cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Pili in Haemophilus influenzae Adherence to, and Internalization by, Respiratory Cells

To determine the role of pili in mediating adherence of type b and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae to several respiratory cell types, piliated bacteria, nonpiliated phase variants, and nonpiliated mutants possessing insertionally inactivated pilin genes were tested. Both piliated and nonpiliated strains adhered to HeLa cells, nasal epithelial cells, A549 cells (type II pneumocyte-like cells), and two types of tracheal epithelial cells. Nonpiliated organisms adhered better than piliated variants to cultured HEp-2 cells, whereas piliated organisms adhered better than nonpiliated variants to bronchial epithelial cells and to shed buccal epithelial cells. GM1, a pilus receptor analog, inhibited pilus- but not nonpilus-mediated adherence. Piliated and nonpiliated H. influenzae were equally internalized by A549 cells. Thus, pili mediate adherence to some, but not all, cells derived from human respiratory tissues; nonpilus mechanisms contribute to both adherence, and internalization, of both piliated and nonpiliated organisms.
Optimal and suboptimal capacity allocation in communication networks

Gomory and Hu (Ref. 1) formulated the optimal allocation of capacities to the links of a communication networks as a problem in linear programming. The application of this formulation to the solution of problems of realistic size does, however, require an excessive amount of computation. In the present paper, a slightly different formulation is given. The resulting optimality conditions readily lend themselves to the construction of problems with known optimal solutions, thereby providing suitable examples for the assessment of the efficiencies of approximate methods. An approximate method that has been found highly efficient in many cases is illustrated by an example.
Evaluating changes to reservoir rule curves using historical water-level data

Flood control reservoirs are typically managed through rule curves (i.e. target water levels) which control the storage and release timing of flood waters. Changes to rule curves are often contemplated and requested by various user groups and management agencies with no information available about the actual flood risk of such requests. Methods of estimating flood risk in reservoirs are not easily available to those unfamiliar with hydrological models that track water movement through a river basin. We developed a quantile regression model that uses readily available daily water-level data to estimate risk of spilling. Our model provided a relatively simple process for estimating the maximum applicable water level under a specific flood risk for any day of the year. This water level represents an upper-limit umbrella under which water levels can be operated in a variety of ways. Our model allows the visualization of water-level management under a user-specified flood risk and provides a framework for inco...
Symmetric stochastic Petri nets

Abstract : A stochastic Petri net (SPN) provides a means for formal specification of a discrete event simulation. This document focuses on SPN's with special structure and define a symmetric SPN. Exploiting properties of a symmetric SPN and underlying regenerative process structure, the authors establish steady state estimation procedures based on independent, nonidentically distributed blocks. These results lead to efficient simulation methods for delay/throughput characteristics of ring networks. Additional keywords: statistical efficiency; estimates. (Author)
Coding left and right.

The present study compared the processing of direction for up and down arrows and for left and right arrows in visual displays. Experiment 1 demonstrated that it is more difficult to deal with left and right than with up and down when the two directions must be discriminated but not when they must simply be oriented to. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that telling left from right is harder regardless of whether the responses are manual or verbal. Experiment 4 showed that left-right discriminations take longer than up-down discriminations for judgments of position as well as direction. In Experiment 5 it was found that position information can intrude on direction judgments both within a dimension (e.g., a left arrow to the left of fixation is judged faster than a left arrow to the right of fixation) and across dimensions (e.g., judging vertically positioned left and right arrows is more difficult than judging horizontally positioned left and right arrows). There was indirect evidence in these experiments that although the spatial codes for up and down are symmetrical, the codes for left and right may be less so; this in turn could account for the greater difficulty of discriminating left from right. Language: en
Humidity Monitor And Dew Point Hygrometer

The Humidity Monitor measured zero relative humidity during ascent, reflecting the environment provided by the cargo bay dry nitrogen gas purge prior to launch. The Dew Point Hygrometer correspondingly indicated a dew point below its measuring range of -6.7°C (20°F).© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
How to involve students in FOSS projects

Software projects are frequently used to provide software engineering students with an understanding of the complexities of real-world software development. Free and Open Source Software projects provide a unique opportunity for student learning as projects are open and accessible and students are able to interact with an established professional community. However, many faculty members have little or no experience participating in an open source software project. In addition, faculty members may be reluctant to approach student learning within such a project due to concerns over time requirements, learning curve, the unpredictability of working with a "live" community, and more. This paper provides guidance to instructors desiring to involve students in open source projects.
A Mandatory Reading of Kant's Ethics?

