cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design of low-voltage bandgap reference using transimpedance amplifier

The minimum supply voltage for implementing a typical bandgap reference is usually over 1.8 V. This minimum is mainly due to the limited input common-mode range of the opamp used in the bandgap reference. In this work, a low-voltage bandgap reference using a transimpedance amplifier that does not have this limitation is proposed and some of the design considerations for the proposed technique are briefly discussed. Based on this technique, a 1.2-V bandgap reference was implemented in a 1.2-/spl mu/m CMOS process (V/sub TN//spl ap/0.53 V and V/sub TP//spl ap/-0.91 V) with bipolar option. The variations of the output voltage over temperature (0/spl deg/C/spl les/T/spl les/100/spl deg/C) were measured to be less than /spl plusmn/1%.
Initiation of bacteriophage PRD1 DNA replication on single-stranded templates.

Abstract In vitro studies have demonstrated that single-stranded DNA molecules containing the 3′ terminal nucleotides of the PRD1 DNA replication origin can support initiation by a protein-primed mechanism. We have determined the minimal requirements for priming by analyzing the template activity of various deletion derivatives. Our results showed that the 3′-terminal 15 nucleotides of the replication origin are sufficient for priming. The finding that the requirements for recognition of replication origin are different from those for priming suggests that there are two distinct steps during initiation of PRD1 DNA replication: first, recognition of the replication origin on double-stranded DNA and second, the priming event on single-stranded DNA. In addition our results showed that additional bases at the 3′ end of templates did not affect priming activity, suggesting that the priming site is searched for from inside the template.
Autophagy-Mediated Dendritic Cell Activation Is Essential for Innate Cytokine Production and APC Function with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Responses

The regulation of innate immune responses during viral infection is a crucial step to promote antiviral reactions. Recent studies have drawn attention to a strong relationship of pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition with autophagy for activation of APC function. Our initial observations indicated that autophagosomes formed in response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection of dendritic cells (DC). To further investigate whether RSV-induced DC activation and innate cytokine production were associated with autophagy, we used several methods to block autophagosome formation. Using 3-MA, small interfering RNA inhibition of LC3, or Beclin(+/-) mouse-derived DC, studies established a relationship between RSV-induced autophagy and enhanced type I IFN, TNF, IL-6, and IL-12p40 expression. Moreover, autophagosome formation induced by starvation also promoted innate cytokine expression in DC. The induction of starvation-induced autophagy in combination with RSV infection synergistically enhanced DC cytokine expression that was blocked by an autophagy inhibitor. The latter synergistic responses were differentially altered in DC from MyD88(-/-) and TRIF(-/-) mice, supporting the concept of autophagy-mediated TLR signaling. In addition, blockade of autophagy in RSV-infected DC inhibited the maturation of DC as assessed by MHC class II and costimulatory molecule expression. Subsequently, we demonstrated that inhibition of autophagy in DC used to stimulate primary OVA-induced and secondary RSV-infected responses significantly attenuated cytokine production by CD4(+) T cells. Thus, these studies have outlined that autophagy in DC after RSV infection is a crucial mechanism for driving innate cytokine production, leading to altered acquired immune responses.
Advances in Wilms Tumor Treatment and Biology: Progress Through International Collaboration

Clinical trials in Wilms tumor (WT) have resulted in overall survival rates of greater than 90%. This achievement is especially remarkable because improvements in disease-specific survival have occurred concurrently with a reduction of therapy for large patient subgroups. However, the outcomes for certain patient subgroups, including those with unfavorable histologic and molecular features, bilateral disease, and recurrent disease, remain well below the benchmark survival rate of 90%. Therapy for WT has been advanced in part by an increasingly complex risk-stratification system based on patient age; tumor stage, histology, and volume; response to chemotherapy; and loss of heterozygosity at chromosomes 1p and 16q. A consequence of this system has been the apportionment of patients into such small subgroups that only collaboration between large international WT study groups will support clinical trials that are sufficiently powered to answer challenging questions that move the field forward. This article gi...
The psychology of life stories.

Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of interest among theorists and researchers in autobiographical recollections, life stories, and narrative approaches to understanding human behavior and expe...
Nuclear localized Influenza nucleoprotein N-terminal deletion mutant is deficient in functional vRNP formation

