cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FORMATION OF PATTERNED MICROSTRUCTURES OF POLYCRYSTALLINE CERAMICS FROM PRECURSOR POLYMERS USING MICROMOLDING IN CAPILLARIES

Micromolding in capillaries has been used to generate patterned microstructures of ZrO2 or SnO2 from its polymeric precursor. After patterning, the amorphous precursor was converted into the desired polycrystalline ceramic material by calcination in air at 460 °C. The final phase for each ceramic material was determined by powder x-ray diffraction. The shrinkage of the precursor material during pyrolysis was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. These ceramic microstructures could be either supported on solid substrates or released as freestanding fibers and membranes. Their lateral dimensions could be as small as approximately 500 nm.
Hierarchical aggregation in percolation model

There is a growing belief that the complex dynamics of seismicity can be better understood by studying the collective behavior of numerous lithosphere instability sources rather than focusing on the details of each of them. Classical site-percolation is a simple and tractable model which exhibits such important general features of complex systems as criticality and phase transitions of second kind. It also illustrates the mechanism of hierarchical aggregation, which is very important for explaining collective phenomena in material fracture and earthquake nucleation processes. We study the dynamics of a 2D site percolation model on a square lattice using the hierarchical approach introduced by Gabrielov et al., Phys. Rev. E., 5293–5300, 1999. The key elements of the approach are the tree representation of clusters and the Horton–Strahler scheme for cluster ranking. Accordingly, the evolution of percolation model is considered as a hierarchical inverse cascade of cluster aggregation. We analyzed the growth of the percolation cluster and established the time-dependent rank distribution of its subclusters, as well as corresponding laws for its mass, rank, and their relationship. We report several phenomena premonitory to the onset of percolation that complement the traditional power-law increase of the model’s observables. In addition, we have shown that the Tokunaga side-branching constraint uniquely determines the mass–rank relationship for a general aggregation process (not necessarily originated from the percolation model). The results can be used for development and improvement of earthquake prediction techniques. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Paradoxical Pathways: An Ethnographic Extension of Kohn's Findings on Class and Childrearing

Stratification is a central issue in family research, yet relatively few studies highlight its impact on family processes. Drawing on in-depth interviews (N = 137) and observational data (N = 12), we extend Melvin Kohn's research on childrearing values by examining how parental commitments to self-direction and conformity are enacted in daily life. Consistent with Kohn's findings, middle-class parents emphasized children's self-direction, and working-class and poor parents emphasized children's conformity to external authority. Attempts to realize these values appeared paradoxical, however. Middle-class parents routinely exercised subtle forms of control while attempting to instill self-direction in their children. Conversely, working-class and poor parents tended to grant children considerable autonomy in certain domains of daily life, thereby limiting their emphasis on conformity.
The Atmospheric Imaging Radar (AIR) for high-resolution observations of severe weather

Rapid updates are a highly desired feature in the field of mobile weather radars. Various techniques have been used to improve volume update times, including the use of agile and multi-beam radars. Imaging radars, similar in some respects to phased arrays, steer the radar beam in software, thus requiring no physical motion. In contrast to phased arrays, imaging radars gather data for an entire volume simultaneously within the field-of-view (FOV) of the radar, which is defined by the broad transmit beam. As a result, imaging radars provide update rates exceeding those of existing mobile radars, including phased arrays. The Atmospheric Radar Research Center (ARRC) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is currently engaged in the design and fabrication of the world's first mobile imaging weather radar.
Mamizu climate policy: an evaluation of Japanese carbon emissions reduction targets

This letter evaluates Japan’s so-called ‘Mamizu’ climate policies proposed in mid-2009 in terms of the implied rates of decarbonization of the Japanese economy for short-term and long-term targets. The letter uses the Kaya identity to structure the evaluation, employing both a bottom up approach (based on projections of future Japanese population, economic growth, and technology) and a top down approach (deriving implied rates of decarbonization consistent with the targets and various rates of economic growth). Both approaches indicate that the Japanese economy would have to achieve rates of decarbonization of 2.6% to meet a 2020 target of reducing emissions by 15% below 2005 levels, and 5.0% to meet a 2050 target of an 80% reduction below 2005 levels. A target of 25% below 1990 emissions proposed by the opposition party (which subsequently formed a government following elections in August 2009) implies a rate of decarbonization of 4.6% annually to 2020. The letter argues that international criticism of Japanese Mamizu climate policy proposals as being too weak was unfounded, and if anything, the proposals may have been too ambitious. In either case, climate policy would be strengthened through the support of a diversity of approaches to decarbonization.
Calculating and Preparing a Pureed-by-Gastrostomy-Tube (PBGT) Diet for Pediatric Patients With Retching and Gagging Postfundoplication

