cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis and the conformational change of Bax induced by proteasomal inhibition of PC12 cells are inhibited by bcl-xL and bcl-2.

The function of the proteasome has been linked to various pathologies, including cancer and neurodegeneration. Proteasomal inhibition can lead to death in a variety of cell types, however the manner in which this occurs is unclear, and may depend on the particular cell type. In this work we have extended previous findings pertaining to the effects of pharmacological proteasomal inhibitors on PC12 cells, by examining in more detail the induced death pathway. We find that cell death is apoptotic by ultrastructural criteria. Caspase 9 and 3 are processed, cytochrome c is released from the mitochondria and a dominant negative form of caspase 9 prevents death. Furthermore, Bax undergoes a conformational change and is translocated to the mitochondria in a caspase-independent fashion. Total cell levels of Bax however do not change, whereas levels of the BH3-only protein Bim increase with proteasomal inhibition. Transient overexpression of bcl-xL or, to a lesser extent, of bcl-2, significantly decreased apoptotic death and prevented Bax conformational change. We conclude that death elicited by proteasomal inhibition of PC12 cells follows a classical “intrinsic” pathway. Significantly, antiapoptotic bcl-2 family members prevent apoptosis by inhibiting Bax conformational change. Increased levels of Bim may contribute to cell death in this model.
Digital erosion in the evaluation of molecular integrals

In the course of checking our work on the symbolic calculation of molecular integrals over Slater orbitals, we obtained some results in substantial disagreement with two recent articles that describe numerical schemes. We believe that these schemes suffer from digital erosion, possibly because recurrence formulas were used outside their regions of stability. Our results were obtained using the ζ-function method, which expands the orbital on one atom onto the other, and integrates in polar coordinates. They were checked using elliptic coordinates. Both sets of calculations were performed symbolically. We summarize these calculations and discuss the impact of symbolic calculation on the accuracy of molecular computations.
Evaluation and interpretation of Thematic Mapper ratios in equations for estimating corn growth parameters

Reflectance and agronomic Thematic Mapper (TM) data were analyzed to determine possible data transformations for evaluating several plant parameters of corn. Three transformation forms were used: the ratio of two TM bands, logarithms of two-band ratios, and normalized differences of two bands. Normalized differences and logarithms of two-band ratios responsed similarly in the equations for estimating the plant growth parameters evaluated in this study. Two-term equations were required to obtain the maximum predictability of percent ground cover, canopy moisture content, and total wet phytomass. Standard error of estimate values were 15-26 percent lower for two-term estimates of these parameters than for one-term estimates. The terms log(TM4/TM2) and (TM4/TM5) produced the maximum predictability for leaf area and dry green leaf weight, respectively. The middle infrared bands TM5 and TM7 are essential for maximizing predictability for all measured plant parameters except leaf area index. The estimating models were evaluated over bare soil to discriminate between equations which are statistically similar. Qualitative interpretations of the resulting prediction equations are consistent with general agronomic and remote sensing theory.
Application of an adaptive neural fuzzy inference system to thermal comfort and group technology problems

The Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is used to design two vague systems, namely thermal comfort and group technologies in production and operations management. Results show that both systems can be modeled successfully by the combined use of a fuzzy approach and neural network learning.
Evidence for distributivity effects in comprehension.

In the current paper, we introduce a new methodology for detecting whether a word in a sentence is conceptually represented as plural and use it to shed light on a debate about whether comprehenders interpret singular indefinite noun phrases within a distributed predicate as plural during on-line reading. Experiment 1 extended a methodology previously used by Berent, Pinker, Tzelgov, Bibi, and Goldfarb (2005) to test individual words or word pairs by, at a critical word, having readers judge whether one or two words appeared on a computer screen while performing self-paced reading on a sentence presented in one- and two-word chunks. Consistent with Berent et al., Experiment 1 indicated that participants were slower to judge that one word was on the screen when the word was plural (e.g., cats) than when it was singular (e.g., cat). Experiment 2 used this paradigm to show that readers build different conceptual representations for distributed versus collective predicates, and interpret a singular indefinite noun phrase within a distributed predicate as plural (e.g., Kaup, Kelter, & Habel, 2002, but cf. Filik, Paterson, & Liversedge, 2004; Paterson, Filik, & Liversedge, 2008).
Time-Dependent Lattice Methods for Ion-Atom Collisions in Cartesian and Cylindrical Coordinate Systems