Background: The influenza RNA dependent RNA polymerase synthesizes viral RNA in the nucleus as functional viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes with RNA and nucleoprotein (NP). The N-terminus of NP contains an unconventional nuclear localization signal (NLS) important for initial vRNP nuclear localization but which also interacts with various host factors. Methods: To study the role of the N-terminus of NP aside from NLS function, we generated an N-terminal NP deletion mutant, del20NLS-NP, encoding the conventional SV40 T-antigen NLS in place of the first 20 amino acids of NP. We characterized expression, location, and activity of del20NLS-NP compared to wild type NP using reconstituted vRNP assays, cellular fractionation, Western blotting, and reverse transcription-PCR. We assessed NP nucleotide binding with gel-shift assays and analyzed NP complexes using 1D blue native gel electrophoresis. Results: del20NLS-NP is expressed, localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and maintains ability to bind nucleic acids. Despite this, del20NLS-NP exhibits a defect in viral RNA expression exacerbated by increasing vRNA template length. We find diminished del20NLS-NP high molecular weight complexes in protein extracts; evidence the defect is with functional vRNP formation. Interestingly, the shortest template, NS vRNA, exhibits a limited defect. However, this is not due to short template size, but rather activity of the NS protein(s). Expression of NS1 rescues the gene expression defect primarily at the protein level, a finding consistent with the known role of NS1 as a viral mRNA translational enhancer. NS1 mutant analysis confirms NS1-RNA binding is not required for the translational enhancement and reveals the NS1-CPSF30 interaction surface is essential. Conclusions: del20NLS-NP is a nuclear localized NP mutant able to bind nucleic acids but inefficient for assembly of functional vRNPs inside the host cell. Our results add to growing evidence the N-terminus of NP plays important roles aside from vRNP nuclear localization. We demonstrate the utility of this partially functional NP mutant to characterize the influence of additional proteins on viral gene expression. Our studies reveal the NS1-CPSF30 interaction surface is required for the ability of NS1 to enhance viral protein translation, supporting a function for this NS1 domain in the cytoplasm.
Relationship of Glucose Metabolism to Adrenergic Transmission in Rat Mesenteric Arteries: Effects of Glucose Deprivation, Glucose Metabolites, and Changes in Ionic Composition on adrenergic Mechanisms

The vasoconstrictor response of perfused rat mesenteric arteries to stimulation of sympathetic nerve fibers is markedly potentiated by glucose deprivation; this potentiation is abolished or reduced when glucose or other sugars are added. The augmentation of the vasoconstrictor response to nerve stimulation produced by glucose deprivation presumably results from an increased release of the adrenergic transmitter, since (1) the response to injected norepinephrine is much less affected by glucose deprivation and (2) the increase in the vasoconstrictor response to either adrenergic stimulus produced by inhibition of neuronal reuptake by cocaine is unaltered by glucose deprivation. The inhibitory effect of glucose may involve its metabolite(s). Pyruvic and lactic acids inhibit the vasoconstrictor response to nerve stimulation previously augmented by glucose deprivation but do not affect adrenergic transmission in the presence of glucose. Also, the inhibitory effect of glucose on the potentiated response is abo...
Examining the Association between Hazardous Waste Facilities and Rural “Brain Drain”*

Rural communities are increasingly being faced with the prospect of accepting facilities characterized as “opportunity-threat,” such as facilities that generate, treat, store, or otherwise dispose of hazardous wastes. Such facilities may offer economic gains through jobs and tax revenue, although they may also act as environmental “disamenities.” This analysis examines the possibility that the presence of such facilities equates with lower loss of rural human capital, a question as yet unexamined on a national scale within the academic literature. Making use of secondary data from several different sources, we examine the association between age- and education-specific outmigration and 1) the number of hazardous waste facilities, 2) the number of large quantity hazardous waste generators, and 3) the number of hazardous waste landfills and incinerators across rural counties within the 48 contiguous states. Our findings suggest that the presence of hazardous waste facilities does not clearly equate with reductions in rural “brain drain.”
DIETARY FATS AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE: UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Abstract In the scientific and lay press, dietary recommendations that are aimed at prevention of coronary heart disease in the general public are appearing more and more frequently. The dietary pattern that is now most widely advocated is a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet with a polyunsaturated/saturated ratio of 1. The argument for such a dietary change is supported mainly by extrapolations from epidemiological data and from animal experimentation. Reasons are given for concluding that the recommendations are unwise, impractical, and unlikely to lead to a reduced incidence of arteriosclerotic disease. Since complacency is equally inappropriate, a few practical questions are outlined that should be settled before the public is assured that a low-fat diet will lead to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
Object contour extraction using color and motion

A new approach to the extraction of the contour of a moving object is presented. The method is based on the integration of a motion segmentation technique using image substraction and a color segmentation technique based on the split-and-merge algorithm. The advantages of this method are: it can detect large moving objects and extract their boundaries; the background can be arbitrarily complicated and contain many non-moving objects occluded by the moving object; and it requires only three image frames that need not be consecutive, provided that the object is entirely contained in each of the three frames. The method is applied to a large number of color images of vehicles moving on a road and a highway ramp. The results are promising. The moving object boundaries are correctly extracted in 66 out of 73 test image sequences. The authors describe how this contour can be used as an input to a recognition system that classifies the vehicles into five generic categories. Of the 73 vehicles, 67 are correctly classified. >
An edge detection technique using local smoothing and statistical hypothesis testing