Children with feeding disorders often require gastrostomy feedings and may experience episodes of retching and gagging. The pureed-by-gastrostomy-tube (PBGT) diet was developed to reduce episodes of retching and gagging, provide a complete source of the child’s nutrition and fluid needs as an alternative to commercialized formulas, and promote oral intake. This article is a follow-up to the authors’ original report. The authors’ intention is to now provide guidelines for other dietitians to calculate and analyze this specialized formula. It also describes feeding guidelines, family education, and ongoing patient follow-up and monitoring.
AttributeTrust A Framework for Evaluating Trust in Aggregated Attributes via a Reputation System

To enable a rich attribute-based authorization system, it is desirable that a large number of user attributes are available, possibly provided by multiple entities. The user may be required to aggregate his attributes and present them to a service provider to prove he has the right to access some service. In this paper, we present AttributeTrust - a policy-based privacy enhanced framework for aggregating user attributes and evaluating confidence in these attributes. We envision a future where attribute providers will be commonplace and service providers will face the problem of choosing one among multiple attribute providers that can provide the same user attribute. In AttributeTrust, we address this problem by means of a reputation system model based on transitive trust. Entities express confidence in other entities to supply trusted attributes, forming chains from a service provider to different attribute providers. A service provider uses this transitive reputation to decide whether to accept a particular attribute from a specific attribute provider.We discuss how the AttributeTrust model prevents common attacks on reputation systems. AttributeTrust differs from the current approaches by deriving its attack resistance from its specific context of attribute provisioning, its voting mechanism formulation, and unique properties of its confidence relationships.
SiO 2 /ZnSe anti-reflection coating for solar cells

This paper reports a proposal and demonstration of a novel anti-reflection coating (ARC) using a dielectric material, such as SiO2, in conjunction with lattice-matched and conductive crystalline ZnSe for GaAs based solar cells. The application of such an ARC to GaAs single-junction solar cell is used for the feasibility study. The transfer matrix method is applied to calculate the reflectance as well as determine the optimal SiO2 and ZnSe layer thicknesses. The simulation results indicate that a minimum reflection loss of 1.5% is achievable when the SiO2 and ZnSe layer thicknesses are 91 nm and 49 nm, respectively. Test structures consisting of ZnSe and SiO2 layers were grown using molecular beam epitaxy and magnetron RF sputtering, respectively. The reflectance measurements of both samples showed 4.0% total reflection loss over the absorbed solar spectrum. This newly proposed ARC can also be used for multi-junction solar cells based on GaAs as well as other single- or multi-junction solar cells based on different substrates. The single-crystal ZnSe layer with proper doping can also be used for current spreading to further improve the overall solar cell efficiencies.
Qualitative Approaches to Evaluating Education

Qualitative research approaches are part of the intellectual landscape in educational evaluation. The use of qualitative approaches in evaluation has been fruitful. Classic qualitative approaches, representing accepted innovations, include ethnography, naturalistic inquiry, generic pragmatic (sociological) qualitative inquiry, and connoisseurship/criticism. Metaphors and phenomenography represent novel approaches with roots in the classics. Efforts to establish standards commensurate with the mainstream of scientific inquiry serve to further institutionalize qualitative approaches, anchoring them in the fertile soil of educational evaluation.
Long-term frequency gradients during persistent atrial fibrillation in sheep are associated with stable sources in the left atrium

Background— Dominant frequencies (DFs) of activation are higher in the atria of patients with persistent than paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), and left atrial (LA)-to-right atrial (RA) DF gradients have been identified in both. However, whether such gradients are maintained as long-term persistent AF is established remains unexplored. We aimed at determining in vivo the time course in atrial DF values from paroxysmal to persistent AF in sheep and testing the hypothesis that an LA-to-RA DF difference is associated with LA drivers in persistent AF. Methods and Results— AF was induced using RA tachypacing (n=8). Electrograms were obtained weekly from an RA lead and an implantable loop recorder implanted near the LA. DFs were determined for 5-second-long electrograms (QRST subtracted) during AF in vivo and in ex vivo optical mapping. Underlying structural changes were compared with weight-matched controls (n=4). After the first AF episode, DF increased gradually during a 2-week period (7±0.21 to 9.92±0.31 Hz; n=6; P <0.05). During 9 to 24 weeks of AF, the DF values on the implantable loop recorder were higher than the RA (10.6±0.08 versus 9.3±0.1 Hz, respectively; n=7; P <0.0001). Subsequent optical mapping confirmed a DF gradient from posterior LA-to-RA (9.1±1.0 to 6.9±0.9 Hz; P <0.05) and demonstrated patterns of activation compatible with drifting rotors in the posterior LA. Persistent AF sheep showed significant enlargement of the posterior LA compared with controls. Conclusions— In the sheep, transition from paroxysmal to persistent AF shows continuous LA-to-RA DF gradients in vivo together with enlargement of the posterior LA, which harbors the highest frequency domains and patterns of activation compatible with drifting rotors.
The development of social behaviour between siblings and non-siblings of the voles Microtus ochrogaster and Microtus pennsylvanicus