Time-dependent lattice methods in both Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates are applied to calculate excitation cross sections for p+H collisions at 40 keV incident energy. The time-dependent Schroedinger equation is solved using a previously formulated Cartesian coordinate single-channel method on a full 3D lattice and a newly formulated cylindrical coordinate multichannel method on a set of coupled 2D lattices. Cartesian coordinate single-channel and cylindrical coordinate five-channel calculations are found to be in reasonable agreement for excitation cross sections from the 1s ground state to the 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, and 3d excited states. For extension of the time-dependent lattice method to handle the two electron dynamics found in p+He collisions, the cylindrical coordinate multichannel method appears promising due to the reduced dimensionality of its lattice.
The homeodomain protein Cux1 interacts with Grg4 to repress p27kip1 expression during kidney development

Abstract The homeodomain protein Cux1 is highly expressed in the nephrogenic zone of the developing kidney where it functions to regulate cell proliferation. Here we show that Cux1 directly interacts with the co-repressor Grg4 (Groucho 4), a known effector of Notch signaling. Promoter reporter based luciferase assays revealed enhanced repression of p27kip1 promoter activity by Cux1 in the presence of Grg4. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated the direct interaction of Cux1 with p27kip1 in newborn kidney tissue in vivo. ChIP assays also identified interactions of Cux1, Grg4, HDAC1, and HDAC3 with p27kip1 at two separate sites in the p27kip1 promoter. DNAse1 footprinting experiments revealed that Cux1 binds to the p27kip1 promoter on the sequence containing two Sp1 sites and a CCAAT box ∼ 500 bp from the transcriptional start site, and to an AT rich sequence ∼ 1.5 kb from the transcriptional start site. Taken together, these results identify Grg4 as an interacting partner for Cux1 and suggest a mechanism of p27kip1 repression by Cux1 during kidney development.
Semantic filtering of video content

Semantic filtering of multimedia content is a challenging problem. The gap that exists between low-level media features and high-level semantics of multimedia is difficult to bridge. We propose a flexible probabilistic graphical framework to bridge this gap to some extent and perform automatic detection of semantic concepts. Using probabilistic multimedia objects and a network of such objects we support semantic filtering. Discovering the relationships that exist between semantic concepts, we show how the detection performance can be improved upon. We show that concepts which may not be directly observed in terms of media features, can be inferred based on their relation with those that are already detected. Heterogeneous features also can be fused in the multinet. We demonstrate this by inferring the concept outdoor based on the five detected multijects sky, snow, rocks, water and forestry and a frame- level global-features based outdoor detector.
In vitro and in vivo demonstration of risperidone implants in mice.

Abstract Background Non-adherence with medication is a critical limitation in current long-term treatment of schizophrenia and a primary factor in poor quality-of-life outcomes. However, few treatments have addressed this shortcoming using an implantable drug delivery approach. The goal of this study was to provide in vitro and in vivo proof of concept for a long-term implantable risperidone delivery system in mice. Methods Implantable formulations of risperidone were created using the biodegradable polymer Poly Lactic co Glycolic Acid (PLGA) combined with various drug loads. Implant bioactivity was tested using in vitro release and stability studies, as well as in vivo pharmacokinetic and behavioral studies in mice. Results The pattern of risperidone release is influenced by various parameters, including polymer composition and drug load. In vitro measures demonstrate that risperidone is stable in implants under physiological conditions. Behavioral measures demonstrate the bioactivity of risperidone implants delivering 3 mg/kg/day in mice, while pharmacokinetic analyses indicate that reversibility is maintained throughout the delivery interval. Conclusions The current report suggests that implantable formulations are a viable approach to providing long-term delivery of antipsychotic medications based on in vivo animal studies and pharmacokinetics. Implantable medications demonstrated here can last two months or longer while maintaining coherence and removability past full release, suggesting a potential paradigm shift in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia.
Clonal chromosomal abnormalities in osteofibrous dysplasia. Implications for histopathogenesis and its relationship with adamantinoma