At the beginning of his Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant claims that an ordinary view of morality would have it that moral experience is essentially the experience of obligation. There are clearly occasions, he notes, when our own and others' interests would be greatly damaged were we to do what is morally required, and when no gain in satisfaction, happiness, well-being or flourishing can be imagined a consequence of the act, yet we understand that we are obliged anyway, unconditionally. We also reserve our highest approval for agents who do what is required just because it is required, who act 'from duty alone'. When Kant tries to account for what morality must be like if the possibility of strict obligation is so central to it, he argues that the constraint of this moral principle cannot lie in any responsiveness to an 'external' source of obligation. The principle of morality can only be what our own unaided human reason decrees, legislating practically (determining what ought to be done) a moral law. But this rational self-determination is possible only within the limitations of human reason when it legislates practically. While everyone without exception seeks happiness, reason cannot determine the content of any material end the achievement of which would constitute happiness for everyone, an end that would then always be rational for all humans to seek. There is only one other option; and so reason's being practical must be a matter of subscribing to the form of any rational willing. We can even test to see if our maxim has the right universalizable form. Universalized maxims which are contradictory in their very form, or which it would be a contradiction to will, are forbidden. Obligation, practical rationality, form, moral law, maxims and their universalizability could this familiar picture of Kant as the paradigmatic deontologist possibly be wrong? Could it be profoundly misleading? Kant commentators like
The Roots of Resistance to Women's Self-Defense:

Those who teach or research women's self-defense often encounter significant resistance from others. In this article, the author discusses three major types of resistance to women's self-defense (and to women's resistance to violence more generally): the belief that women's resistance is impossible, that it is too dangerous, and that it risks blaming the victim. The author argues that one source of these reactions is people's taken-for-granted beliefs about gender, which limit their ability to understand the research on women's resistance and self-defense-and, indeed, prevent them from being able to conceptualize women as strong and competent social actors.
Chromosomal analysis of renal angiomyolipoma by comparative genomic hybridization: Evidence for clonal origin

Angiomyolipoma has long been considered a hamartomatous polyclonal proliferation. However, recent molecular analyses have indicated that these tumors may be clonal neoplasms rather than polyclonal proliferations. We investigated chromosomal imbalances in angiomyolipoma by comparative genomic hybridization. DNA was extracted from archival paraffin-embedded and frozen tissues of 12 angiomyolipomas (10 usual variant, two epithelioid variant). The 10 angiomyolipomas of the usual variant included bilateral tumors from one tuberous sclerosis patient. Fluorescence ratio distributions from tumor hybridizations were compared with those from control hybridizations to detect changes in DNA copy number with high sensitivity and specificity. We identified 20 chromosomal imbalances in seven sporadic angiomyolipomas, including both tumors of the epithelioid variant. The remaining five tumors, including the two angiomyolipomas from a tuberous sclerosis patient, were devoid of chromosomal imbalances. Seventy-five percent of the imbalances were partial or whole chromosomal deletions involving disparate genomic regions, some of which have previously been associated with tumors of adipose tissue and smooth muscle tumors. Four angiomyolipomas of the usual variant showed 5q deletions with a common region of deletion spanning 5q33 to q34. In two tumors, deletion on 5q was the sole abnormality. One epithelioid angiomyolipoma showed 5q gain encompassing the same region in addition to other alterations. We concluded that (1) Chromosomal imbalances are common in renal angiomyolipomas; (2) Presence of clonal genomic alterations lends further support to the neoplastic pathogenesis of these tumors; (3) The 5q33-q34 region may contain a tumor suppressor gene significant in the histogenesis of some renal angiomyolipomas.
Note on radiationless transitions involving three-body collisions

When an electron makes a transition from a continuous state to a bound state, for example in the case of neutralization of a positive ion or formation of a negative ion, its excess energy must be disposed of in some way. It is usually given off as radiation. In the case of neutralization of positive ions the radiation forms the well-known continuous spectrum. No such spectrum due to the direct formation of negative ions has, however, been observed. This process has been fully discussed in a recent paper by Massey and Smith. It is shown that in this case the spectrum would be difficult to observe.
Is the risk and nature of CVD the same in type 1 and type 2 diabetes

The incidence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is increasing globally, most likely explained by environmental changes, such as changing exposures to foods, viruses, and toxins, and by increasing obesity. While cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has been declining recently, this global epidemic of diabetes threatens to stall this trend. CVD is the leading cause of death in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, with at least a two- to fourfold increased risk in patients with diabetes. In this review, the risk factors for CVD are discussed in the context of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. While traditional risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity are greater in type 2 patients than in type 1 diabetes, they explain only about half of the increased CVD risk. The role for diabetes-specific risk factors, including hyperglycemia and kidney complications, is discussed in the context of new study findings.
Erectile dysfunction: does insulin resistance play a part?