Abstract It has been suggested that the strength and duration of sibling relations during the juvenile period may reflect the social structure of mammal species. Two Microtus species with contrasting social systems, M. ochrogaster and M. pennsylvanicus, were chosen for a comparative study of juvenile social behaviour. Young were observed in sibling and non-sibling dyadic encounters from the second until the seventh week of age. Social interactions consisted mainly of body nosing of the partner, and included behaviours interpreted as investigation, socialization and settling. Only minor sex differences in body nosing scores occurred, but some ontogenetic trends were noted. When the species were compared, M. ochrogaster received higher scores for body nosing and sitting in contact, and displayed more reciprocity in their nosing, than did M. pennsylvanicus, whether siblings or non-siblings were considered. When the sibling types were compared, non-sibling dyads received higher nosing scores than did siblings in both species, but the disparity was greater in M. ochrogaster than in M. pennsylvanicus. These results are interpreted with reference to known behavioural and developmental correlates of the extended family system in naturally occurring M. ochrogaster and the less communal social system in M. pennsylvanicus.
Healers and Helpers, Unifying the People A Qualitative Study of Lakota Leadership

Previously, scholars have implied that leadership theory is “universal” enough and can be applied systematically regardless of cultural influences in subcultures. Leadership research has limited it...
Expression of Extremely Low Levels of Thymidine Kinase from an Acyclovir-Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mutant Supports Reactivation from Latently Infected Mouse Trigeminal Ganglia

A single-cytosine-deletion in the herpes simplex virus gene encoding thymidine kinase (TK) was previously found in an acyclovir-resistant clinical isolate. A laboratory strain engineered to carry this mutation did not generate sufficient TK activity for detection by plaque autoradiography, which detected 0.25% wild-type activity. However, a drug sensitivity assay suggested that extremely low levels of TK are generated by this virus. The virus was estimated to express 0.09% of wild-type TK activity via a ribosomal frameshift 24 nucleotides upstream of the mutation. Remarkably, this appeared to be sufficient active TK to support a low level of reactivation from latently infected mouse trigeminal ganglia.
Supporting dynamic GPU computing result reuse in the cloud

Graphics processing units (GPUs) have been adopted by major cloud vendors, as GPUs provide orders-of-magnitude speedup for computation-intensive data-parallel applications. In the cloud, efficiently sharing GPU resources among multiple virtual machines (VMs) is not so straightforward. Recent research has been conducted to develop GPU virtualization technologies, making it feasible for VMs to share GPU resources in a reliable manner. This paper seeks to improve the efficiency of sharing GPU resources in the cloud for accelerating general-purpose workloads. Our key observation is that redundant GPU computation requests are being seen in many GPU-accelerated workloads in the cloud, such as cloud gaming where multiple clients playing the same game call GPUs to perform physics simulation. We have measured this redundancy using a gaming case study, and found that more than 24% (47%) of the GPU computation requests called by the same VM (multiple VMs) are identical. To exploit this redundancy, we present GRU (GPU Result re-Use), a GPU sharing, result memoization and reuse ecosystem in a cloud environment. GRU transparently enables VMs in the cloud to share a single GPU efficiently, and memoizes GPU computation results for reuse. It leverages the GPU full-virtualization technology, which enables GPU result memoization and reuse without modification of existing device drivers and operating systems. We have implemented GRU on top of the Xen hypervisor. Preliminary experiments show that GRU is able to achieve a significant speedup of up to 18 times compared to the state-of-the-art GPU virtualization framework, while adding a rather small amount of run-time overheads.
Temibles simetrías: la lectura del espacio y el espacio de la lectura en Una familia lejana de Carlos Fuentes

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto sugerir que el espacio cerrado puede servir como metafora del acto de leer, puesto que la accion de entrar en un lugar de limitado (casa, cuarto, jardin o plaza) supone una entrada en el ambito textual. La representacion sobre determinada de esta dimension, asi como el caracter explicitamente metatextual de Una familia lejana (1980) de Carlos Fuentes, la hacen particularmente adecuada para un analisis de la funcion del lugar como punto de partida para reflexionar sobre la relacion entre los actantes principales en el circuito comunicativo: autor, narrador, lector. Asimismo, en este ensayo se examina detalladamente los espacios especificos de esta obra (Xochicalco, la Place de la Concorde, Pare Monceau y el Clos des Renards) para explorar de que manera estos lugares funcionan como senales potencialmente desestabilizadoras de los sistemas de significacion convencionalmente aceptados y de la supuesta division entre "civilizacion" y "barbarie".
Toxic Releases and Infant Health: Evidence from New Panel Data