Background. The pathogenesis of osteofibrous dysplasia, a rare fibroosseous lesion occurring almost exclusively in the tibia of children younger than 10 years of age, is not known. One theory is that osteofibrous dysplasia results from excessive resorption of bone with fibrous repair of the defect. Alternatively, osteofibrous dysplasia has been considered a congenital lesion or a variant of fibrous dysplasia. It has been hypothesized that osteofibrous dysplasia is a secondary reactive process to adamantinoma. Cytogenetic analysis is one form of investigation that has been instrumental in determining the origin of many disorders. Methods. Short-term cultures of two separate osteofibrous dysplasia specimens (approximately 1 year apart) from the tibia of an 11-year-old boy and 2 separate specimens (approximately 2 years apart) from the tibia of a 16-year-old boy were cytogenetically examined using standard procedures. Additionally, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies were performed on uncultured cells of both specimens of the first patient using an alpha-satellite probe for chromosome 12. Results. Cytogenetic and FISH analysis revealed trisomy 12 in both specimens of the first patient. Trisomy for chromosomes 7, 8, and 22 was seen in both specimens of the second patient. Conclusions. Osteofibrous dysplasia has not previously been subjected to cytogenetic analysis. Trisomy 7 and 12, however, have been reported in a clonally aberrant adamantinoma, potentially providing further support for a relationship between these two lesions. Most importantly, these findings demonstrate a clonal and possibly neoplastic origin for osteofibrous dysplasia of long bone.
Opiates and the Anorexia of Uremia

Uremia results in a decrease in food intake. In the present study we investigated whether opiates known to stimulate feeding would alter food intake in rats made uremic by 1 and 5/6 nephrectomy. Morphine increased food intake in sham nephrectomized rats, but failed to alter food intake in uremic animals and depressed the ingestion of rat chow in a group of weight restricted rats. Butorphanol tartrate increased feeding in sham and uremic animals but did not alter intake in the weight restricted group. Higher doses of butorphanol were needed to stimulate feeding in the uremic rats compared to the sham group, suggesting a relative resistance to opioid-induced feeding in the uremic rats. The opiate antagonist, naloxone, suppressed food intake in the uremic and sham groups more effectively than in the weight restricted rats. These data suggest that the opioid feeding system functions in a reduced fashion in uremic rats, but probably is not the sole factor involved in producing the anorexia associated with uremia.
Parallel conjugate gradient-like algorithms for solving sparse nonsymmetric linear systems on a vector multiprocessor

Abstract We describe the parallel implementation on a vector multiprocessor of two extensions of the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm for nonsymmetric systems: the conjugate gradient squared algorithm (CGS) and the generalized minimal residual algorithm GMRES(κ). For both methods, we consider preconditioning by a diagonal matrix and by an incomplete LU factorization. The uniprocessor implementation of CGS and GMRES(κ) is based on a general sparse matrix representation to deal with matrices with an irregular sparsity structure (the ITPACKV format). The parallelization of the non-preconditioned versions is straightforward and leads to very good speedups. The parallelization of the ILU preconditioned versions is more challenging. We describe two parallel preconditioners: • - we compute the global ILU factorization and partition it into one block per processor, • - we compute in parallel local partial factorizations for each block of the matrix. The blocks can overlap, and this partitioning is not restricted to matrices with a special sparsity structure. In the iteration loop the information between blocks is exchanged at each synchronization point, through the matrix-vector product and through the overlap between blocks. We discuss how the size of the overlap influences the efficiency. Our experiments, using up to 6 processors, show that the best strategy is to compute in parallel a local ILU factorization on slightly overlapping blocks.
STUDIES OF COW BEEF TENDERNESS ENHANCEMENT THROUGH SUPERSONIC‐HYDRODYNAMIC SHOCK WAVE TREATMENT