Objective To review MEDLINE literature for correlations between insulin resistance and erectile dysfunction (ED). Design MEDLINE literature review (1966 to present). Setting Academic medical center. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) None. Result(s) Erectile dysfunction affects more than half of men over the age of 40. Fortunately, most men with ED can be successfully treated with phosphodiesterase 5A (PDE-5) inhibitors, which up-regulate the vasodilatory effects of nitric oxide (NO). Insulin resistance affects 25% of U.S. adults and increases to a 60% occurrence in individuals who are overweight. Endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with insulin resistance states, can cause disturbances in the subcellular signaling pathways required for NO production. Because endothelial production of NO and insulin sensitivity are positively related in healthy humans, the relationships among insulin resistance, NO, and ED are the target of this review of MEDLINE literature. Conclusion(s) Insulin resistance states are characterized by defective vascular NO production and impaired insulin-induced vasodilation, both of which are likely to cause ED. Diagnosing and treating insulin resistance should be part of the initial management plan for ED. Future studies concerning the cause and effect relationship of insulin resistance and ED should be implemented.
Limiting properties of certain geometric flows in complex geometry

In this thesis, we study convergence results of certain non-linear geometric flows on vector bundles over complex manifolds. First we consider the case of a semi-stable vector bundle E over a compact Kahler manifold X of arbitrary dimension. We show that in this case Donaldson's functional is bounded from below. This allows us to construct an approximate Hermitian-Einstein structure on E along the Donaldson heat flow, generalizing a classic result of Kobayashi for projective manifolds to the Kahler case. Next we turn to general unstable bundles. We show that along a solution of the Yang-Mills flow, the trace of the curvature approaches in L2 an endomorphism with constant eigenvalues given by the slopes of the quotients from the Harder-Narasimhan filtration of E. This proves a sharp lower bound for the Hermitian-Yang-Mills functional and thus the Yang-Mills functional, generalizing to arbitrary dimension a formula of Atiyah and Bott first proven on Riemann surfaces. Furthermore, we show any reflexive extension to all of X of the limiting bundle is isomorphic to the double dual of the graded quotients from the Harder-Narasimhan-Seshadri filtration, verifying a conjecture of Bando and Siu. Our work on semi-stable bundles plays an important part of this result. For the final section of this thesis, we show that, in the case where X is an arbitrary Hermitian manifold equipped with a Gauduchon metric, given a stable Higgs bundle the Donaldson heat flow converges along a subsequence of times to a Hermitian-Einstein connection. This allows us to extend to the non-Kahler case the correspondence between stable Higgs bundles and (possibly) non-unitary Hermitian-Einstein connections first proven by Simpson on Kahler manifolds.
Identification and effects of maize silk volatiles on cultures of Aspergillus flavus.

Volatiles generated from corn silks of individual genotypes of maize were found to exhibit differences in biological activities when the volatiles were exposed to 5-day solid cultures of Aspergillus flavus. In inverted potato dextrose−agar Petri plate bioassays, it was found that volatiles emitted from silks of the different maize genotypes had a profound effect on the growth of the fungus and, consequently, aflatoxin production. To determine the underlying cause for this bioactivity, volatiles emitted from the maize silks were trapped on Tenax glass columns and were analyzed by GC-MS. Aflatoxin field-resistant maize genotypes exhibited a larger relative concentration of the antifungal aldehyde, furfural (2-furancarboxaldehyde), when compared to the relative concentrations of the field-susceptible varieties tested. In a closed-container 5-day study, it was observed that fresh 1- and 4-day-old corn silk samples of aflatoxin-resistant maize genotypes emitted higher concentrations of furfural compared to tho...
Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Taste Avoidance: Reward or Aversion?

Background: Rats avoid intake of a palatable taste cue when paired with all drugs of abuse tested. Evidence suggests that, at least for morphine and cocaine, rats avoid the taste cue because they are anticipating the rewarding properties of the drug. Thus, the suppressive effects of a rewarding sucrose solution and cocaine, but not those of the putatively aversive agent, lithium chloride (LiCl), are exaggerated in drug-sensitive Lewis rats. Likewise, the suppressive effects of sucrose and morphine, but not those of LiCl, are eliminated by bilateral lesions of the gustatory thalamus. Unlike morphine and cocaine, it is less clear whether rewarding or aversive drug properties are responsible for ethanol-induced suppression of intake of a taste cue. The present set of studies tests whether, like cocaine, ethanol-induced suppression of intake of a taste cue also is greater in the drug-sensitive Lewis rats and whether the suppressive effects of the drug are prevented by bilateral lesions of the taste thalamus. Methods: In Experiment 1, fluid-deprived Lewis and Fischer rats were given 5-minute access to 0.15% saccharin and then injected with saline or a range of doses of ethanol (0.5, 0.75, 1.0, or 1.5 g/kg). There was a total of 6 such pairings. In Experiments 2 and 3, Sprague–Dawley rats received bilateral electrophysiologically guided lesions of the gustatory thalamus. After recovery, suppression of intake of the saccharin cue was evaluated following repeated daily pairings with either a high (1.5 g/kg) or a low (0.75 g/kg) dose of ethanol. Results: Ethanol-induced suppression of intake of the saccharin conditioned stimulus (CS) did not differ between the drug-sensitive Lewis rats relative to the less-sensitive Fischer rats. Lesions of the taste thalamus, however, prevented the suppressive effect of the 0.75 g/kg dose of the drug, but had no impact on the suppressive effect of the 1.5 g/kg dose of ethanol. Conclusion: The results suggest that the suppressive effects of ethanol on CS intake are mediated by both rewarding and aversive consequences, varying as a function of dose.
Metastatic Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma in a Llama (Lama Glama)