Little information is available about the actual risks to human health posed by industrial releases of toxic chemicals. This study addresses this question by merging U.S. firm-level data about toxic releases from the Environmental Protection Agency with millions of individual-level records from infant birth certificates in order to examine the effects of toxic releases on infant health. We use confidential data which includes addresses, so that we can accurately identify proximity to a toxic emitter, and maternal identifiers, so that we can follow the same mother over time and examine changes in birth outcomes with changes in exposure to toxic releases. The states in our sample (Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Texas) together accounted for about 20% of U.S. births over our sample period (1989 to 1999). We examine total exposure to toxic releases, as well as exposures to known developmental toxicants. We also use our data to re-examine the question of "environmental justice" (i.e. whether low income or minority people are disproportionately exposed to toxics), and how mobility between births is affected by location near toxic emitters. Our study remedies many deficiencies in the existing literature by accurately measuring proximity to an emitter, and by controlling (using maternal fixed effects) for unobserved characteristics of mothers that might be correlated both with exposure to toxic releases and with negative birth outcomes. We find that minority women are much more likely to be exposed to toxics, conditional on other observable characteristics. Ordinary least squares estimates suggest that toxic releases have large negative effects on birth weight. These effects are attenuated by the inclusion of maternal fixed effects but are still statistically significant. Moreover, effects are larger for known developmental toxicants than for all releases. These results suggest that levels of emissions common in industrial countries are having measurable negative effects on infant health.
Quantum Optics for Engineers

Quantum Optics for Engineers provides a transparent and methodical introduction to quantum optics via the Dirac's bra–ket notation with an emphasis on practical applications and basic aspects of quantum mechanics such as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Schrodinger's equation. Self-contained and using mainly first-year calculus and algebra tools, the book: Illustrates the interferometric quantum origin of fundamental optical principles such as diffraction, refraction, and reflection Provides a transparent introduction, via Dirac's notation, to the probability amplitude of quantum entanglement Explains applications of the probability amplitude of quantum entanglement to optical communications, quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and quantum computing. Quantum Optics for Engineers is succinct, transparent, and practical, revealing the intriguing world of quantum entanglement via many practical examples. Ample illustrations are used throughout its presentation and the theory is presented in a methodical, detailed approach.
Self‐determination in the Western Sahara: Legal opportunities and political roadblocks

This article examines the interplay of international law and politics in the Western Sahara's struggle for self‐determination. The law of self‐determination, including the specific precepts for holding a referendum on independence in the Western Sahara, provided a framework within which political action and discourse were bounded. Political commitment at two levels ‐ international support for the underlying legal principles and the conflicting parties’ political will to implement the legal solution ‐affected the outcome within the international law frame. Alternating periods of impasse and opportunity highlight the role of political change at both levels as a catalyst for moving towards the prescribed legal solution. Understanding how international law and politics interact is important as the concept of self‐determination expands into broader and more complicated contexts.
Picosecond Transient Reflectance Measurements of Crystallization In Pure Metals

The kinetics of rapid crystallization in metals is investigated by measuring transient optical property changes in laser irradiated gold and copper films in the picosecond and nanosecond regimes. Melt thresholds are determined by examining concentration profiles of multi-layered films before and after irradiation.
Impact Hazard Monitoring: Theory and Implementation

We review the most standard impact monitoring techniques. Linear methods are the fastest approach but their applicability regime is limited because of the chaotic dynamics of near-Earth asteroids. Among nonlinear methods, Monte Carlo algorithms are the most reliable ones but also most computationally intensive and so unpractical for routine impact monitoring. In the last 15 years, the Line of Variations method has been the most successful technique thanks to its computational efficiency and capability of detecting low probability events deep in the nonlinear regime. We also present some more recent techniques developed to deal with the new challenges arising in the impact hazard assessment problem. In particular, we describe keyhole maps as a tool to go beyond strongly scattering encounters and how to account for nongravitational perturbations, especially the Yarkovsky effect, when their contribution is the main source of prediction uncertainty. Finally, we discuss systematic ranging to deal with the short-term hazard assessment problem for newly discovered asteroids, when only a short observed arc is available thus leading to severe degeneracies in the orbit estimation process.
Optimizing an Aversion Feeding Therapy Protocol for a Child with Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)

This case study examines the difficulties of treating food aversion in a 9-month old child with a diagnosis of Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). Given the need to first identify a set of “safe foods” with which to work, the twin goals of doing food challenges and minimizing aversion are initially not complimentary, and require an approach outside the standard of care. The chosen plan encouraged flexibility and a positive relationship with feedingrelated items, while only introducing one food item at a time. Mom and child accomplished goals surrounding food play easily. She has successfully introduced a wide variety of new foods in small quantities and is currently working on reducing dependence on breast milk. Therapists must be prepared to modify currently accepted interventions to accommodate and support the required medical intervention.
Exercise Testing for Chronotropic Assessment

