cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constraints on solar wind acceleration mechanisms from Ulysses plasma observations: The first polar pass

The mass flux density and velocity of the solar wind at polar latitudes can provide strong constraints on solar wind acceleration mechanisms. We use plasma observations from the first polar passage of the Ulysses spacecraft to investigate this question. We find that the mass flux density and velocity are too high to reconcile with acceleration of the solar wind by classical thermal conduction alone. Therefore acceleration of the high-speed wind must involve extended deposition of energy by some other mechanism, either as heat or as a direct effective pressure, due possibly to waves and/or turbulence, or completely non-classical heat transport.
Parenting and Children's Intrinsic Motivation in Age Group Swimming

The parenting correlates of children's intrinsic motivation in swimming were examined. Mothers and fathers of 135 9- to 12-year-old competitive swimmers completed questionnaires about their child's swimming ability and about their current parenting practices. Children provided information about their swimming motivations. Results showed that children's ability in swimming (based on both mother and father ratings and on objective swimming performance) was positively associated with children's reports of intrinsic motivation. After controlling for child ability, mothers', but not fathers', parenting practices predicted children's intrinsic motivation: maternal directiveness was negatively associated with intrinsic motivation and maternal performance goals showed a positive association. Curvilinear effects were significant as well, with the highest level of intrinsic motivation found among children whose mothers showed intermediate values on performance goals and either high or low levels of directiveness.
A comparison of C14-labeling patterns in deoxyribose and ribose in mammalian cells.

Abstract Methods are described for the isolation and degradation of deoxyribose from deoxyribonucleic acid. In regenerating liver, ascites tumor, and HeLa cells the pattern of labeling in deoxyribose formed from specifically labeled glucose or ribose is similar to that found in ribose. Differences observed in the relative labeling of C-1 and C-2 of ribose and deoxyribose can be interpreted in terms of two pathways of ribose synthesis. However, in experiments with C-1 labeled glucose, C-5 of deoxyribose was heavily labeled, indicating a possible triose phosphate precursor. It is unlikely that acetaldehyde plays a significant role in the in vivo formation of deoxyribose.
Risk Based Optimization of the Life Assessment for Fossil Power Plant

As a number of aged fossil power plants recently increased, the precise life assessment of critical equipments gets to be important more than ever. Despite of infrequent likelihood of failure, the equipments in high pressure and temperature operation condition have traditionally been considered as critical because of huge consequence of the equipments and hence life assessment of fossil power plant has been focused on all of the severe operated equipments for past decades. Nowadays, with Risk-Based Inspection technology being developed rapidly, most of the power plant utilities get a chance to reduce the scope of the inspection and test and to extend the interval for the life assessment. This paper provides methodology based on Risk-Based Inspection technology to optimize the life assessment work scope and interval and also demonstrates the enhanced life assessment procedure including risk assessment of equipments.
Vagal Innervation of Intestine Contributes to Weight Loss After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery in Rats

It is conceivable that overstimulation of chemo- and mechano-sensors in the Roux and common limbs by uncontrolled influx of undigested nutrients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) could lead to exaggerated satiety signaling via vagal afferents and contribute to body weight loss. Because previous clinical and preclinical studies using vagotomy came to different conclusions, the aim was to examine the effects of selective and histologically verified celiac branch vagotomy on reduced food intake and body weight loss induced by RYGB. Male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent either RYGB + celiac branch vagotomy (RYGB/VgX, n = 15), RYGB + sham celiac branch vagotomy (RYGB/Sham VgX; n = 6), Sham RYGB + celiac branch vagotomy (Sham/VgX; n = 6), or sham RYGB + sham celiac branch vagotomy (Sham/Sham; n = 6), and body weight, body composition, and food choice were monitored for 3 months after intervention. In rats with RYGB, histologically confirmed celiac branch vagotomy significantly moderated weight loss during the first 40 days after surgery, compared to either sham or failed vagotomy (P < 0.05). In contrast, celiac branch vagotomy slightly, but non-significantly, reduced body weight gain in sham RYGB rats compared to sham/sham rats. Furthermore, the significant food intake suppression during the first 32 days after RYGB (P < 0.05) was also moderated in rats with verified celiac branch vagotomy. The results suggest that signals carried by vagal afferents from the mid and lower intestines contribute to the early RYGB-induced body weight loss and reduction of food intake.
Absolute intensities in the ν7 band of ethylene: tunable laser measurements used to calibrate FTS broadband spectra

Abstract Three independent measurements of ν7 ethylene transitions at two different laboratories yield direct determinations of absolute intensity for 13 transitions. The 13 intensities are used to calibrate the intensities of a broadband high-resolution 10 μm spectrum of ethylene taken at the McMath Solar Telescope FTS facility. The least-squares fitting of the FTS intensity observations to the precisely determined TDL intensities results in validation of the broadband data for which sample pressure and temperature were marginally known. This “calibration” of the FTS spectrum makes it possible to determine intensities of transitions in several bands in the 800–1100 cm−1 broadband FTS spectrum.
Post-breakup asymptotics for a Giesekus jet

Abstract We discuss the retraction of a filament of a Giesekus fluid following a break up event driven by surface tension. A similarity solution describing the behavior near the breakup point is derived and given in closed form.
Temperature preferendum of pinealectomized cockerels during their light-dark cycle.