An edge detection technique based on local smoothing and statistical hypothesis testing for the detection and localization of step edges and roof edges is proposed. Smoothing and statistical hypothesis testing procedures for detection and localization of step edges and roof edges are formulated. Experimental results on gray-scale images are presented. The merits, limitations and factors critical to the performance of the proposed technique are discussed. Possible improvements and future research directions are outlined.
Interactive Visualization of Intercluster Galaxy Structures in the Horologium-Reticulum Supercluster

We present GyVe, an interactive visualization tool for understanding structure in sparse three-dimensional (3D) point data. The scientific goal driving the tool's development is to determine the presence of filaments and voids as defined by inferred 3D galaxy positions within the horologium-reticulum supercluster (HRS). GyVe provides visualization techniques tailored to examine structures defined by the intercluster galaxies. Specific techniques include: interactive user control to move between a global overview and local viewpoints, labelled axes and curved drop lines to indicate positions in the astronomical RA-DEC-cz coordinate system, torsional rocking and stereo to enhance 3D perception, and geometrically distinct glyphs to show potential correlation between intercluster galaxies and known clusters. We discuss the rationale for each design decision and review the success of the techniques in accomplishing the scientific goals. In practice, GyVe has been useful for gaining intuition about structures that were difficult to perceive with 2D projection techniques alone. For example, during their initial session with GyVe, our collaborators quickly confirmed scientific conclusions regarding the large-scale structure of the HRS previously obtained over months of study with 2D projections and statistical techniques. Further use of GyVe revealed the spherical shape of voids and showed that a presumed filament was actually two disconnected structures
A record minimum arctic sea ice extent and area in 2002

[1] Arctic sea ice extent and area in September 2002 reached their lowest levels recorded since 1978. These conditions likely resulted from (1) anomalous warm southerly winds in spring, advecting ice poleward from the Siberian coast (2) persistent low pressure and high temperatures over the Arctic Ocean in summer, promoting ice divergence and rapid melt.
Quality-Based Contractor Rating Model for Qualification and Bidding Purposes

A quality contractor on every construction project would make project management simpler for Department of Transportation (DOT) project engineers and strategic planning more accurate for DOT executives. A qualification model that includes the quality of a contractor's past work would be invaluable in assuring that each project had a quality contractor. Including the quality of past work in the bidding process would further help in this goal. Implementation of such a model for both its potential uses would require business process reengineering for the DOT in two important areas: qualification of contractors and contract award procedures. The research team has produced an innovative model, called the Quality-Based Performance Rating (QBPR) system. This model receives inputs from traditional subjective sources and integrates them with totally objective data input from the results of tests of the project's materials and workmanship, then uses these inputs to produce a score for each project that is further used by the system to generate an index for each contractor reflecting that contractor's quality of work over a specified time frame.
Stress and translocation: alterations in the stress physiology of translocated birds

Translocation and reintroduction have become major conservation actions in attempts to create self-sustaining wild populations of threatened species. However, avian translocations have a high failure rate and causes for failure are poorly understood. While 'stress' is often cited as an important factor in translocation failure, empirical evidence of physiological stress is lacking. Here we show that experimental translocation leads to changes in the physiological stress response in chukar partridge, Alectoris chukar. We found that capture alone significantly decreased the acute glucocorticoid (corticosterone, CORT) response, but adding exposure to captivity and transport further altered the stress response axis (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) as evident from a decreased sensitivity of the negative feedback system. Animals that were exposed to the entire translocation procedure, in addition to the reduced acute stress response and disrupted negative feedback, had significantly lower baseline CORT concentrations and significantly reduced body weight. These data indicate that translocation alters stress physiology and that chronic stress is potentially a major factor in translocation failure. Under current practices, the restoration of threatened species through translocation may unwittingly depend on the success of chronically stressed individuals. This conclusion emphasizes the need for understanding and alleviating translocation-induced chronic stress in order to use most effectively this important conservation tool.
Bronze age fuel use and its implications for agrarian landscapes in the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract We compare carbonized seeds and charcoal excavated from four Bronze Age settlements in the eastern Mediterranean to infer distinctions in fuel use and the exploitation of woody vegetation amid developing anthropogenic landscapes. Charcoal evidence generally implicates combustion of fuel wood, while burned seeds commonly result from dung fuel use. Varying fuel consumption profiles reflect the availability of woody vegetation and cultivation practices that reveal temporal and geographical dynamics on Bronze Age agrarian landscapes. In the farmlands of the northern Jordan Valley, villagers at Early Bronze Tell Abu en-Nia‘j and subsequently at Middle Bronze Tell el-Hayyat relied heavily on dung for their fuel needs, supplemented by burning of orchard prunings and to a lesser extent wood from nearby riparian vegetation. In this agrarian setting, limited availability of forest resources engendered exploitation of the highest diversities of cultivated crops, weedy species and woody plants. The village of Zahrat adh-Dhra‘1 (contemporaneous with Tell el-Hayyat) on the arid, sparsely populated Dead Sea Plain relied less on dung fuel, and similarly harvested wood from orchards, while also utilizing the desert trees Acacia and Tamarix . Fuel use at Politiko- Troullia , Cyprus suggests ready access to Pinus and Quercus forests, and burning of Olea wood from nearby orchards, associated with little dung fuel use and the lowest taxonomic diversity of fuel sources among these four Bronze Age communities. The range of evidence for fuel use at these settlements reflects varying exploitation strategies based on plant resources and animal management in agrarian countrysides, as well as the larger influences of urbanized or non-urbanized society during the development of Bronze Age anthropogenic landscapes.
Nostalgia for al-Andalus in early modern Moroccan Voyages en Espagne: al-Ghassānī’s Riḥlat al-wazīr fī iftikāk al-asīr (1690–91) as a case study