Cardiac chronotropic analysis has only begun to develop into a clinically relevant science. In the past, formal exercise testing was usually relegated to the assessment of ischemia or cardiac rehabilitation. The establishment of rate-responsive pacemakers as a potentially effective treatment for chronotropic incompetence forced the definition of cardiac chronotropism and assessment of the pacemaker response. Little is known about the normal chronotropic response and less has been established about patients with ventricular dysfunction or ischemia, but standards are being set and modern pacemakers have produced the ideal clinical laboratory for investigation. Advanced telemetry, including sensor and actual rate trends, histography and sensorgraphy produce previously unobtainable clinical data. Now scientific inquiry demands that chronotropic evaluations seek to match the pacemaker-augmented response of the chronotropically incompetent patient to the metabolic requirements of the body. Only with formal exercise testing will this goal be achieved.
Differential Tolerance of Corn (Zea mays) Inbreds to Four Sulfonylurea Herbicides and Bentazon

Nine corn inbreds were selected from a test on 250 inbreds based on distinctly different response to herbicides. These inbreds showed up to 50,000-fold differences, which varied by inbred and herbicide. Only the inbred GA209 was sensitive to bentazon and the four sulfonylurea herbicides. GA209 and B90 were the most sensitive inbreds to the sulfonylurea herbicides. F2R was generally the most tolerant inbred. The pattern of herbicide tolerance varied greatly. For example, the relative tolerance of F2 to thifensulfuron was 12-fold more than to rimsulfuron while Mol7 was 56-fold more tolerant to rimsulfuron than thifensulfuron. F2 was fivefold more tolerant of chlorsulfuron than chlorimuron, whereas B80 was 100-fold the reverse. These inbreds provide a small subset of varieties to evaluate the large and inherent differences in herbicide tolerance of corn. Nomenclature: Bentazon, 3-(1-methylethyl)-(lH)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazin-4-(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide; chlori- muron, 2-(((((4-chloro-6-methoxy-2-pyrimidinyl)amino)carbonyl)amino)sulfonyl)benzoic acid; chlorsul- furon, 2-chloro-N-(((4-methoxy-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino)carbonyl)benzenesulfonamide; thifen- sulfuron, 3-((((4-methoxy-6-methyl- 1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)amino)carbonyl)amino)sulfonyl)-2-thiophenecar- boxylic acid; rimsulfuron, N-(((4,6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidinyl)amino)carbonyl)-3-(ethylsulfonyl)-2-pyridi-
Splenectomy for Massive Splenomegaly Associated with Myelofibrosis: Outcomes From 63 Patients At Mayo Clinic.

Abstract Abstract 2848 Background: Massive splenomegaly (MS) (>1500 grams) is a rare and overtly symptomatic manifestation of myelofibrosis. While splenectomy may provide palliation, the procedure may be technically difficult and lead to high operative risks. We retrospectively analyzed myelofibrosis patients who underwent splenectomy for MS to analyze complications and outcomes. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all patients with myelofibrosis at our institution who underwent splenectomy for MS between 1998 and 2006 was performed. MS was defined as post-operative spleen weight measured to be more than 1500 grams. A total of 63 patients with MS had splenectomy for palliation of pressure symptoms or transfusion requiring cytopenias during that time period. Kaplan Meier statistics and log rank test were used for survival analysis. Results: Mean age of the study patients was 64.9 ± 9.5 years and 56% of those were males. Commonest pre-splenectomy symptoms were left upper quadrant abdominal discomfort (85.7%), fatigue (81%), early satiety (76.2%), anorexia (54%) and weight loss (39.7%). Packed red blood cell and platelet transfusions were required pre-operatively in 36/63 (57.1%) and 10/63 (15.9%) of patients, respectively. Median spleen weight was 2805 (range 1540 – 13085) grams. Perioperative complications occurred in 15 patients (23.8%) including infection (= 4 patients [6.3 %]), thrombosis (= 6 patients [9.5%]), or bleeding (= 9 patients [14.3%]), 2 of which (3.2% of all patients) were fatal. Median post-splenectomy survival (PSS) of these patients was 16.4 (0–110) months and 5 year PSS was 20%. Excluding patients lost to follow up, 43/55 (78.2%), 33/55 (60%) and 26/54 (48.1%) patients were alive at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after splenectomy, respectively. At 1 year, out of 33 alive patients, 24 (72.7%) patients had relief of pressure symptoms. Out of 36 patients who were red cell transfusion dependent pre-splenectomy, 13 were alive and 6/13 (46.2%) patients were transfusion independent at 1 year. Similarly, out for 10 patients requiring platelet transfusions pre-operatively, 5 were alive and 3/5 (60%) were transfusion independent after 1 year follow up. PSS after splenectomy for MS was decreased in patients that required pre-operative packed red cell transfusions (median 9.3 months vs. 32.1 months, p= 0.033) ( Fig 1 ), but not affected by other factors including age (>64 years), pre-operative thrombocytopenia ( 90 minutes) or larger spleen size (>2800 grams). Conclusions: Splenectomy is relatively safe and effective palliative treatment for pressure related symptoms and refractory cytopenias related to MS in patients with myelofibrosis. Pre-operative anemia requiring red cell transfusions may predict advanced disease and is associated with inferior PSS. Download : Download high-res image (22KB) Download : Download full-size image Fig. 1 . Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Epidemiologic Characteristics of Children with Blood Lead Levels ≥45 μg/dL.