Longissimus samples were removed from each side of 17 U.S. Commercial and Utility carcasses (Experiments A, B, and C). The samples were randomly assigned to supersonic-hydrodynamic shock wave treatment (SSW) or no treatment (C). Total energy and maximum peak force data were obtained for all treatments. Sensory evaluation (for Experiments A and C) included subjective ratings for myofibrillar tenderness. juiciness, connective tissue amount, and overall tenderness. Also, thaw loss, cooking loss, and collagen solubility were determined. The effects of supersonic-hydrodynamic shock treatment on the reduction of shear force and sensory values for all studies were minimal. Thaw loss (Experiment B only), cooking loss, CIE L* a* b* values, collagen solubility and standard plate counts were unaffected (P>0.05) by treatment. Further research with less tender beef should indicate if tenderness improvement can be attained through a closer accoustical match with water and improved techniques for administering shock wave treatment.
RF Sputter Deposition of Indium Oxide / Indium Iron Oxide Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production

This project focuses on using indium oxide and indium iron oxide as an alloy to make a protective thin film (transparent, conductive, and corrosion resistant or TCCR) for amorphous silicon based solar cells, which are used in immersion-type photoelectrochemical cells for hydrogen production. From the work completed, the results indicate that samples made at 250 °C with 30 Watt of indium and 100 Watt of indium iron oxide, and a sputter deposition time of ninety minutes produced optimal results when deposited directly on single junction amorphous silicon solar cells. At 0.65 Volts, the best sample displays a maximum current density of 21.4 mA/cm2.
Patch occupancy of North American mammals: is patchiness in the eye of the beholder?

Aim Intraspecific variation in patch occupancy often is related to physical features of a landscape, such as the amount and distribution of habitat. However, communities occupying patchy environments typically exhibit non-random distributions in which local assemblages of species-poor patches are nested subsets of assemblages occupying more species-rich patches. Nestedness of local communities implies interspecific differences in sensitivity to patchiness. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain interspecific variation in responses to patchiness within a community, including differences in (1) colonization ability, (2) extinction proneness, (3) tolerance to disturbance, (4) sociality and (5) level of adaptation to prevailing environmental conditions. We used data on North American mammals to compare the performance of these ecological hypotheses and the physical landscape hypothesis. We then compared the best of these models against models that scaled landscape structure to ecologically relevant attributes of individual species.
On deriving distributed programs from formal specifications of functional requirements and architectural constraints

A method for formal derivation of distributed programs is presented. The approach uses programwide assertions to formulate safety and progress properties of computations. Assertions are used to state functional requirements of the program as well as structural and behavioral constraints imposed by the choice of underlying architecture. The significance of this latter feature is that it offers a single, unified formal framework for integrating functional requirements and architectural constraints. >
A Simulation Study of Common Mobility Models for Opportunistic Networks

Understanding mobility characteristics is important for the design and analysis of routing schemes for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). This is especially true for mobile opportunistic networks where node mobility is utilized to achieve message delivery. In this paper, we study the properties of common mobility models. Specifically, we study inter-contact times of mobile nodes in random waypoint and random direction mobility models under opportunistic network settings. We also introduce a modified random waypoint model with hot-spots to study its mobility properties. Through extensive simulation study, we provide simulation results for mobility properties of random waypoint and random direction models. Further, our modified random waypoint with hot-spots model is also found to show an approximate power-law and exponential inter-contact time dichotomy found in real-world mobility traces as described in recent literature.
Heavy-ion inelastic scattering from deformed nuclei

Abstract Theoretical and experimental methods for studying heavy-ion inelastic scattering from deformed nuclei are described. The theoretical methods involve classical-limit approximations, while particle- γ-spectroseopy techniques are employed experimentally. With these approaches, heavy-ion excitation in the Coulomb-nuclear interference region acquires a transparent interpretation, despite the apparent complexity of the multistep excitation processes involved. The examples discussed provide a good illustration of the relationship between classical and quantum physics. The sensitivity of the inelastic scattering to details of the surface ion-ion potential due to radial and angular localization is exploited to provide a method of determining the equipotential contours in a direct manner which bypasses particular model-dependent parametrizations. The method is used to construct ion-ion potentials from inelastic scattering data for the systems 40Ar + 160Gd, 156Gd, 162Dy, 164Dy, and180Hf. The contribution of adiabatic giant resonance polarization to this potential is discussed. The relation between the deformed ion-ion potential and nuclear shapes is illustrated by comparing the experimental potentials to deformed double-folding and deformed proximity-potential calculations.
Looking for Those Natural Numbers: Dimensionless Constants and the Idea of Natural Measurement