ABSTRACTThe present article proposes that we turn our attention to al-Ghassānī’s (d. 1707) Riḥlat al-wazīr fī iftikāki al-asīr (The Journey of the Minister to Ransom the Captive) to trace some of the most original and thought-provoking literary and cultural manifestations of nostalgic/elegiac depictions of al-Andalus in Arabic-Islamic writing in the post-Reconquista era. Riḥlat al-wazīr fī iftikāki al-asīr, the article argues, abounds with tropes and motifs typical of neoclassical and modern Arabic Andalusiyyāt. This is especially true of the section that records the author's physical encounter with al-Andalus. Finally, the essay makes the case for additional scholarly exploration of the themes of memory, loss, and nostalgia in other early modern Moroccan Voyages en Espagne.
Optimal timing of surgical resection after radiation therapy in locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma: An analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

510 Background: In treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma, an increased time delay (TD) of 6-12 weeks from the end of radiation therapy to surgery may increase the rate of complete pathologic response (pCR), but the optimal TD with respect to survival has not been established. This study evaluates the impact of TD on overall mortality. Methods: The NCDB was queried for patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum and no evidence of metastasis at diagnosis, who underwent preoperative chemoradiation followed by radical surgical resection. Standard statistical methods were employed for descriptive statistics and Cox model development. Results: The study included 6805 patients, predominantly Caucasian (87.2%) and males (63.9%) who generally were treated with low anterior resection (57.3%), colonanal reanastomosis (8.4%), or abdominoperineal resection (28.4%), and had median survival of 66.6 months. The effects of age, surgical margins (-/+), comorbidity index, time to discharge after surgery, TMN pathologic staging...
Mission and Academic Administration

The fundamental purpose of American higher education has changed and adapted as the needs of society have changed. The subsequent missions have reflected those societal needs and aspirations, yet for society at large and those within the profession of higher education the notion of “mission” has become an amorphous idea that doesn’t necessarily connect to the increasingly individualized career of college professors. The challenge for the college administrator in the twenty-first century is to refine, adapt and promulgate a mission that fulfills the needs of the students, the professors and the society at large. The lessons of the past are a powerful force in crafting that vision, one that takes into account the dynamic forces of society, economics, technology and intellectualism.
Collaborative rephotography

Rephotography is the process of capturing the same scene at a different time, in order to capture changes. Previous work at SIGGRAPH [BAE2010] demonstrated the ability for smart-phone apps to guide a user to the correct viewpoint, here we promote the use of such tools distributed widely over space and time, by enabling collaborative projects that allow multiple users to re-photograph multiple sites over time. These sites may be architectural, social, urban scenes or ecological. Current projects utilizing our mobile tools range from nation-scale rephotography of scenic overlooks, to monitoring of urban street trees in NYC by local conservancy group volunteers. Rephotography directly connects pictures at one time to pictures at another time. It also connects a photographer at one time to a photographer at another time, by providing a mechanism to collaboratively record the story of how our world changes.
A Fast Settling Phase Modulator for Outphasing Transmitters in 65-nm CMOS

We present a phase modulator architecture with very fast settling time for use in high data-rate outphasing transmitters. The proposed design utilizes the phase-shifting capabilities of a resonant tank and the ability to separately control the circuit properties via its components. A prototype in 65-nm CMOS achieves 9 bits of effective resolution, with a fast settling time of less than five carrier cycles to within 1 ° . The circuit is also tested as a standalone transmitter showing an error vector magnitude of less than 5% for 8-PSK modulation at maximum data rate of 240 Mb/s, meeting the Federal Communications Commission requirements for operation at the medical implant communication services band.
Implementation of a Tiger Team into the NCSU Capstone Senior Aircraft Design Program