SummaryPinealectomized cockerels (PX) were individually exposed to a thermocline (20 to 34°) throughout both phases of the light-dark cycle (12L:12D). Twelve birds from each surgical treatment, including sham operated (PN) and unoperated controls (C), were singly placed in the thermocline for 100 min during photophase and scotophase in 4-hr segments designated early (E), middle (M), and late (L). Prior to placement in the thermocline, PX birds had a lower mean Tr (40.15°) than PN and C groups (40.64°). During photophase, PX birds selected a higher Ta during the E and L segments, but preferred a Ta similar to PN and C cockerels for M photophase (23°). This produced an interaction (P < 0.05) between pinealectomy and Ta selection during photophase. The PX group had a Ta preferendum of 29.7° for scotophase in contrast (P < 0.05) to 25.4° selected by PN and C birds. The average Ta preferred by PX birds across both phases of the light-dark cycle was 28° (P < 0.05) while on the average, PN and C groups selected 24°.
NH3 concentrations in the expired air of the rat: Importance to inhalation toxicology

Abstract Endogenously produced ammonia (NH 3 ) has been quantitated in the expired air of dogs and humans but data for rodents are not available. NH 3 in expired air may have importance in toxicology studies with inhaled gases, vapors, or aerosols because of its ability to form secondary reaction products. Depending upon the reaction product(s) formed, the toxicity of an airborne agent may be increased or decreased. The objective of this study was to quantitate NH 3 in the expired air of unanesthetized Fischer-344 rats, a species commonly used in inhalation toxicity studies. Whole body plethysmography and an indophenol, colorimetric assay were used to quantitate breath NH 3 . Concentrations of NH 3 ranged from 10 to 353 ppb ( x = 78 ppb ) in nose-breathing animals and 34 to 744 ppb ( x = 286 ppb ) in tracheal cannulated animals. These differences were attributed to the absorptive effect of the moist, upper respiratory tract in nose-breathers which was absent in animals with tracheal cannulas. These results compared favorably with published reports using larger species. The presence of NH 3 in the expired air of the rat suggests that reaction products may be formed with a variety of airborne chemicals. This may be particularly significant in low-level, chronic inhalation studies.
The empirical study of mother-son interactions

Three groups of mother-son dyads interacted with the Interpersonal Game Test. Each group consisted of 10 dyads in which the sons had been designated as aggressive, withdrawn, or controls on the basis of therapists' ratings and scores on a behavioral checklist. Various patterns of interacting were identified (e.g., competitive, dominant-submissive) and some differences in mother-son interactions seemed related to aggression/withdrawal in children. The potential advantages of a procedure such as the Interpersonal Game Test over more conventional procedures for assessing family interactions were discussed.
Large observed v(2) as a signature for deconfinement

We present a new plot for representing R AA(o) data that emphasizes the strong correlation between high-p η suppression and its elliptic anisotropy. We demonstrate that existing models cannot reproduce the centrality dependence of this correlation. Modification of a geometric energy loss model to include thermal absorption and stimulated emission can match the trend of the data, but requires dN g/dy values inconsistent with the observed multiplicity. By including a small, outward-normal directed surface impulse opposing energy loss, \(\Delta p_ \bot \hat n\), one can account for the centrality dependence of the observed Au+Au elliptic quench pattern. We also present predictions for Cu+Cu reactions.
Direct blockade of both cloned rat rod photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide-gated non-selective cation (CNG) channel α-subunit and native CNG channels from Xenopus rod outer segments by H-8, a non-specific cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase inhibitor

Using excised inside-out patch techniques, a non-specific cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase inhibitor, H-8 (N-2-(methylamino)ethyl-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide), has been shown to suppress directly the activities of both rat rod photoreceptor cyclic GMP-gated channel alpha-subunits expressed in Xenopus oocytes and native cGMP-gated channels from Xenopus rod outer segments. When co-applied with 100 microM cGMP on the cytoplasmic side of the patches, current suppression by H-8 increased with membrane depolarization. Blockade by H-8 was not relieved by supersaturating concentrations of cGMP (1 mM). In addition, blockade by H-8 showed significant inhibition of channel activity at negative holding potentials when acting from the extracellular side of the channel. The results were consistent with the conclusion that H-8 can act as an open channel blocker from either side of the channel. Even though H-8 is a much more effective kinase inhibitor, it is frequently used at concentrations that cause inhibition of cGMP-gated channels and this effect needs to be taken into account when evaluating results obtained with this compound.
The cognitive underpinnings of addiction.