Many find it “notoriously difficult to see how societal context can affect in any essential way how someone solves a mathematical problem or makes a measurement.” That may be because it has been a habit of western scientists to assert their numerical schemes were untainted by any hint of anthropomorphism. Nevertheless, that Platonist penchant has always encountered obstacles in practice, primarily because the stability of any applied numerical scheme requires some alien or external warrant.This paper surveys the history of measurement standards, physical dimensions and dimensionless constants as one instance of the quest to purge all anthropomorphic taint first in the metric system, then in the dimensions provided by the atom, then in physical constants intelligible to extraterrestrials, only then to end up back at overt anthropomorphism in the late 20th century. This suggests that the “naturalness” of natural numbers has always been conceptualized in locally contingent cultural terms.
Considerations for the Specification and Statistical Estimation of Differences Among Animals in the Partial Efficiencies of Feed Energy Utilization

Abstract The partial efficiencies of feed net energy use for lactation, maintenance, weight change, and pregnancy are important components of production system efficiency. If heritable variation in these efficiencies can be identified, the efficiencies may become important selection criteria in livestock. Estimates of the partial efficiencies of interest have been obtained using multiple regression procedures and data from nutrition experiments. Such experiments utilize variation among animals, not necessarily within animals. Variation within animals is necessary to estimate partial efficiencies for individuals. Within-animal multiple regression yields interpretable and meaningful estimates of the partial efficiencies of energy use only when 1) the model is correctly and completely specified, 2) values of the independent variables are uncorrelated, and 3) autocorrelation among observations is accounted for correctly. To obtain independent variation in weight, weight composition, weight change, pregnancy, and milk yield may not be feasible within animals, especially in field data. Analyses of residuals from prediction equations based on among animal estimates of the partial efficiencies may provide some information as to the amount of genetic variation available, but they are difficult to interpret. Alternatives, such as random coefficients models, may help in addressing the problems.
Communicating Ocean Acidification

Participation in a study circle through the National Network of Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) project enabled staff at the California Academy of Sciences to effectively engage visitors on climate change and ocean acidification topics. Strategic framing tactics were used as staff revised the scripted Coral Reef Dive program, which resulted in positive engagement on the topic of ocean acidification, including self-reported awareness, understanding and receptivity to the Academy's specific asks, including to support and use public transportation as an alternative to driving and to consider green energy alternatives such as solar panels.
The Mechanism of Secondary Nondisjunction in Drosophila melanogaster Females

Bridges (1916) observed that X chromosome nondisjunction was much more frequent in XXY females than it was in genetically normal XX females. In addition, virtually all cases of X nondisjunction in XXY females were due to XX ↔ Y segregational events in oocytes in which the two X chromosomes had failed to undergo crossing over. He referred to these XX ↔ Y segregation events as “secondary nondisjunction.” Cooper (1948) proposed that secondary nondisjunction results from the formation of an X-Y-X trivalent, such that the Y chromosome directs the segregation of two achiasmate X chromosomes to opposite poles on the first meiotic spindle. Using in situ hybridization to X and YL chromosomal satellite sequences, we demonstrate that XX ↔ Y segregations are indeed presaged by physical associations of the X and Y chromosomal heterochromatin. The physical colocalization of the three sex chromosomes is observed in virtually all oocytes in early prophase and maintained at high frequency until midprophase in all genotypes examined. Although these XXY associations are usually dissolved by late prophase in oocytes that undergo X chromosomal crossing over, they are maintained throughout prophase in oocytes with nonexchange X chromosomes. The persistence of such XXY associations in the absence of exchange presumably facilitates the segregation of the two X chromosomes and the Y chromosome to opposite poles on the developing meiotic spindle. Moreover, the observation that XXY pairings are dissolved at the end of pachytene in oocytes that do undergo X chromosomal crossing over demonstrates that exchanges can alter heterochromatic (and thus presumably centromeric) associations during meiotic prophase.
Do what yourself: reevaluation of the value created by online and traditional intermediary