An adult female llama with a comminuted fracture of the left femoral head was necropsied. A firm multinodular mass infiltrated skeletal muscle adjacent to the fracture. Multiple, firm, white nodules were in the pulmonary parenchyma and pleura. A single nodule was in the liver. Microscopically, transition from nonneoplastic bronchiolar epithelium to neoplastic epithelium that formed acinar structures was evident at bronchioloalveolar junctions. A diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma was made. Similar neoplastic tissue was in the liver and in the perifemoral mass. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells were positive for pan-cytokeratin, cytokeratin 7, and cytokeratin 5/6 antibodies and negative for vimentin and cytokeratins 8/18 and 20.
Are Public–Private Transactions the Future of Infrastructure Finance?

Demand for infrastructure in the United States continues to grow dramatically while governments at all levels struggle to balance their budgets. As a result, state and local governments are looking more to nontraditional sources of financing for their capital and operating needs. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are financing strategies that are widely used around the world but are still relatively new in the United States. Under these agreements, state and local governments maintain ownership and control of the assets but receive financial compensation to contract with a private operator who provides operating, maintenance, and/or construction expertise for large-scale infrastructure projects.
Molecular Diagnosis of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Using Next-Generation Sequencing

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2. However, genetic analysis is complicated by six PKD1 pseudogenes, large gene sizes, and allelic heterogeneity. We developed a new clinical assay for PKD gene analysis using paired-end next-generation sequencing (NGS) by multiplexing individually bar-coded long-range PCR libraries and analyzing them in one Illumina MiSeq flow cell. The data analysis pipeline has been optimized and automated with Unix shell scripts to accommodate variant calls. This approach was validated using a cohort of 25 patients with ADPKD previously analyzed by Sanger sequencing. A total of 250 genetic variants were identified by NGS, spanning the entire exonic and adjacent intronic regions of PKD1 and PKD2, including all 16 pathogenic mutations. In addition, we identified three novel mutations in a mutation-negative cohort of 24 patients with ADPKD previously analyzed by Sanger sequencing. This NGS method achieved sensitivity of 99.2% (95% CI, 96.8%–99.9%) and specificity of 99.9% (95% CI, 99.7%–100.0%), with cost and turnaround time reduced by as much as 70%. Prospective NGS analysis of 25 patients with ADPKD demonstrated a detection rate comparable with Sanger standards. In conclusion, the NGS method was superior to Sanger sequencing for detecting PKD gene mutations, achieving high sensitivity and improved gene coverage. These characteristics suggest that NGS would be an appropriate new standard for clinical genetic testing of ADPKD.
Foliar physiology of yellow-poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera L.) exposed to O3 and elevated CO2 over five seasons.

The chronic effects of ozone (O3) alone or combined with elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) on the foliar physiology of unfertilized field-grown yellow-poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera L.) seedlings were studied from 1992 to 1996. Within open-top chambers, juvenile trees were exposed to the following: charcoal-filtered air (CF); 1× ambient ozone (1XO3); 1.5× ambient ozone (1.5XO3); 1.5× ambient ozone plus 700 ppm carbon dioxide (1.5XO3+CO2); or chamberless open-air (OA). Seasonal 24-h mean ambient O3 concentrations ranged from 32 to 46 ppm over the five seasons. Averaged over 5 years, midseason net photosynthesis at saturating light ( A sat) was reduced by 14% ( P =0.029) and stomatal conductance ( g s) was reduced, albeit non-significant, by 13% ( P =0.096) in upper canopy foliage exposed to 1.5XO3-air relative to CF controls. There were no significant differences over the 5 years in A sat and g s between trees grown in 1XO3- and 1.5XO3-air. Our results support the hypothesis that the magnitude of O3 effects on A sat and g s decreases as saplings age. When averaged over the five seasons of exposure, total chlorophyll concentration ( chl) was not significantly affected by exposure to elevated O3; however, in 1.5XO3+CO2-air, foliar chl was reduced by 33% relative to all others ( P <0.001). In 1.5XO3+CO2-air, A sat was 1.4–1.9 times higher ( P <0.001) and g s was 0.7 times lower ( P =0.022) than all others. O3 uptake in juvenile trees exposed to elevated O3 plus elevated CO2 (1.5XO3+CO2-air) was most comparable to trees exposed to ambient air (1XO3) throughout the study. These findings suggest that elevated CO2 may minimize the negative effects of O3 by reducing O3 uptake through decreased stomatal conductance.
The U. S. Geological Survey's Gravity program in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