A new conditional reasoning measure was developed to evaluate the role of implicit biases in perpetuating addictive behavior. Data (N = 669) were collected in 2005 from two samples in a suburban area: individuals with a known history of chemical dependency and individuals from the general population. Results indicated a strong correlation between overall test scores and group membership (rpb = .48), which increased when the groups’ demographic characteristics were equalized (rpb = .65). Overall, findings suggest that addiction-prone individuals rely on a distinct set of cognitive biases that rationalize self-destructive behavior. The study's limitations are noted and implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Thalloid carbonaceous incrustations and the asynchronous evolution of embryophyte characters during the Early Paleozoic

Abstract The earliest record of plants on land has often been portrayed as the earliest record of upright axes possessing sporangia (Edwards and Wellman, 2001). In land plants, axial form is the direct outcome of growth and development of the bipolar embryo, which is a key innovation that helps define the Embryophyta as a taxon today. However, both the trilete spore (Steemans et al., 2009) and cryptospore records indicate that spore-producing plants had evolved beyond the algal stage long before the Middle Silurian when the first plant axes are found. This assertion is supported by the fossil record of thalloid carbonized compressions, most of which do not retain anatomical detail, but many of which could possibly be the remains of early land plants. Such remains are reasonably common in Silurian deposits in the Appalachian Basin. I demonstrate in this report that thalloid remains also dominate the bedding planes of many of the Downtonian specimens of Cooksonia originally described by Lang (1937). The first land plants may have been thalloid gametophytes with archegonia and antheridia, but lacking a bipolar embryo that developed into an axial sporophyte. Such plants would technically not be embryophytes if embryonic development were absent from their life cycles. This conclusion is consistent however, with current views on the antithetic (interpolational) theory of the origin of the sporophytic phase in the earliest land plants. Bipolar embryonic development is probably not an essential requirement for land plant status — this character state most likely evolved in the last phases of the algal–embryophyte transition.
GROWTH AND GERMINATION OF SUNFLOWERS AS INFLUENCED BY X‐RAYS

The manner in which the germination and growth of seeds are influenced by X-rays is a subject about which there is disagreement. The question to be determined is whether the action of X-rays on seeds and seedlings causes growth to be stimulated or inhibited. Is the effect on plants merely a transitory one or do the rays also exert an influence on the total amount of growth? In the experiments to be described a considerable number of plants were grown to maturity, so that the final, as well as the immediate, effects of irradiation could be determined. A few of those who have studied the effects of X-rays on higher plants (I, 7, io) report a positive stimulation by weak irradiation and find an acceleration of growth. One investigator (12) finds that X-rays exert a forcing action on certain buds while others (3, 6, 7) find a temporary checking of growth followed by an acceleration. The facts reported in this paper suggest that plants from irradiated seeds show no increase in total growth either at an early or a later stage. The effect of the same dosage on air-dry and soaked seeds is discussed, as is also the variability of seeds of the same species in regard to their susceptibility to X-rays. MOISTURE INTAKE OF SEEDS
Impact of sink location on hand hygiene compliance for Clostridium difficile infection.

Hand hygiene with soap and water after the care of a patient with Clostridium difficile infection is essential to reduce nosocomial transmission in an outbreak situation. Factors that may pose barriers to user completion of infection prevention measures, such as hand hygiene, are of interest. We undertook a quantitative study to evaluate the relationship between sink location and compliance with handwashing among health care workers and visitors in a surgical transplant unit. We found that placement of 2 more easily visible sinks in a surgical transplant unit was associated with improved adherence to handwashing.
Remission and resurgence of anxiety-like behavior across protracted withdrawal stages in ethanol-dependent rats

Background: Alcohol dependence is a chronic disorder in which withdrawal symptoms often persist after detoxification. The purpose of the present experiment was to characterize susceptibility to stress and anxiogenic stimuli in rats over an extended time period following ethanol withdrawal. Methods: Male Wistar rats were made dependent via ethanol vapor exposure. The rats were then tested in the elevated plus-maze during acute ethanol withdrawal (ACW, ∼8 hour), early “protracted” withdrawal (EPW, 2 weeks), or late “protracted” withdrawal (LPW, 6, 12 weeks) following brief restraint or no stress. Principal components analysis was used to identify constructs underlying plus-maze behavior. Results: Three factors characterized plus-maze performance: anxiety, locomotor activity, and risk assessment/decision making. Spontaneous anxiety-like behavior was increased during ACW, decreased to levels of ethanol-naive controls during EPW, but markedly resurged during LPW. Withdrawal did not alter sensitivity to the anxiety-like effects of restraint stress. All ethanol-dependent rats showed locomotor hypoactivity that, in contrast to anxiety, remained stable throughout all withdrawal stages. Neither ethanol withdrawal nor restraint stress altered mean “risk assessment/decision making” scores, though ethanol withdrawal altered the emission of “risk assessment/decision making” behavior in relation to anxiety-like behavior and behavioral activation state. Conclusions: The findings illustrate and model the spontaneous, severe, and long-lasting nature of behavioral abnormalities that accompany withdrawal from chronic, intermittent ethanol intoxication. The dynamic remission and resurgence in symptoms of negative affect (i.e., behavioral signs of anxiety) during “protracted” withdrawal may complicate recovery from alcoholism.
SOCRATIC: A social approach to network coding rate control