The Aircraft Senior Design Program at NCSU requires student teams to design, construct, ground test and flight test small UAS. In the past, teams were assigned and the customer requirements were published on the same day. For the 2013-2014 academic year the students were assigned to ten small three person groups. The groups were responsible for the conceptual design to develop a proposal for a small UAS. The groups competed for 3-4 funding slots for continued embodiment design, construction, ground and flight testing. It was expected that 3-4 students would form a Tiger Team to generate the conceptual design for a more complicated design.
Hypersonic Transition Research in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel

A Mach-6 Ludwieg tube is being developed for high Reynolds number quiet-flow operation. The modelsupport centerbody had been causing upstream separation when the nozzle-wall boundary layers became laminar at low pressures. The centerbody has now been removed, resulting in attached Mach 5.7 quiet flow below 8 psia total pressure. Pitot measurements show that low-noise flow begins at the same 8 psia, from halfway down the nozzle to near the nozzle exit. Thus, transition in the nozzle-wall boundary layer is apparently bypassing the usual linear instability processes. Measurements of the static pressure on the diffuser walls show large fluctuation when the nozzle-wall boundary layer is laminar, probably due to upstream propagation of bleed-slot jet noise from the diffuser. Finally, initial oil-flow images show the development of crossflow vortices on a sharp cone at angle of attack, and hot-wire measurements show initial evidence of instability waves on a sharp cone at zero angle of attack.
Recent History of Effector Use Modulates Practice-Dependent Changes in Corticospinal Excitability but Not Motor Learning

Abstract Background The theory of homeostatic metaplasticity has significant implications for human motor cortical plasticity and motor learning. Previous work has shown that the extent of recent effector use before exogenously-induced plasticity can affect the direction, magnitude and variability of aftereffects. However, the impact of recent effector use on motor learning and practice-dependent plasticity is not known. Hypothesis We hypothesized that reducing effector use for 8 hours via hand/wrist immobilization would facilitate practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability and TMS-evoked thumb movement kinematics, while also promoting 24-hour retention of a ballistic motor skill. Methods Subjects participated in a crossover study involving two conditions. During the immobilization condition, subjects wore a splint that restricted motion of the left hand and thumb for 8 hours. While wearing the splint, subjects were instructed to avoid using their left hand as much as possible. During the control condition, subjects did not wear a splint at any time nor were they instructed to avoid hand use. After either an 8 hour period of immobilization or normal hand use, we collected MEP and TMS-evoked thumb movement recruitment curves, and subjects practiced a ballistic motor skill involving rapid thumb extension. After motor practice, MEP and TMS-evoked thumb movement recruitment curves were re-tested. Retention of the motor skill was tested 30 minutes and 24 hours after motor practice. Results Reduced effector use did not impact pre-practice corticospinal excitability but did facilitate practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability, and this enhancement was specific to the trained muscle. In contrast, reducing effector use did not affect practice-dependent changes in TMS-evoked thumb movements nor did it promote acquisition or retention of the skill. Finally, we detected some associations between pre-practice excitability levels, plasticity effects and learning effects, but these did not reach our adjusted criterion for significance. Conclusion Experimentally enhancing practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability is not sufficient to promote learning or memory of a ballistic motor skill.
Complex Envelope Identification of Wave Groups

The complex envelope function is presented as the natural analysis technique for wave records where the identification of wave groups is a dominant interest. Algorithms have been developed and confirmed for separation of the complex envelope function, estimation of the dominant frequency and unwrapping of the phase function. Cross-correlograms and coherence spectra reveal a link between the envelope amplitude and phase traces that appears to be an intrinsic property of wave groups. Nevertheless, the majority of the information in typical wave records can be described as random, accounting for the relative success of the Gaussian random wave model.
Who Should Be Screened for Lung Cancer? And Who Gets to Decide?

Screening for lung cancer has come of age at a time when traditional approaches to mass screening are being challenged.1 For some cancers, physicians are moving slowly from a paternalistic model in which screening is considered mandatory for any patient who belongs to a defined high-risk group, to a newer patient-centered model in which the decision to screen is individualized and informed by a detailed discussion of potential benefits and harms. Conversations about cancer screening increasingly occur in the context of personalized medicine, individualized risk assessment, and shared decision making.
Pharmacogenomics and rational use of medicines

Pharmacogenomics is an emerging cross-discipline which appears after mankind began to functional genomics.Pharmacogenomics applying to clinical pharmacy is an inevitable trend.Clinical pharmacists as information intermediary between pharmacological research and clinical practice,happens to be engaged in pharmacogenomics research strength.Pharmacogenomics applying to clinical pharmacy is the only way to a further development of the rational use of medicines and individual difference of medication,and for an in-depth explanation of individual differences in drug treatment,reducing drug adverse reactions,improving drug efficacy.
Low-molecular heparin in combination with aspirin for treatment of postinfarction angina pectoris