The following summary of the U. S. Geological Survey gravity program in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming is one of a series of short papers that outline Geological Survey gravity projects in the western United States. The substance of this summary is a list of references of published papers on U. S. Geological Survey gravity projects in the northwestern states together with an index map (Figure 1) showing the location of the project, the approximate a real coverage reported in the publication, and the contour map given in the publication. Areas in Figure 1 are related to the References (part 2) by a number code. In addition, the gravity projects in progress are listed in Table 1, indicating the area in which the work is being done and the person in charge of the project. Capital letter relate the locations of the projects in Figure 1 to the list of projects in Table 1. No attempt has been made to indicate the areal coverage or contour interval of the projects in progress.
Breakfast and fast food consumption are associated with selected biomarkers in adolescents.

Objective: Skipping breakfast and consuming fast food are related to the risk of obesity and are common adolescent behaviors. The relationship between these behaviors and biomarkers related to diabetes and CVD is understudied in this population. Methods: Data are from a study of the etiologic factors related to obesity risk in adolescents. Breakfast and fast food consumption were assessed using a self-report survey. Anthropometrics, fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were assessed. Multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationship between dietary behaviors and selected biomarkers, controlling for calories consumed, body mass index (BMI), and demographic covariates. Results: 367 adolescents (11 to 18-years; mean 14.7 ± 1.8 years) were assessed at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities from 2006–2008. Breakfast consumption was significantly associated with lower BMI, body fat, insulin, HOMA-IR, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) cluster score, while fast food consumption was associated with higher BMI, body fat, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and MetS cluster score. Some gender differences were observed. Conclusion: Breakfast and fast food consumption appear to be related to important metabolic syndrome biomarkers for chronic disease in a sample of healthy adolescents. The importance of this finding needs to be validated by examining the stability of this pattern over time and to assess the pattern in other populations.
Chapter 25. Computer-Directed Organic Synthetic Analysis

Publisher Summary The term “computer-assisted” is an implication that this selection process is a task to be performed by a chemist, in which the computer can be of some assistance in its capacity as a manipulator of chemical information. This chapter focuses on those aspects of current research that deal with computer-directed organic synthetic analysis or computer-directed synthesis route discovery since the synthesis routes already exist in a sense and the computer is merely discovering them. Finding a good synthesis pathway for a particular organic molecule can be looked at as an exploration of the tree composed of all possible chemical synthesis pathways leading to that molecule. Given the number of known chemical transformations, the tree of pathways leading to a moderately complex organic molecule grows at such a rate at each step that examining pathways of more than three or four steps is not computationally reasonable with even the fastest available computer. There are a number of programs in existence that are designed either to solve or to assist in the solution of organic synthesis problems. All the remaining approaches to organic synthesis route discovery utilize reaction libraries built from the descriptions of much more specific kinds of chemical transformations.
Persistence of Serum Hepatitis B Virus Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Hepatitis B Surface Antigen-Positive Patients With Chronic Persistent Hepatitis Treated With Predhisone

The effect of a short course of prednisone therapy was evaluated in 8 patients with liver biopsyverified chronic persistent hepatitis B. In 6 of the 8 (75%) patients, an abrupt fall in serum alanine aminotrans f erase levels after the initiation of prednisone was noted, and in 4 patients, there was an increase in serum alanine aminotransferase values after prednisone was discontinued. However, the serum levels of hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid were consistently ≥200 pg before, during, and after the course of treatment in 7 of the 8 (87.5%) patients. All patients were initially hepatitis B e antigen-positive and remained so during the study period. These findings indicate that, unlike some patients with chronic active hepatitis B, immunosuppression with prednisone had no effect in altering hepatitis J viral replication in patients with chronic persistent hepatitis.
Reply to Carbillon: Fetal/placental weight ratio and placental function

In his Letter to the Editor, Carbillon (1) maintains that our mouse model of maternal obesity leading to fetal overgrowth (2) may not be relevant for the clinical condition because the fetal/placental weight ratio was not decreased, as is sometimes found in obese pregnant women. We disagree with Carbillon’s (1) assessment.
Social Evaluation of Land-Use Controls

Social evaluation of land-use controls seeks to determine whether residents and potential future residents are treated equitably or fairly. Two standards of judicial equity are proposed: (1)A demand for equalizing resources for education among rich and poor communities; and (2)a requirement that zoning not be discriminatory by excluding moderate and low income families. Different types of policy changes are considered to insure fair housing practices. The different mechanics of computation are examined which would best benefit all in terms of transportation to jobs.
Toward Semantic Enhancement of Monitoring Data Repository

Most existing monitoring systems do not provide semantic information for their monitoring data. Thus, monitoring data in the repository can only be understood by the system that has generated the data. Round Robin Database (RRD) is an important effort toward building monitoring data semantics [1]. However, the RRD model has missing semantic information, such as what QoS metric or which system entity a monitoring data stream is for. Our goal is to enhance the semantics in RRD to facilitate semantic based monitoring data retrieval and to improve the interoperability of monitoring systems and analysis software. We leverage the RRD data semantics and develop the new SE-RRD (Semantic Enhanced RRD) model. We also develop the SE-RRDtool to provide semantic-based accesses to monitoring data. With SE-RRDtool, it is also possible to reason and automatically perform data alignment between the data requests and the monitoring data streams available in the repository. SE-RRDtool greatly enhances the capability of RRDtool and cloud monitoring systems can use it for semantic-rich monitoring data repository.
Odd-even effect in the hydrophobicity of n-alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers depends upon the roughness of the substrate and the orientation of the terminal moiety.