Tactical and emergency-response networks require efficient communication without a managed infrastructure. Recent work demonstrates that applying information-centric paradigms to the tactical edge can provide performance benefits over traditional address centric approaches. We propose SOCRATIC (SOCial RATe control for Information Centric networks), an approach that unifies replication and network coding to disseminate content by taking advantage of social content and context heuristics. SOCRATIC replicates network encoded blocks according to a popularity index metric that is shared during neighbor discovery. The number of encoded blocks that is relayed to a node depends on its own interest in a data object and its social popularity, i.e., how often and for how long the node meets other nodes. These blocks are subsequently replicated towards the subscriber if a stable path exists. We evaluate an implementation of SOCRATIC through network emulation of a tactical scenario and demonstrate that it can achieve better performance than traditional socially agnostic approaches.
Age-Associated Changes in Specific Errors on the Benton Visual Retention Test

While total errors on the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) are known to increase in normal aging, there is little information on changes for specific error types. We examined the differential increase in seven specific error categories for 2,000 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that all errors increased with age, but differences between age groups in error profiles suggested relatively greater age effects for distortions, omissions, and rotations. There were also significant gender differences in error profiles, reflecting increased rotation and omission errors in females. Longitudinal analyses of age changes for a subset of 673 participants with three BVRT assessments were consistent with the cross-sectional data and indicated intra-individual increases with age in distortions, omissions, and rotations. While women made more omission errors, men showed steeper increases in omission errors with age. These findings suggest that cerebral aging impacts all categories of BVRT errors but has differential effects on particular error types.
The Spectrum of tmLQCD with Quark and Link Smearing

The effect of using smeared sink operators on the hadron spectrum is studied for quenched twisted mass lattice QCD with up, down, and strange quarks. Gaussian smearing is used for quark fields, and stout link smearing for gauge fields. Smeared correlators are found to be dominated by the ground state with a small contribution from excited states, leading to an improved determination of some ground state masses.
Efeitos das transferências fiscais sobre as despesas dos estados brasileiros

Os estados brasileiros recebem transferencias fiscais da Uniao para que possam complementar as verbas disponiveis para o cumprimento dos seus orcamentos e garantir sua autonomia politica e fiscal. Contudo, corre-se o risco de eles gastarem excessivamente quanto mais transferencias fiscais eles recebem, principalmente as do tipo desvinculadas. Diante esse possivel disturbio das transferencias sobre os gastos, procurou-se responder a seguinte questao: as transferencias fiscais vinculadas e desvinculadas apresentam efeitos expansivos sobre as despesas publicas dos estados brasileiros? Para responde-la, o trabalho teve como objetivo verificar se essas transferencias expandem os gastos dos estados brasileiros de forma desproporcional ao aumento da renda. Para isso foi utilizado um modelo econometrico de dados em painel junto a variaveis fiscais, economicas e demograficas, no periodo compreendido entre 2000 e 2008. As transferencias vinculadas e desvinculadas nao tiveram efeito expansivo, apresentando impacto sobre os gastos menor que o da renda e o das receitas tributarias. Abstract: The Brazilian states receive fiscal transfers from the Union so they can supplement the funds available to meet their budgets and ensure its political and fiscal autonomy. However, it runs the risk that they spend too much more fiscal transfers they receive, especially the kind of detached. Faced with this potential disorder on the transfer spending, we tried to answer the following question: fiscal transfers linked and unlinked have expansive effects on public expenditure of the Brazilian states? To answer it, the study aimed to determine whether such transfers expand spending by Brazilian states disproportionately to the increase in income. For this we used an econometric model for panel data from the fiscal variables, economic and demographic in the period between 2000 and 2008. The transfers were not linked and unlinked expansive effect, with impact on spending less than the income and tax revenues.
Characterization of high-frequency, single-element focused transducers with wire target and hydrophone

In this paper, a wire-target technique was used for lateral beam profile measurements for a single-element, focused transducers in the very high-frequency range (35-60 MHz). Two wire targets made from 9-cm long tungsten wires with diameters of 8 /spl mu/m and 20 /spl mu/m were used as the pulse-echo targets to measure the lateral beam profiles at the focal plane of two single-element, focused transducers, a spherically focused 40 MHz transducer and a lens-focused in-house lithium niobate (LiNbO/sub 3/) 60 MHz transducer. For comparison, measurements on the same transducers were performed by three small-aperture hydrophones with geometrical diameters varying from 37 /spl mu/m to 150 /spl mu/m. Tomographic reconstruction of the acoustic field from the spherically focused transducer also was conducted. Results obtained with the wire-target technique are comparable to those obtained with small-aperture hydrophones in characterizing lateral radiation patterns of a single-element, focused transducer in the high-frequency range (35-60 MHz). However, the wire-target method may overestimate pulse length because of the additional attenuation caused by the return path. Compared to small-aperture hydrophones, the wire-target technique is simpler and more cost effective. Its major advantage, however, is in the frequency range above 100 MHz in which commercial hydrophones are not yet available.
Effects of High Salinity Wastewater Discharges on Unionid Mussels in the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania

Abstract We examined the effect of high salinity wastewater (brine) from oil and natural gas drilling on freshwater mussels in the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, during 2012. Mussel cages (N = 5 per site) were deployed at two sites upstream and four sites downstream of a brine treatment facility on the Allegheny River. Each cage contained 20 juvenile northern riffleshell mussels Epioblasma torulosa rangiana). Continuous specific conductance and temperature data were recorded by water quality probes deployed at each site. To measure the amount of mixing throughout the entire study area, specific conductance surveys were completed two times during low-flow conditions along transects from bank to bank that targeted upstream (reference) reaches, a municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge upstream of the brine-facility discharge, the brine facility, and downstream reaches. Specific conductance data indicated that high specific conductance water from the brine facility (4,000–12,000 µS/cm; mean 7,846) com...
Scaling-induced reductions in CMOS reliability margins and the escalating need for increased design-in reliability efforts

Scaling, for enhanced performance and cost reduction reasons, has pushed existing CMOS materials much closer to their intrinsic reliability limits. Future robust designs will require a strong team effort whereby the design engineer must clearly understand the process variability and its impact on reliability. This strong team effort, between design and process, will become critically important as the industry is seeking to replace the very materials that has made the industry so successful: Si substrates, SiO/sub 2/ gate-dielectric, Al-based metallization and SiO/sub 2/ interconnect-dielectrics.
Clomipramine augmentation in treatment-resistant depression

In depression that is resistant to tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) therapy, the substitution of a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI), clomipramine, or a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor has been recommended. However, adding an additional antidepressant medication from a different drug class may produce even more rapid efficacy. In this regard, the combination of a MAO inhibitor or a SSRI plus a TCA has been shown to be of value in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In this report, we examined the efficacy of clomipramine augmentation in 20 patients who failed to respond to either a MAO inhibitor or fluoxetine therapy for at least a 6-week period, and compared this to a third group given MAO inhibitor plus a conventional TCA. Two out of 9 (22%) MAO inhibitor/clomipramine patients and 4 out of 11 (36%) fluoxetine/clomipramine patients improved (Fisher's Exact test, P = ns), compared to 3 out of 7 (43%) patients taking MAO inhibitor/TCA (P = ns). However, the MAO inhibitor/clomipramine group experienced significantly more adverse events which necessitated stopping treatment (56%) when compared to the fluoxetine/clomipramine (9%) and compared to the MAO inhibitor/TCA group (0%) (chi 2 = 8.9, df = 2, P < 0.05). These adverse events included several cases of serotonin syndrome of mild to moderate severity. These observations indicate that clomipramine augmentation of a failed MAO inhibitor trial is of marginal efficacy (compared to augmentation with a conventional TCA) and should be employed with extreme caution.
Urban congregations as incubators of service organizations

A growing body of research has begun to describe the variety and pervasiveness of community services offered by religious congregations across the United States. This study investigated the process whereby a congregation forms a new community service entity by tracing patterns in its development from formation through emancipation. Based on a sample of twenty-three spin-off organizations engaged in housing services in three cities (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis), this exploratory study found that religious congregations provided very limited forms of incubation for new entities. Although the congregations exhibited considerable involvement in governance, their inability to undertake management of daily spin-off operations notably contributed to the eventual separation between parent and organizational offspring.
SREE-Tree: self-reorganizing energy-efficient tree topology management in sensor networks

The evolving applications of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), such as smart cities, often need sustainable data collection networks. We envision the deployment of heterogeneous sensor networks that will allow dynamic selfreorganization of data collection topology, thus coping with unpredictable network dynamics and node addition/ deletion for changing application needs. However, the self-reorganization must also assure network energy efficiency and load balancing, without affecting ongoing data collection. Most of the existing literature either aim at minimizing the maximum load on a sensor node (hence maximizing network lifetime), or attempt to balance the overall load distribution on the nodes. In this work we propose to design a distributed protocol for self-organizing energy-efficient tree management, called SREE-Tree. Based on the dynamic choice of a design parameter, the in-network selfreorganization of data collection topology can achieve higher network lifetime, yet balancing the loads. In SREE-Tree, starting with an arbitrary tree the nodes periodically apply localized and distributed routines to collaboratively reduce load on the multiple bottleneck nodes (that are likely to deplete energy sooner due to a large amount of carried data flow or low energy availability). The problem of constructing and maintaining optimal data collection tree (Topt) topology that maximizes the network lifetime (L(Topt)) is an NP-Complete problem. We prove that a sensor network running the proposed SREE-Tree protocol is guaranteed to converge to a tree topology (T) with sub-optimal network lifetime. With the help of experiments using standard TinyOS based sensor network simulator TOSSIM, we have validated that SREE-Tree achieves better performance as compared to state-of-the-art solutions, for varying network sizes.
Functional analysis of plasma α2-macroglobulin from Alzheimer's disease patients with the A2M intronic deletion