Objective:To examine the efficacy of low molecular in combination with aspirin in treatment of postinfarction angina pectoris.Methods:Forty postinfarction angina pectoris patients were randomly divided in two groups.Cure group:low molecular heparin 0.3 ml/d injected subcutaneously for seven days plus aspirin 150 mg/d.Control group:Aspirin 150 mg/d was administered and the paroxysmal frequency,paroxysmal panes and side effects were observed before and after the drug therapy.Results:The frequency and duration of angina pectoris attacks in the cure group decreased significantly compared with those in the control group( P 0.001).And few side effects were found.Conclusions:Low molecular heparin in combination with aspirin are more effective than aspirin alone in the treatment of postinfarction angina pectoris.
Influence of Temperature on Supercapacitor Components

Thermophysical properties of supercapacitor components determine the thermal behavior of supercapacitors at different application temperatures. A fundamental understanding of the influence of temperature on these properties is necessary to design supercapacitors with high performance for practical applications. Major supercapacitor elements include electrolytes, electrodes (active electrode materials, current collectors, and binders) and separators. As discussed in Chap. 2, supercapacitor electrolytes can be broadly classified into two types: liquid electrolytes and solid-state/polymer gel electrolytes (Xiong et al. in Electroanalysis 26:30–51, 2014 [24]). Conventional liquid electrolytes include: (i) aqueous electrolytes, (ii) organic electrolytes and (iii) ionic liquid electrolytes. The commonly used solid-state polymer gel electrolytes are water-containing (proton-conducting/alkaline), organic solvent-containing, and ionic liquid-containing polymer electrolytes. Active electrode materials for supercapacitors are broadly classified into three categories (Xiong et al. in Electroanalysis 26:30–51, 2014 [24]): (1) carbon materials, (2) conducting polymers, and (3) transition metal oxides. The importance of these electrolytes, electrode materials and separators has been addressed in prior reviews (Xiong et al. in Electroanalysis 26:30–51, 2014 [24], Simon and Gogotsi in Nat Mater 7:845–854, 2008 [39], Ye et al. in J Mater Chem A 1:2719–2743, 2013 [84], Zhang in J Power Sources 164:351–364, 2007 [193], Huang in J Solid State Electr 15:649–662, 2011 [194]). This chapter discusses the effects of temperature on the thermophysical properties of these components.
Radioresistance of GGG sequences to prompt strand break formation from direct-type radiation damage

As humans, we are constantly exposed to ionizing radiation from natural, man-made and cosmic sources which can damage DNA, leading to deleterious effects including cancer incidence. In this work, we introduce a method to monitor strand breaks resulting from damage due to the direct effect of ionizing radiation and provide evidence for sequence-dependent effects leading to strand breaks. To analyze only DNA strand breaks caused by radiation damage due to the direct effect of ionizing radiation, we combined an established technique to generate dehydrated DNA samples with a technique to analyze single-strand breaks on short oligonucleotide sequences via denaturing gel electrophoresis. We find that direct damage primarily results in a reduced number of strand breaks in guanine triplet regions (GGG) when compared to isolated guanine (G) bases with identical flanking base context. In addition, we observe strand break behavior possibly indicative of protection of guanine bases when flanked by pyrimidines and sensitization of guanine to strand break when flanked by adenine (A) bases in both isolated G and GGG cases. These observations provide insight into the strand break behavior in GGG regions damaged via the direct effect of ionizing radiation. In addition, this could be indicative of DNA sequences that are naturally more susceptible to strand break due to the direct effect of ionizing radiation.
Art and Manipulative Narrative in The Shape of Things

Interpretation of The Shape of Things continues discussion of the intimate sphere of social relationships but incorporates larger considerations of culture and gender. The numerous references to stories, including the biblical story of Adam and Eve, indicate that narrative is central to the film. Consequently, the film is interpreted as structured by four layers of narrative, each nested within the succeeding layer. The romantic narrative with which Evelyn ensnares Adam is embedded within the story that explains her art project and the manipulative design of the first-order narrative. The third layer of narrative is Evelyn’s justification for the interpersonal narrative of romance and the true (but veiled) narrative of the art project: a cultural narrative that elevates art above all. The final layer of narrative is the philosophical narrative that emerges from viewing the film as a dialogue between the competing claims of morality and art.
Access policy and the digital divide in patient access to medical records

Abstract Background Patient access to medical records may help them manage their healthcare. After socioeconomic disparities were found in early adoption of a patient portal, a safety net medical organization implemented universal access policies, a mobile portal app, and a Spanish version. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of the changes on socioeconomic disparities in use of the patient portal. Methods Retrospective cohort study of 129,738 adult patients visiting the Institute for Family Health between 2011 and 2014. Logistic regression was used to model the odds of receiving portal access and using the portal. Results In 2011, members of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups were less likely to receive offers to use the portal and subsequently to use it. In 2014, black patients became just as likely as other racial groups to use the portal, but publicly insured and uninsured patients were still less likely to become users. Uptake of the mobile app was slow. Conclusions Replacing an opt-in policy with a universal access policy was associated with a large reduction in socioeconomic disparities between those who did and did not access their medical records. However, a small digital divide remained evident in use of the technology, probably due to structural factors beyond the control of the healthcare system such as lack of computer access by less affluent patients.
Expansion of cancer registration in China