The origin of the odd–even effect in properties of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and/or technologies derived from them is poorly understood. We report that hydrophobicity and, hence, surface wetting of SAMs are dominated by the nature of the substrate (surface roughness and identity) and SAM tilt angle, which influences surface dipoles/orientation of the terminal moiety. We measured static contact angles (θs) made by water droplets on n-alkanethiolate SAMs with an odd (SAMO) or even (SAME) number of carbons (average θs range of 105.8–112.1°). When SAMs were fabricated on smooth “template-stripped” metal (MTS) surfaces [root-mean-square (rms) roughness = 0.36 ± 0.01 nm for AuTS and 0.60 ± 0.04 nm for AgTS], the odd–even effect, characterized by a zigzag oscillation in values of θs, was observed. We, however, did not observe the same effect with rougher “as-deposited” (MAD) surfaces (rms roughness = 2.27 ± 0.16 nm for AuAD and 5.13 ± 0.22 nm for AgAD). The odd–even effect in hydrophobicity inverts when t...
Novel hybrid covalent/ionic self-assembly technique for improved second-order nonlinear optical films

Ionically self-assembled monolayer (ISAM) films have been shown to spontaneously produce noncentrosymmetric ordering that gives rise to a substantial second order nonlinear optical (NLO) response. Typically, the ISAM films for NLO response are an assemblage of bilayers of oppositely charged polymers whose thickness can be controlled through variation of pH and ionic strength of the immersion solutions. Here, we investigate the effects of replacing the NLO-active polymer layers with layers of monomeric chromophores containing ionic and covalent bonding sites. Films fabricated exclusively using polyelectrolytes contain some fraction of both randomly oriented and anti-parallel oriented chromophores. We have examined the incorporation of monomeric chromophores into ISAM films in order to increase the net polar orientation of the chromophores and reduce bilayer thickness.
Human Factors Considerations in the Design of Falls Prevention Technologies for Nursing Homes A Case Study

Falls occur frequently and repeatedly among nursing home residents and cause about 1800 deaths each year. By 2020, the annual direct and indirect cost of fall injuries is expected to reach $54.9 billion. Although auto-alert systems have been developed to detect and report falls of the elderly in the community, fewer were developed for the nursing home setting and are not suited for this setting due to the unique challenges in nursing homes. This paper analyzes the human factors challenges in falls prevention in nursing homes through interviews, observations, and work analysis. Implications and guidelines for developing fall prevention technologies for nursing homes are discussed.
An enhanced two-part tariff methodology when demand charges are not used

Abstract This proposed methodology uses load research sample data to objectively derive a two-part tariff that minimizes deviations from bills that would occur if we hypothetically implemented demand charges for residential customers. We find that about 50% of the capacity- or demand-related costs should be recovered in the fixed monthly customer charge and 50% recovered through the volumetric energy charge.
Analysis of Intellectual Property Law on Food Packaging

Playing a quite important role in food distribution, food packaging needs not only scientificity to ensure the quality and security of the food but also aesthetics to guarantee that the packaged food can stand out in similar products. Designing attractive food packaging and protecting their unique food packaging become a must concern for today's food packers. Food producers or distributors will encounter a variety of legal relationships in the design of food packaging and in protecting their unique food packaging, of which, there are so many intellectual property legal relations. How to protect their food packaging through intellectual property laws as well as to prevent the infringement to others' intellectual property rights in the design process has become a must concern to food enterprises.
The Analysis of 600MW Unit LPII Rotor Blade Ring Broken

Vibration of No.4~No.6 bearing in a turbo-generator of an power plant increased sharply was analyzed in this paper,and the reason was concluded that blade ring broken near the adjusting valve of the second-last stage of LPII rotor,this paper gives a reliable suggestion for the turbo-generator with the result that the default was eliminated.It is a reference for relative cases.
Proposed Modification of K 2 -Temperature Relation

For many years, researchers and engineers engaged in the investigation of stream reaeration have constantly followed the suggestion that the value of K 2 , the reaeration rate constant, increases as the temperature rises and vice versa (2). It is of importance to report that the writer, through his many years of observation in oxygenation processes, has found that K 2 increases as temperature goes down. On the other hand, K 2 decreases as temperature rises. This paper is a summary of the writer.s observations, proposing the following modification of the K 2 -temperature relation.
Structure of Carbon Nanotube Porins in Lipid Bilayers: An in Situ Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) Study

Carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs), small segments of carbon nanotubes capable of forming defined pores in lipid membranes, are important future components for bionanoelectronic devices as they could provide a robust analog of biological membrane channels. In order to control the incorporation of these CNT channels into lipid bilayers, it is important to understand the structure of the CNTPs before and after insertion into the lipid bilayer as well as the impact of such insertion on the bilayer structure. Here we employed a noninvasive in situ probe, small-angle X-ray scattering, to study the integration of CNT porins into dioleoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Our results show that CNTPs in solution are stabilized by a monolayer of lipid molecules wrapped around their outer surface. We also demonstrate that insertion of CNTPs into the lipid bilayer results in decreased bilayer thickness with the magnitude of this effect increasing with the concentration of CNTPs.
Some Theoretical Notes on the Trade-Growth Nexus

The mutual inter-relationships of trade and growth have been perceived by economists from the earliest days of the development of the subject. Adam Smith’s ‘productivity’ and ‘vent for surplus’ theories of the interaction between trade and growth have been revived recently by Hla Myint, and perhaps the current interest in Cambridge growth theory will draw attention away from the static trade model of Ricardo’s Principles and towards the fascinating link between trade, income distribution and growth that he explores in his earlier Essay on the Influence of a Low Price of Corn on the Profits of Stock. Marshall’s view that the causes of economic development are to be sought in the theory of international trade, and D. H. Robertson’s famous phrase about trade being an ‘engine of growth’, show the awareness of the relation by neo-classical writers, although it must be said that the experience of the 20th century points more in the direction of growth being an ‘engine of trade’ rather than the reverse.
Regeneration and Morphogenesis

The focus of these exercises will be to examine varied morphogenetic responses from plant cultures. The process of potato tuber formation—tuberization—of two potato cultivars from aseptically germinated potato sprouts will be examined. Additionally, the effect of gelling agents, and light vs dark culture conditions can be examined for their effects on tuberization. The classic carrot suspension culture initiation of somatic embryos and their development from cells, globular, heart, and torpedo stage embryo differentiation will be recorded. Two types of rice callus cultures will be tested for differences in their development into plants. Narcissus or daffodil bulbs that have completed flowering will be used to demonstrate explant dormancy. Finally, Douglas fir cotyledonary explants will be used to observe direct morphogenesis. Since all these experiments if properly executed will respond, these exercises will also test the development of skills in medium preparation and aseptic technique.
Management of Concussion in Young Athletes

The discharge instructions received by youth athletes hospitalized for a sports-related closed head injury over a 5-year period (1987-1991) were examined at the Children’s Hospital and University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL.
A Biological Antioxidant Function for Vitamin E: Electron Shuttling for a Membrane-Bound “Free Radical Reductase”

In the last several years, several investigators have reported that the tocopheroxy radical, the initial product of the reaction of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), is recycled back to alpha-tocopherol in the course of its function as an antioxidant in biological membranes (1–3). However, direct evidence for such a process has not been provided, and the mechanism by which such a reaction could be mediated was not known. Some of the evidence which tends to support this idea was based on observations that lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes from tocopherol-deficient rats is poorly inhibited by glutathione (GSH), but is markedly inhibited by GSH in microsomes from tocopherol-sufficient rats (A). Burk and coworkers (5–7) have shown that a heat-labile factor is present in microsomes which, in the presence of GSH, prevents lipid peroxidation in these membranous particles under conditions which promote vigorous lipid peroxidation in the absence of GSH. The activity of this heat-labile, membrane-bound factor was shown to be heat-labile and destroyed by trypsin, and, therefore, presumably a constitutive protein in the microsomal membrane.
French and Russian in Imperial Russia, vol. 1, ‘Language use among the Russian elite’; Vol. 2, ‘Language attitudes and identity’

The two volumes of French and Russian in Imperial Russia, edited by Derek Offord, Lara Ryazanova-Clarke, Vladislav Rjeoutski and Gesine Argent, leave us in no doubt about the impacts of the French ...
Mis-Education: A Recurring Theme? Transforming Black Religious and Theological Education.