Objectives To identify risk factors and describe outcomes for children newly identified with blood lead levels (BLLs) ≥45 µg/dL in New York City (NYC) during 2004-2010 to promote timely identification as well as inform clinical practice and public health policy. Study design Inclusion criteria were residence in NYC and an elevated confirmatory venous test within 2 weeks of the initial BLL ≥45 µg/dL. Data collected during case coordination of these children were linked with blood testing data and home inspection reports. Children with BLLs ≥45 µg/dL also were compared with the general population of children younger than 18 years of age in NYC. Results A total of 145 children Conclusions Although the incidence of lead poisoning has declined in the US, severe cases still occur. Physicians should be especially vigilant in certain at-risk populations including children who eat paint chips or soil, spend time outside the US (particularly in Pakistan), use imported products, or have developmental delays or sickle cell disease.
Biological mechanisms on-a-chip

In this paper, we present simulation and hardware realization of the growth hormone secretion mechanism. The mechanism is realized on a Xilinx FPGA XSA-50 board. To realize the mechanism, a mathematical model based on bio-mathematical nonlinear delay differential equations has been implemented. The model is then simulated on the computer's screen using hardware description language (HDL). The simulation depicts the antagonistic and stimulatory interaction of growth hormone, growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), and somatotropin release-inhibiting factor (SRIF). After verification, the simulation is synthesized and downloaded onto field programmable gate array (FPGA) Xilinx XSA-50 microchip. The microchip sequentially outputs the decimal equivalents of the respective hormones. The chip is tested by comparing its output with that of the simulation. Our results show that the output of the chip and the simulation are identical
Abstract 4224: CD133 knockdown sensitizes melanoma to kinase inhibitors

Melanoma is an aggressive and lethal form of cancer, responsible for 9,710 deaths in the US every year, as indicated by the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. Although early stages are surgically treatable, the advanced or metastatic stages are the most fatal, presumably due to resistance to chemotherapy, radiation or other therapies. Refractoriness of metastatic melanoma is due to self-renewal properties of a subpopulation of resistant cells, which may be the same as what have been termed “melanoma initiating cells” (MIC), many of which have been associated with the expression CD133. CD133 (PROM-1) is a 5-transmembrane-glycoprotein that is a cell surface marker for different cancers including late-stage cutaneous melanoma. By magnetic activated cell sorting, we isolated a CD133-positive population derived from a patient harboring a difficult-to-treat NRASQ61R/BRAFWT profile. The MIC were transfected with CD133-specific small-interfering RNA (siRNAs) to deplete CD133 protein levels in cells. Our results show that knocking down CD133 in NRASQ61R/BRAFWT mutant melanoma renders cells more sensitive to clinically employed-MEK/BRAF inhibitors. Thus, specific gene knockdown or small molecule targeting, along with the multikinase inhibitors, may be a high potency therapeutic of late-stage and recurrent melanoma. Analyses of patient-derived melanomas harboring different mutation signatures are currently in progress to determine if CD133 and MIC play broader roles in melanoma chemoresistance. Citation Format: Maryam AbdusSamad, Anirudh Gaur, Hengbo Zhou, John L. Zapas, Cynthia M. Simbulan-Rosenthal, Edward C. McCarron, Dean S. Rosenthal. CD133 knockdown sensitizes melanoma to kinase inhibitors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4224. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4224
MPI Performance Characterization on InfiniBand with Fine-Grain Multithreaded Communication

This paper describes work with end goal of quantifying the impact of threading on MPI performance models in order to enable justifications of model construction methods. To do so, it evaluates benchmarks on a specific, representative networked platform, and makes these contributions: 1) it evaluates the performance of point-to-point transmission between two multithreaded Message Passing Interface (MPI) processes over InfiniBand, 2) it elucidates strengths and weaknesses of Intel MPI under multiple multithreaded modes, 3) it provides indications as to where predictive modeling of such multithreaded performance would prove fruitful. Two established benchmarks are used to obtain performance information and they are compared and contrasted as needed to explain the results described here. In one case, we enhanced a benchmark to enable threading for study, justification for these changes are provided.
Of Gift Horses and Great Expectations: Remands Without Vacatur in Administrative Law