Comprehensive cancer surveillance is necessary for establishing and monitoring effective cancer prevention and control programs and policies. Cancer occurrence data also inform governmental planning for national and local healthcare system resources. The steady increase in the establishment of population-based cancer registries internationally, despite challenging obstacles, is a testament to the value of data on cancer incidence and mortality.
ENERGY AND THE VERNACULAR: THE EVOLUTION OF AN ARCHETYPE

ABSTRACT The topic of this paper is the Johnson House, a passive solar residence recently constructed in a rural area of northwest Kansas, and its relationship to the small pavilion house form of the French architectural tradition in the Mid-Mississippi Valley of North America. Variations of these houses were built in the 17th and 18th centuries along trade routes extending from the St. Lawrence River through the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf of Mexico. The pavilion model proved to be easily adapted to the extreme variations in climate found in this broad area of distribution. The Johnson House is an attempt to further modify the archetypal form of the pavilion through the use of new materials and methods of construction to create an energy efficient, functional environment which is part of a rich architectural heritage.
Google Art Project: Democratizing Art.

From the teenager browsing the web in an Internet cafe in Istanbul, to the student in New York seeking inspiration for a dissertation, the Google Art Project aspires to connect more people to art. Initially developed by a group of Google employees as a side project, the project aims to make art more accessible to the masses through state of the art technology, and to remove physical barriers between the individual and the artwork. Far from preventing people from visiting the museums in person, this unrivalled access to art will encourage the Internet generation to interact with art in new ways and ultimately inspire them to visit the ‘real thing’. Starting with 17 museums, the Google Art Project aspires in the near future to create a variety of digital spaces where the new generation art lovers and art institutions will be brought together seamlessly.
“Long-term stability of stimulating spiral nerve cuff electrodes on human peripheral nerves”

Electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerves has been shown to be effective in restoring sensory and motor functions in the lower and upper extremities. This neural stimulation can be applied via non-penetrating spiral nerve cuff electrodes, though minimal information has been published regarding their long-term performance for multiple years after implantation. Since 2005, 14 human volunteers with cervical or thoracic spinal cord injuries, or upper limb amputation, were chronically implanted with a total of 50 spiral nerve cuff electrodes on 10 different nerves (mean time post-implant 6.7 ± 3.1 years). The primary outcome measures utilized in this study were muscle recruitment curves, charge thresholds, and percent overlap of recruited motor unit populations. In the eight recipients still actively involved in research studies, 44/45 of the spiral contacts were still functional. In four participants regularly studied over the course of 1 month to 10.4 years, the charge thresholds of the majority of individual contacts remained stable over time. The four participants with spiral cuffs on their femoral nerves were all able to generate sufficient moment to keep the knees locked during standing after 2–4.5 years. The dorsiflexion moment produced by all four fibular nerve cuffs in the active participants exceeded the value required to prevent foot drop, but no tibial nerve cuffs were able to meet the plantarflexion moment that occurs during push-off at a normal walking speed. The selectivity of two multi-contact spiral cuffs was examined and both were still highly selective for different motor unit populations for up to 6.3 years after implantation. The spiral nerve cuffs examined remain functional in motor and sensory neuroprostheses for 2–11 years after implantation. They exhibit stable charge thresholds, clinically relevant recruitment properties, and functional muscle selectivity. Non-penetrating spiral nerve cuff electrodes appear to be a suitable option for long-term clinical use on human peripheral nerves in implanted neuroprostheses.
Oak: User-Targeted Web Performance

Web performance has long proved to be one of the most sought after and difficult to achieve components for the web. Since the inception of the modern web infrastructure, the situation has been growing in complexity, adding remote hosts and objects, providing everything from computation infrastructure, content distribution capability, and targeted advertising. While many of these components provide improvements for some users, the complexity of the Internet often leaves other users suffering from poor performance. We propose Oak, a system which addresses client performance on the individual level, hence addressing challenges which may be unique to the user. Oak measures a user's performance for objects loading on a page, and determines which components are under-performing. Oak further provides an automated mechanism by which sites are able to replace resources with those provided by a better performing alternative service for a particular user. In this work, we demonstrate the prevalence of under-performing services on the web, finding that over 60% of the Alexa Top 500 have at least one under-preforming server. We further evaluate Oak on experimental and popular existing webpages, and demonstrate its effectiveness in making decisions in existing environments and with a distributed user base.
Physical Education Student Teachers’ Technology Integration Self-Efficacy