AbstractEducating ministers and religious educators with the skills to connect with a variety of congregations and communities is a difficult task. Looking specifically at theological and religious education with African Americans, there are historical criticisms of mis-education. Mis-education defined by Carter G. Woodson describes a process of educating that becomes more of a liability than asset by devaluing the religion and traditions of the masses of African Americans. This article reviews education resources (sermons and Sunday school literature) in African American churches along with the perspectives of seminary students to explore if Woodson's claims of mis-education persist.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Computer-Mediated Communication, Emojis and Trust

Communication is a crucial component of economic trust. This link is intriguing in a digitally-oriented world. This paper reports the results of an experiment using emoji and text messaging in laboratory Investment games. Using linguistic analysis and an emoji-classification coordination game to decompose chat logs, I find that trust increases dramatically with the introduction of emoji to one-shot games, while reciprocation of trust increases modestly. Emoji use leads to welfare gains, although these are shared disproportionately. Affective content, skin tone, and gender signals embedded in emoji impact sharing, indicative of statistical discrimination. Receiving a dark skinned emoji has negative effect on trust for both light and dark skinned players – a result in conflict with current in-group literature. An emoji suggestive of a female counterpart garners more trust. In this way, computer-mediated communication leads to reduced gains for dark-skinned persons and increased surplus for women. Yet, this discrimination is not warranted – all demographic groups act in a trustworthy manner, exhibiting strong preferences for equitable splits. These results highlight the complex social judgment that motivates trust in an anonymous counterpart.
Privacy-preserving MaaS fleet management

Abstract On-demand traffic fleet optimization requires operating Mobility as a Service (MaaS) companies such as Uber, Lyft to locally match the offer of available vehicles with their expected number of requests referred to as demand (as well as to take into account other constraints such as driver’s schedules and preferences). In the present article, we show that this problem can be encoded into a Constrained Integer Quadratic Program (CIQP) with block independent constraints that can then be relaxed in the form of a convex optimization program. We leverage this particular structure to yield a scalable distributed optimization algorithm corresponding to computing a gradient ascent in a dual space. This new framework does not require the drivers to share their availabilities with the operating company (as opposed to standard practice in today’s mobility as a service companies). The resulting parallel algorithm can run on a distributed smartphone based platform.
Entrepreneurship in South African township tourism: the impact of interracial social capital

Ethnic entrepreneurship scholarship has demonstrated the importance of social capital for “minority” entrepreneurs, but these studies presume that social capital is co-ethnic. I complicate this ass...
Seeking alternatives in therapeutic recreation/recreation therapy: a social/recreation community model

Controversy concerning the medical model within the therapeutic recreation (TR) community has a long history. Authors have contested the legitimacy of the medical model in TR, arguing that a social...
Abstract 054: Diet Beverage Intake is Positively Associated With Incident Coronary Heart Disease in People With Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: Diet beverages are calorie free beverages sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners. People with diabetes are the highest per-capita consumers of diet beverages, tending to consume them...
Conjugation of para-benzoquinone of Cigarette Smoke with Human Hemoglobin Leads to Unstable Tetramer and Reduced Cooperative Oxygen Binding

Besides multiple life-threatening diseases like lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, cigarette smoking is known to produce hypoxia, a state of inadequate oxygen supply to tissues. Hypoxia plays a pivotal role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking during pregnancy imposes risk for the unborn child. In addition to carbon monoxide, conjugation of para-benzoquinone (pBQ), derived from cigarette smoke, with human hemoglobin (HbA) was also reported to contribute in hypoxia. In fact, conjugation of pBQ is more alarming than carbon monoxide as it is an irreversible covalent modification. In the present study, the functional assay of Hb-pBQ, performed through oxygen equilibrium curve, showed a significant decrease in both P50 and cooperativity. However, the structural changes associated with the observed functional perturbation of the hemoglobin conjugate (Hb-pBQ) are unknown to date. Enhanced sensitivity and high resolution of nano-ESI mass spectrometry platform have enabled to investigate the native structure of oligomers of hemoglobin in a single scan. The structural integrity of Hb-pBQ measured through the dissociation equilibrium constants (Kd) indicated that compared to HbA, Kd of tetramer-dimer and dimer-monomer equilibria were increased by 4.98- and 64.3-folds, respectively. Using isotope exchange mass spectrometry, we observed perturbations in the inter-subunit interactions of deoxy and oxy states of Hb-pBQ. However, the three-dimensional architecture of Hb-pBQ, monitored through collision cross-sectional area, did not show any change. We propose that the significant destabilization of the functionally active structure of hemoglobin upon conjugation with pBQ results in tighter oxygen binding that leads to hypoxia. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
Rheology of Lyocell Solutions from Different Cellulose Sources

Rheological measurements were used to characterize the behavior of lyocell solutions, i.e., cellulose dissolved in N-methymorpholine-N-oxide. Cellulose sources included dissolving pulp, kraft pulp, sugar cane fibers, and kenaf fibers. The dominance of viscous behavior, G′ values, over elastic behavior, G″ values, is affected by cellulose concentration and molecular weight. At lower concentrations and degrees of polymerization (DP), dissolving pulp solutions show viscous, inelastic behavior at low frequencies. At higher concentration and DP, dissolving pulp solutions are more elastic at higher frequencies. Solutions prepared with kenaf and sugar cane fibers show similar properties to those using pure dissolving pulp, and comparisons suggest the molecular weight and/or the presence of other substances such as lignin in the cellulose from these alternative sources affect the rheology.