alpha(2)-Macroglobulin (alpha(2)M) is an abundant plasma/extracellular space protein implicated in clearance of amyloid beta (Abeta), a key constituent of Alzheimer's disease (AD) plaques. alpha(2)M also regulates proteinase and growth factor activities. In recent years, there have been >30 genetic studies debating the controversial role of a five-base-pair intronic deletion in the A2M gene in late-onset AD. However, little is known about potential effects of the deletion upon alpha(2)M function. In this study, we examined the subunit and conformational structure of alpha(2)M in AD plasma samples, and its capacity to bind trypsin, transforming growth factor-beta1, and Abeta. Plasma from patients homozygous for the deletion (DD) showed normal alpha(2)M subunit size, conformation, and proteinase inhibitory activity. Interestingly, plasma alpha(2)M from two DD patients showed markedly increased TGF-beta1 binding. Moreover, methylamine-treated DD plasma samples showed modest, but significant, elevations in Abeta binding to alpha(2)M* compared with samples from patients lacking the deletion. These observations suggest a possible functional basis by which the A2M deletion may influence multifactorial AD pathogenesis.
Effects of Cotton Fiber Blending and Processing on HVI Measurements—Part II

To obtain a better understanding of the relationships between fiber properties of the constituents of a cotton blend and the processes up to drawing, a review is presented of the effects of blending, orienting, and removing crimp from fibers on HVI test results. These effects are also explored experimentally by testing fibers from the same laydown in bale, card sliver, and drawn sliver form using HVI equipment. Apparent reductions in upper half mean and increases in short fiber content of card sliver may be due to the formation of hooks. Significant correlations between micronaire and fiber properties related to length that are present in bale samples are lacking in both card and drawn sliver samples, suggesting that there is at least one unmeasured factor in this analysis. Measured micronaire values are sensitive to crimp and fiber packing density. Differences in fiber property distributions can have significant effects on HVI measurements, and distributions of single fiber properties of a blend may diff...
Using the Newton simulation system as a testbed for control

The use of the Newton system for experimenting with the control of many-degrees-of-freedom articulated objects is described. Newton is a large general-purpose system for simulating the dynamics of complex physical objects. The system automatically formulates and analyzes the dynamics equations of motion for collections of bodies in a wide variety of constrained relationships. An experimental control paradigm is presented and applied to the balancing of a humanoid figure and the endpoint-control of redundant robot arm. >
Spectroscopic Characterization of the Molecular Structure of Elastomeric Networks

Abstract In vulcanization, chemical crosslinks are formed across elastomeric polymer chains improving both the strength and elastic properties of the rubber. An understanding of the formation, structure, and stability of vulcanizates is therefore very important. Solid-state NMR and NMR imaging have been effective methods to study many different aspects of vulcanization. In solid-state NMR, several peaks appear in the C-13 spectrum of vulcanized rubber. Through model studies, NMR analysis, and chemical shift additivity calculations, these peaks were assigned to their respective vulcanizate structures. Once this assignment was made, the concentration of each vulcanizate structure formed could be followed with time under a variety of different conditions. In unaccelerated sulfur vulcanization of natural rubber (NR) and polybutadiene rubber (BR), many inefficient (cyclic or intramolecular) structures were formed as compared to intermolecular crosslinks. In accelerated NR and BR sulfur vulcanization, NMR was u...
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu as a novel therapeutic target in sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma.

Background Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is a rare and aggressive cancer. Despite multimodal therapy, the prognosis in SNUC remains poor, and new therapies are needed. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore potential therapeutic targets in SNUC. Methods Using the human-derived SNUC MDA8788-6 cell line, we performed whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis to identify copy number changes in this line. Protein expression levels were evaluated by Western blotting. Cell growth inhibition was assessed by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) and clonogenic assays. The mouse flank model was used to examine the effect of growth inhibition in vivo. Results The ERBB2 gene was highly amplified and cell extracts showed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) was overexpressed and phosphorylated in MDA8788-6. Lapatinib effectively inhibited the HER2 signaling pathway in our SNUC cell line. HER2 inhibition successfully suppressed the cell growth of MDA8788-6 cells both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion Targeting HER2 may be a promising avenue for the development of novel therapies for SNUC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1926–E1934, 2016
Influences in the development of children's language attitudes

