitching of a Wind Turbine Blade Using Digital Image Correlation

Advances in computing and camera technologies have greatly enhanced the utility of three dimensional (3D) digital image correlation (DIC) in the last several years. For example, 3D DIC is now being used as a tool to measure operational deflection shapes, full-field dynamic strain and discrete point tracking. Due to the line of sight requirements of stereo photogrammetry it may not be possible to measure every location required on a surface within a field of view allowed by a single camera pair. Therefore, there is a need to have the capability to stitch several fields of view together, providing a continuous measurement over the entire surface of a structure. This paper presents an approach to stitch several fields of view measured using 3D DIC, to provide full-field information of a Sandia National Laboratories CX-100 nine meter wind turbine blade. A loading test was performed on the cantilevered turbine blade with 16 separate fields of view captured in both loaded and unloaded conditions. The processed results provide full surface displacement and strain information of the CX-100 nine meter blade. These results indicate the potential of utilizing stitching to perform full surface static and dynamic measurement of structures.
Regression Methods and Econometric Models

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.
Diabetes and the Exocrine Pancreas

The working unit of the exocrine pancreas is the acinus, Latin for cluster of berries. Analogous to its namesake, acinar morphology consists of individual acinar cells arranged in a spherical cluster with apical regions oriented toward the center. Digestive enzymes synthesized and stored in the acinar cell are secreted across the apical membrane and prevented from passing between acinar cells by intracellular tight junctions. Clusters of acini are themselves arranged into lobules. The lumen of the acinus communicates with intralobular ducts, which empty into interlobular ducts and, in turn, drain into the main pancreatic duct. The lumen of the pancreatic ductal system is lined with the epithelium that specializes in secretion of inorganic ions, especially bicarbonate, in an endocrine signal-dependent and isotonic fashion. In this way, the acinus is primarily responsible for digestive enzyme synthesis, and the ductal epithelium is primarily responsible for inorganic ion and aqueous component of pancreatic secretions.
Measuring understanding, recognition and construction of computational rules in elementary school using Microsoft's Kodu Game Lab

Computational thinking is central to recent approaches aimed at engaging K-12 students in computer science. Many strategies and metrics have been proposed to foster and measure such skills. The poster presents an empirical study which measures the understanding, recognition and rule construction ability of rising 3rd to 5th grade students from underrepresented communities. This poster also focuses on strategies for engaging students and reflects the importance of a coherent computer science curriculum which includes collaboration and individual activities supported by a graphical tool like Microsoft's Kodu Game Lab.
THE ASSOCIATION OF HUMAN LEUKOCYTE ANTIGEN PHENOTYPES WITH ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM EXPANSION

Background: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is a key regulator in immune response and implicated in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) development. We assessed whether a HLA risk score (RS), derived from HLA-phenotypes in genome-wide association study catalog, was associated with AAA expansion. Methods
The effects of urbanization and human disturbance on problem solving in juvenile house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus)

Urbanization exposes wildlife to unfamiliar environments, including novel structures and food sources. Adapting to such anthropogenic conditions may require superior innovation and problem-solving skills (e.g., for navigating, foraging). Human presence in urban areas is a particular biotic challenge that may impact problem-solving capabilities in wildlife. Urban animals may be superior problem solvers in the face of human disturbance, due to familiarity with—and reduced fear of—humans. Alternately, rural animals may be better innovators if heightened fear responses from unfamiliar humans facilitate problem solving. Here, we studied the relationship between human disturbance, urbanization, and the ability to solve a novel foraging problem in wild-caught juvenile house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). This songbird is a successful urban dweller and native of the American desert southwest. In captivity, juvenile finches from urban and rural populations were presented with a novel foraging task (sliding a lid covering their typical food dish) and then exposed to regular periods of high or low human disturbance over several weeks before again being presented with the task. We found that rural, high-disturbance birds showed reduced task performance compared to highly disturbed urban finches. This is consistent with the hypothesis that urban birds are less affected by human disturbance due to habituation or adaptation. Additionally, we found that the best behavioral predictor of solving success was related to visual inspection of the problem and that urban low-disturbance birds exhibited this behavior more than rural high-disturbance birds. Overall, these findings suggest that urbanization and habituation to humans predict avian response to novel problems. As Earth’s landscapes become more urbanized, wildlife is exposed to many new anthropogenic challenges. In particular, animals in cities may have to locate food in unique ways and/or cope with increased human presence. We tested the effects of urbanization and human disturbance on problem solving in juveniles of a common urban and rural songbird (the house finch, H. mexicanus). We found that, when subjected to high levels of human disturbance, urban birds outperformed rural conspecifics on a novel foraging task (sliding open a lid to uncover food). We also found that task focus (i.e., average bout length of inspecting the dish) was an important predictor of problem solving. Our results suggest that acclimation to humans may be important for the superior behavioral performance of urban house finches and ultimately their colonization of many North American cities.
Do Metaphors in Health Messages Work? Exploring Emotional and Cognitive Factors.

Abstract Health communicators publicize messages that use metaphors to compare abstract health-related concepts to concrete concepts in other domains. Such messages aim to change health attitudes and behavior, but do they work? According to Conceptual Metaphor Theory, metaphors can shape thought by transferring personalized knowledge of a concrete concept to understand and relate to an abstraction, despite their superficial differences. The authors extend this claim to specify emotional and cognitive factors potentially moderating the productivity (and counter-productivity) of metaphoric health messages. A source resonance hypothesis predicts that when a message frames a health risk metaphorically in terms of a concrete hazard (versus literally), individual differences in fear surrounding that particular hazard will differentially predict risk-related worry and thus prevention intentions. A metaphoric fit hypothesis predicts that a risk metaphor will be more persuasive when the recommended prevention response is itself framed metaphorically as addressing the concrete hazard (versus literally). These hypotheses were supported in three experiments conducted with online, undergraduate, and community samples ( N = 539). With skin cancer as a case study, the studies tested the impact of messages framing sun exposure and sun-safe practices with or without metaphors of enemy combat. Findings illuminate how, when, and for whom metaphoric messages are persuasive, with theoretical and practical implications for health communication and metaphoric construal.