Administrative law has been shaped over the years by fundamentally practical considerations. Displacement of agency decisions by courts was rare; yet, the omnipresent threat of substantial judicial intrusion surely affected agency decisions. While the Administrative Procedure Act, adopted nearly 60 years ago, provides a comprehensive template for federal agency decisionmaking, what is striking about the APA is how much is left out and how much is left to the discretion of both agencies in implementing regulatory decisions and to the courts in superintending agency action. Given this history, it is hardly surprising that many doctrinal techniques represent the pragmatic effort of courts to shape agency decisionmaking through deliberate use of doctrine. One excellent example of this effort is the device of remand without vacatur. Remand without vacatur is a mechanism by which courts remand back to an agency a decision in circumstances in which the court believes the agency rationale is flawed, yet declines to vacate the agency decision. Thus, the agency decision stands during the period in which the agency scrambles to develop a rationale for the rule that will survive judicial scrutiny. The court retains all the power it has to vacate the rule eventually; however, it holds its fire while the agency goes back to the drawing board. Leading administrative law scholars have embraced this device as an eminently practical compromise arguing that the remand without vacatur devices strike the right balance between aggressive review and administrative discretion. My claim in this essay, however, is that this view misconstrues the complex relationship between courts and agencies. While the remand without vacatur device appears to limit the scope of judicial scrutiny, the conclusion that it results in an optimal state of the world in which judicial review is neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right, is naive. Remand without vacatur does not exist in an administrative law vacuum. Courts carry out their role as judicial police officers in the shadow of the remedial strategies that are available to them as they conduct their activities. The judicially created strategy of remand without vacatur should be disfavored precisely because it facilitates the use of more aggressive judicial scrutiny of agencies' reasoning process. The rationale offered by leading commentators for the device is that it promotes agency flexibility - this is the heart of the argument, that it reduces agency ossification. My argument, however, is that it may do quite the opposite. By adding to the flexibility of judicial review, it promotes judicial activism. It does so, more specifically, by empowering the courts to intervene, rather than hold back, in the agency decisionmaking process. While it is fair to suggest that agencies may prefer remand without vacatur to the more apocalyptic step of simple vacatur, the choice between the two is truly an illusive one. What we want to know is how this practical strategy interacts with the central issue of judicial intervention.
Sustainability lessons from shale development in the United States for Mexico and other emerging unconventional oil and gas developers

Abstract Mexico's recent energy reform (2013) has provided the foundations for increased private participation in attempts to offset or reverse the country's continued decline in fossil fuel production. This country is currently on path to becoming a net energy importer by 2020. Conversely, in 2015, and for the first time in over 20 years, the United States (US) became a net oil exporter to Mexico. One of the strategies being pursued by Mexico to prevent an impending supply–demand energy imbalance is the development of shale resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. Hence, an evaluation of the inherent risks associated with hydraulic fracturing is crucial for Mexico's energy planning and decision-making process. This paper draws lessons from the recent ‘shale boom’ in the US, and it analyzes and summarizes the environmental, social, economic, and community impacts that Mexico should be aware of as its nascent shale industry develops. The analysis seeks to inform mainly Mexican policy makers, but also academics, nongovernmental organizations, and the public in general, about the main concerns regarding hydraulic fracturing activities, and the importance of regulatory enforcement and community engagement in advancing sustainability. We highlight that Mexico should only develop its unconventional resources after careful evaluation of all potential impacts and after the formulation of regulation intended for their mitigation. Furthermore, using the US as a case study, we argue that development of unconventional oil and gas resources in Mexico could lead to a short-term boom rather than to a dependable and sustainable long-term energy supply. Our analysis concludes with a set of recommendations for Mexico, featuring best practices that could be used to attenuate and address some of the impacts likely to emerge from shale oil and gas development.
Development of single-copy nuclear intron markers for species-level phylogenetics: Case study with Paullinieae (Sapindaceae).

Premise of the study:We developed a bioinformatic pipeline that leverages a publicly available genome and published transcriptomes to design primers in conserved coding sequences flanking targeted introns of single-copy nuclear loci. Paullinieae (Sapindaceae) is used to demonstrate the pipeline.Methods and Results:Transcriptome reads phylogenetically closer to the lineage of interest are aligned to the closest genome. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms are called, generating a “pseudoreference” closer to the lineage of interest. Several filters are applied to meet the criteria of single-copy nuclear loci with introns of a desired size. Primers are designed in conserved coding sequences flanking introns. Using this pipeline, we developed nine single-copy nuclear intron markers for Paullinieae.Conclusions:This pipeline is highly flexible and can be used for any group with available genomic and transcriptomic resources. This pipeline led to the development of nine variable markers for phylogenetic study without generating sequence data de novo.
HSP27 - a novel target for non-small cell lung cancer affecting tumor growth and motility.

1343 Purpose: To determine the role of HSP27 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in tumor samples (expression), and in in-vitro and in-vivo models (overexpression/ suppression). Methods: Tumor tissue microarrays (TMA) were stained for HSP27 and Phospho-HSP27 (IHC) and results correlated with outcome. Expression in metastases was compared with the respective matched primary tumors. HSP27 was overexpressed using lentivirus transfected A549 cells and compared with control sequence transfected A549. Cells were studied a) in-vivo for tumor growth, b) in-vitro for motility by time lapse microscopy. HSP27 was suppressed with specific siRNA (in-vitro) and HSP27 antisense (OGX-427; in-vitro and in-vivo). Normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) were used as controls (in-vitro). Cell cycle analysis was performed. Wortmannin and LY290042 were used to inhibit PI3K. Results: HSP27/ Phospo-HSP27 were overexpressed in 65%/ 61% of tumor tissues. HSP27 expression was significantly higher in matched metastases in comparison to primary tumors (p Conclusions: HSP27 is a promising novel target in NSCLC with a role in tumor growth and motility. HSP27 induced cell motility is PI3K dependent. Increased expression in metastases suggests a role of HSP27 in the metastatic process in patients. HSP27 inhibition is feasible both in-vitro and in-vivo and leads to a marked decreased in tumor growth, induction of apoptosis, and abrogation of cell motility/ membrane ruffling. OGX-427 (HSP27 antisense) is promising for further studies and clinical development in NSCLC.
Estimating the Type II Error of Detecting Changes in Foodborne Illnesses via Public Health Surveillance