The study focuses on factors which influence the attitudes of children toward standard asn nonstandard language varieties. In a multicultural rural community in Hawaii where communicative competence includes to varying degrees a knowledge of both standard Englisg and Hawaii Creole English, data were collected to measure the following: 1) language attitudes of 68 kindergarten and first grade children, 2) the fluency of these children in standard English and Hawaii Creole English, and 3) language attitudes of the parents of the children. Multiple regression analyses of the data indicate the following: no significant effect of parent attitudes on those of a child; the relative importance of ethnic background and lenght of residence in the speech community; sex as an important variable in determining language perceptions; a tendency to greater preference for a dialect as proficiency in it increase.
Making data mining a natural part of life: Physical retailing, customer surveillance and the 21st century social imaginary:

This article examines corporate struggles to reorganize retail environments around the data capturing and processing affordances of digital media. We argue that ongoing transformations in digital r...
Thermodynamics of nitrogen in CaO-SiO2-AI2O3 slags and its reaction with Fe-Csat. melts

The solubility of nitrogen as the nitride ion in CaO-SiO2-Al2O3 slags in equilibrium with N2-CO gas mixtures and carbon was measured at 1823 K. The nitride capacity (C N3-) was calculated to compare the nitrogen contents measured under different nitrogen and oxygen potentials.C N3- decreased with increasing basicity and by replacing SiO2 with A12O3. The nitrogen partition ratio between carbon saturated iron and the slag was measured in CO gas at one atmosphere at 1823 K. By comparing the partition ratios with the corresponding nitride capacities measured by the gas-slag experiments, it was concluded that the oxygen partial pressure at the slag-metal interface was controlled by the Fe-FeO reaction. A new definition of nitride capacity was proposed based on the reaction between nitrogen and the network former,i.e., SiO2 or A12O3. This capacity could consistently explain the experimental results. Empirical equations were derived to estimate the activity coefficients of silicon and aluminum nitrides in the slags.
p53 family members regulate cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells are commonly defined as those cells that constitute a very low fraction of cells in a tumor, and which are uniquely capable of generating a new tumor following transfer or migrati...
Sticky interconnect for solution-processed tandem solar cells

Graphene oxide (GO) can be viewed as a two-dimensional, random diblock copolymer with distributed nanosize graphitic patches and highly oxidized domains, thus capable of guiding the assembly of other materials through both π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding. Upon mixing GO and conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) in water, a dispersion with dramatically increased viscosity is obtained, which turns into sticky thin films upon casting. Surprisingly, the insulating GO makes PEDOT much more conductive by altering its chain conformation and morphology. The GO/PEDOT gel can function as a metal-free solder for creating mechanical and electrical connections in organic optoelectronic devices. As a proof-of-concept, polymer tandem solar cells have been fabricated by a direct adhesive lamination process enabled by the sticky GO/PEDOT film. The sticky interconnect can greatly simplify the fabrication of organic tandem architectures, which has been quite challenging via solution processing. Thus, it could facilitate the construction of high-efficiency tandem solar cells with different combinations of solution-processable materials.
Effect of Copulins on Rating of Female Attractiveness, Mate-Guarding, and Self-Perceived Sexual Desirability:

Olfaction and chemical signaling play an important role in the mating behaviors of many taxa, yet there is minimal empirical research on human putative pheromones. A mixture of five volatile fatty acids secreted vaginally, identified and named “copulins,” significantly increase in concentration during the follicular phase and decrease in concentration during the luteal phase in nonpill using women. Men exposed to copulins exhibit an increase in testosterone, are inhibited in discriminating the attractiveness of women’s faces, and behave less cooperatively. According to Anisogamy, Sexual Selection and Parental Investment Theory, mammalian males, having low cost and high benefit from any copulatory interaction, may adaptively utilize any useful cues to identifying ovulating females and adjust their behavior accordingly in order to maximize their potential reproductive success. In the current study, we attempted a replication of Jutte and Grammer’s finding indicating copulins inhibit the ability of men to di...
Thermodynamics of binding of a low-molecular-weight CD4 mimetic to HIV-1 gp120.

The entry of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) into target cells is mediated by the gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein and the gp41 transmembrane envelope glycoprotein, which assemble into trimers on the virion surface (1, 2). Upon engaging the receptor, CD4, the gp120 glycoprotein undergoes extensive structural ordering; the resulting conformation of gp120 can bind the second HIV-1 receptor, CCR5 or CXCR4 (3-7). Receptor binding induces further conformational changes in the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins that allow the gp41 glycoproteins to mediate the fusion of the viral and cell membranes. Thermodynamically, the binding of CD4 is characterized by large favorable enthalpy and large unfavorable entropy changes that reflect the structuring of gp120, a protein with large unstructured regions in its unligated form (8). CD4 mimetic miniproteins based on scyllatoxin containing the gp120-binding epitope (9) also elicit conformational changes in gp120 resembling those triggered by CD4 binding, and consequently are characterized by similar thermodynamic signatures (10, 11). Recently, two low-molecular weight compounds that presumably interfere with viral entry of HIV-1 into cells were reported (12) (Figure 1). The studies presented here show that these compounds are competitive inhibitors of CD4 and that they induce conformational changes in gp120 similar to those induced by CD4. These compounds activate coreceptor binding and, in our studies, enhance HIV-1 entry into CD4-negative cells expressing CCR5. This behavior is in contrast to that of the potent viral entry inhibitor BMS-378806, which binds gp120 with a small favorable enthalpy change in an entropically driven process (13). BMS-378806 does not compete with CD4 and does not induce any major structural ordering of the gp120 molecule exerting its antiviral action in an allosteric fashion. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally that the binding mode and antiviral properties of these compounds are reflected in their binding thermodynamics and that the thermodynamic signature of a compound can be used in the design of more potent and effective viral entry inhibitors. Figure 1 General structure of the two compounds, NBD-556 (X = Cl) and NBD-557 (X = Br).
Treatment of Superficial Bladder Cancer with Intravesical Mitomycin C: Analysis of Immediate and Long-Term Response in 70 Patients