Pre- and in-service physical education teachers have evaluated themselves as not being very well prepared or proficient in technology use. Thus, better preparation of PE teachers to integrate technology is necessary. In this study, I examined the effects of technology-related mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and social persuasion on preservice PE teachers’ self-efficacy to integrate technology during student teaching. The participants, 60 (32 females, 28 males) student teachers, completed the Computer Technology Integration Survey for Physical Education prior to and at the conclusion of the student-teaching experience. Student teachers’ self-efficacy to integrate technology into physical education significantly improved over the course of student teaching, and positive relationships existed between experiences with technology (i.e., mastery experience, vicarious experience, and social persuasion) and self-efficacy to integrate technology. Subscribe to TPE
Random Walks on Graphs

Random walks on graphs and Markov chains with a finite number of states have been investigated for over 90 years, but their study really took off only in the last two decades or so. The main reasons for this heightened activity are the systematic exploitation of the surprising and extremely useful connection with electrical networks, the emergence of intricate combinatorial arguments, the use of the spectral properties of relevant matrices, and applications of harmonic analysis. In this chapter we shall dip into the theory of random walks on graphs, emphasizing combinatorial arguments, the connection with electrical networks, and eigenvalues.
Changes in Markers of Thrombin Generation and Interleukin-6 During Unicondylar Knee and Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is associated with a risk of thromboembolism requiring routine thromboprophylaxis, but there is debate about the risk with unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) as it is a more minor procedure. We sought to investigate the relative risk of thromboembolism with UKA compared to TKA and one-staged bilateral TKA (BTKA) by measuring the increase in circulating biochemical markers of thrombin generation during the procedures. Degree of surgical trauma was also assessed by measuring interleukin-6, a marker of metabolic injury. Methods We prospectively studied a total of 75 patients: 25 patients undergoing UKA, unilateral TKA, and BTKA, respectively. All patients had surgery performed with tourniquet and received no tranexamic acid. Blood samples were taken during surgery and assayed for circulating markers of thrombin generation: prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) and thrombin-antithrombin complexes plus interleukin-6. Results Thrombin-antithrombin complexes, increased during all time points ( P P P Conclusion Based on these data of circulating biochemical markers, patients undergoing UKA are at similar risk of thromboembolism with respect to TKA despite a lower index of metabolic injury. We believe that UKA patients should receive thromboprophylaxis comparable to TKA patients.
Lissodelphis borealis (Northern right whale dolphin)

The karyotypes were made available by Dr. D.A. Duffield, Riverside, California and were prepared from lymphocytes of a single male available. The bottom karyotype was stained with the ASG technique.
Modeling cholesterol in humans: update and dealing with the problem of exchange in vivo using the blood cell-lipoprotein paradigm.

The cholesterol molecule, like some other lipids, is very weakly soluble in water. It is present in all cells of humans, mainly in membranes and especially in specialized areas of the plasma membrane such as caveolae and rafts. These areas are rich in sphingomye-lin and carry out important functions like signaling. Cholesterol is also present in plasma and bile, but it is nearly absent from normal urine and spinal fluid. In plasma, cholesterol is localized in lipoprotein particles; in bile, it is in vesicles and micelles. The common denominators at these locations are phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. Cholesterol is very mobile in this phospholipid environment; it flip-flops across the bilayer with a t1/2 of seconds, diffuses laterally with similar speed, and exchanges/transfers between membranes in proximity by aqueous diffusion or with the facilitation of soluble lipid transfer proteins. The reasons why lipoproteins, bile vesicles, and areas of the plasma membrane are cholesterol enriched are active areas of investigation.
Simulations of compressible inviscid flows over stationary and rotating cylinders

Solutions of potential and Euler equations for compressible flows over a cylinder are obtained based on simple artificial viscosity forms using standard numerical techniques. The equations, written in cylindrical coordinates are discretized on an orthogonal grid via central differences with special treatment of boundary conditions. The resulting nonlinear algebraic equations are solved via Newton’s method. A direct solver based on an efficient Gaussian elimination procedure for banded matrices, is employed at each iteration. Preliminary results demonstrate multiple solutions of both systems for the transonic cases of non-zero circulation in the far field. Finally, some remarks about the non-uniqueness problem are discussed.
Invariant Manifold Theorems with Applications

Invariant Manifold Theoremsheve proved to be very useful in the study of dynamical systems. Here we present a sketch of a geometrical proof of the local stable/center/unstable manifold decomposition theorem for flows or semiflows in Banach space. We distinguish two cases, called dissipafcive and conservative anticipating applications to semilinear parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations. As examples we show how the stability of the travelling pulse for the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations and the instability of stationary solutions to a nonlinear wave equation follow from this decomposition theorem.