Abstract Many countries operate public health surveillance systems to monitor foodborne disease occurrence. The illness counts for pathogens of interest are monitored across time to assess if changes have occurred in case rates or the overall illness burden. Common to all of these systems is that only a fraction of all foodborne illnesses are reported and the relationship between observed and the total number of illnesses is uncertain. Food-safety policies intend to affect both the total and observed number of illnesses. Ideally, the surveillance system would be sufficiently sensitive to detect these changes, but the statistical power of these systems is generally not well understood. This study proposes two approaches for estimating the power of a foodborne illness surveillance system. These methods are then applied to assess the power of detecting specified changes in the total number of illnesses in an existing surveillance system. The findings suggest that the power of a national foodborne disease surveillance system to detect modest annual reductions in Salmonella illnesses may be limited. For example, a naive presumptive model that assumes observed illnesses are reduced directly by 10% predicts that the power to discern this difference, from one year to the next, is 0.21. A Bayesian model, that accounts for uncertainty in projecting changes in total illnesses to the number of observed illnesses, predicts that the power to detect a true 10% reduction is 0.04 (i.e., 4% confidence of detecting this magnitude of reduction or 96% chance of a Type II error) one year after the change has taken effect. Although the power of a national surveillance system increases as the magnitude of reductions increases – or as the number of years the reduction is maintained increases – the Bayesian model demonstrates that power is less than 0.5 for reductions up to 50% for one year and is less than 0.53 for reductions of 30% that are maintained for four years. The limited power to detect intended changes in total annual illnesses of national public health surveillance systems may highlight the need for regulators to also monitor food contamination evidence to gauge progress towards achieving intended policy effects.
Characterizing the Role of U.S. Surgeons in the Provision of Palliative Care: A Systematic Review and Mixed-Methods Meta-Synthesis

Abstract Context The provision of palliative care varies appropriately by clinical factors such as patient age and severity of disease and also varies by provider practice and specialty. Surgical patients are persistently less likely to receive palliative care than their medical counterparts for reasons that are not clear. Objectives We sought to characterize surgeon-specific determinants of palliative care in seriously ill and dying patients. Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature focused on surgery and palliative care within PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, and Ovid Medline databases from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2016 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Quantitative and qualitative studies with primary data evaluating surgeons' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors or experiences in care for seriously ill and dying patients were selected for full review by at least two study team members based on predefined inclusion criteria. Data were extracted based on a predetermined instrument and compared across studies using thematic analysis in a meta-synthesis of qualitative and quantitative findings. Results A total of 2589 abstracts were identified and screened, and 35 articles (26 quantitative and nine qualitative) fulfilled criteria for full review. Among these, 17 articles explored practice and attitudes of surgeons regarding palliative and end-of-life care, 11 articles assessed training in palliative care, five characterized surgical decision making, one described behaviors of surgeons caring for seriously ill and dying patients, and one explicitly identified barriers to use of palliative care. Four major themes across studies affected receipt of palliative care for surgical patients: 1) surgeons' experience and knowledge, 2) surgeons' attitudes, 3) surgeons' preferences and decision making for treatment, and 4) perceived barriers. Conclusions Among the articles reviewed, surgeons overall demonstrated insight into the benefits of palliative care but reported limited knowledge and comfort as well as a multitude of challenges to introducing palliative care to their patients. These findings indicate a need for wider implementation of strategies that allow optimal integration of palliative care with surgical decision making.
The dynamic nature of connection and its relation to character in youth sport

Positive youth development (PYD) is an asset-oriented approach to adolescent development that has been adapted to sport. Interestingly, in sport, the PYD outcomes (i.e. competence, confidence, conn...
Laser-polarized {sup 129}Xe NMR and MRI at ultra-low magnetic fields

Abstract Laser-polarized 129 Xe and a high-T c s uperconducting qu antum i nterference d evice (SQUID) are used to obtain magnetic resonance images in porous materials at a magnetic field of 2.3 mT, corresponding to a Larmor frequency of 27 kHz. Image resolution of 1 mm is obtained with gradients of only 1 mT/m. The resolution of xenon chemical shifts in different physicochemical environments at ultralow fields is also demonstrated. Details of the circulating flow optical pumping apparatus and the SQUID spectrometer are presented.