AbstractA total of 70 patients received intravesical mitomycin C for treatment of superficial bladdercancer. The drug was instilled weekly for 8 weeks. Thirty-nine patients (56 per cent) had failedthiotepa therapy and 25 had high grade tumors.Of the patients 27 (39 per cent) had complete eradication of tumor at the initial 3-monthevaluation and an additional 27 had a partial response. The response did not vary with initial tumorgrade or stage. Followup averaged 28 months for the 70 patients. A muscle invasive tumor developedduring followup in 7 per cent of the patients with an initial complete response, 15 per cent with apartial response and 25 per cent of the initial failures. To date 5 patients (7 per cent) have died ofbladder cancer.Intravesical mitomycin C is an effective modality for treatment of superficial bladder cancer. Patients achieving a complete response are at little risk for progressive disease.
Optimized circuit design and novel Al deposition process cure power short failure caused by Al whisker

Power short (PS) bin failure due to Al bridging in bond pad regions originated from Al whisker, caused severe yield loss in advanced technology nodes. A comprehensive study on circuit design impact on Al whisker bridging issue was carried out and it was found that increasing Al metal spacing reduced Al whisker bridging. Furthermore, through optimization of process, the novel Al high power deposition recipe demonstrated that power short failure caused by Al whisker could be completely eliminated. The two proposed solutions provide a guideline to solve Al whisker for more advanced technology nodes.
Opposing Conceptions of the Audience: The Active and Passive Hemispheres of Mass Communication Theory

Working the definitions, ideologies, and implications of the concepts of active and passive audiences, Biocca uses the research literature to demonstrate that the active audience position is overextended and often trivial. He removes the locus of control from both the media and the individual and places it in the center of physiological, psychological, social, and semiotic structures.
Linear graphene on silicon nitride electroabsorption modulators for RF-over-fiber links

We demonstrate graphene-on-silicon nitride electroabsorption modulators for inherently linear RF modulation on-chip with a spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of 100 dBc/Hz2/3.
Risk of Small Bowel Obstruction After Robot-Assisted vs Open Radical Prostatectomy.

Abstract Background and Purpose: Whereas open radical prostatectomy is performed extraperitoneally, minimally invasive radical prostatectomy is typically performed within the peritoneal cavity. Our objective was to determine whether minimally invasive radical prostatectomy is associated with an increased risk of small bowel obstruction compared with open radical prostatectomy. Patients and Methods: In the U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, we identified 14,147 men found to have prostate cancer from 2000 to 2008 treated by open (n = 10,954) or minimally invasive (n = 3193) radical prostatectomy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the impact of surgical approach on the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction, as well as the need for lysis of adhesions and exploratory laparotomy. Results: During a median follow-up of 45 and 76 months, respectively, the cumulative incidence of small bowel obstruction was 3.7% for minimally invasive and 5.3% fo...
Renal Mass and Localized Renal Cancer: AUA Guideline

Purpose: This AUA Guideline focuses on evaluation/counseling and management of adult patients with clinically localized renal masses suspicious for cancer, including solid-enhancing tumors and Bosniak 3/4 complex-cystic lesions.Materials and Methods: Systematic review utilized research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and additional supplementation by the authors and consultant methodologists. Evidence-based statements were based on body of evidence strength Grade A/B/C (Strong/Moderate/Conditional Recommendations, respectively) with additional statements presented as Clinical Principles or Expert Opinions.Results: Great progress has been made since the previous guidelines on management of localized renal masses were released (2009). The current guidelines provide updated, evidence-based recommendations regarding evaluation/counseling of patients with clinically localized renal masses, including the evolving role of renal mass biopsy. Given great variability of clinical, oncologic and f...
Raman Spectroscopy for Characterization of Semiconducting Nanowires

Raman scattering behavior germane to semiconductor nanowires (NWs) and the application of Raman spectroscopy to characterize the structure, composition, strain, and temperature of individual semiconductor nanowires with submicron resolution are discussed.