Information system research posits that online intermediaries could reduce consumer search cost and improve market efficiency, and traditional intermediary would lose market share upon the advent of online intermediary. However, in reality, traditional intermediaries still hold strong market share positions. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online intermediaries and traditional intermediaries? Our research is an effort to address these questions so that we can better explain and predict intermediary's performance. We develop our analysis based on financial intermediation theory, and adopt delegated monitoring model to compare the intrinsic structures and efficiency of online intermediaries and traditional intermediaries. We achieve two important conclusions: first, when information asymmetry exists, traditional intermediary could improve consumer welfare. Second, traditional intermediary improves market welfare because it can diversify its delegated tasks. Based on these results, we also identify market segments and marketing strategies of online and traditional intermediaries.
IAA Spectral Estimation: Fast Implementation Using the Gohberg–Semencul Factorization

We consider fast implementations of the weighted least-squares based iterative adaptive approach (IAA) for one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) spectral estimation of uniformly sampled data. IAA is a robust, user parameter-free and nonparametric adaptive algorithm that can work with a single data sequence or snapshot. Compared to the conventional periodogram, IAA can be used to significantly increase the resolution and suppress the sidelobe levels. However, due to its high computational complexity, IAA can only be used in applications involving small-sized data. We present herein novel fast implementations of IAA using the Gohberg-Semencul (G-S)-type factorization of the IAA covariance matrices. By exploiting the Toeplitz structure of the said matrices, we are able to reduce the computational cost by at least two orders of magnitudes even for moderate data sizes.
Increased leptin expression in mice with bacterial peritonitis is partially regulated by tumor necrosis factor alpha.

Plasma leptin and ob gene mRNA levels were increased in mice following bacterial peritonitis, and blocking an endogenous tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) response blunted the increase. However, plasma leptin concentrations did not correlate with the associated anorexia. We conclude that leptin expression is under partial regulatory control of TNF-α in peritonitis, but the anorexia is not dependent on increased leptin production.
Novel human ABCC9/SUR2 brain‐expressed transcripts and an eQTL relevant to hippocampal sclerosis of aging

ABCC9 genetic polymorphisms are associated with increased risk for various human diseases including hippocampal sclerosis of aging. The main goals of this study were 1 > to detect the ABCC9 variants and define the specific 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) for each variant in human brain, and 2 > to determine whether a polymorphism (rs704180) associated with risk for hippocampal sclerosis of aging pathology is also associated with variation in ABCC9 transcript expression and/or splicing. Rapid amplification of ABCC9 cDNA ends (3'RACE) provided evidence of novel 3' UTR portions of ABCC9 in human brain. In silico and experimental studies were performed focusing on the single nucleotide polymorphism, rs704180. Analyses from multiple databases, focusing on rs704180 only, indicated that this risk allele is a local expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL). Analyses of RNA from human brains showed increased ABCC9 transcript levels in individuals with the risk genotype, corresponding with enrichment for a shorter 3' UTR which may be more stable than variants with the longer 3' UTR. MicroRNA transfection experiments yielded results compatible with the hypothesis that miR-30c causes down-regulation of SUR2 transcripts with the longer 3' UTR. Thus we report evidence of complex ABCC9 genetic regulation in brain, which may be of direct relevance to human disease. ABCC9 gene variants are associated with increased risk for hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging--a prevalent brain disease with symptoms that mimic Alzheimer's disease). We describe novel ABCC9 variants in human brain, corresponding to altered 3'UTR length, which could lead to targeting by miR-30c. We also determined that the HS-Aging risk mutation is associated with variation in ABCC9 transcript expression.
Rural Hospital Preparedness for Neonatal Resuscitation

ABSTRACT: Context: Neonatal resuscitation is a critical component of perinatal services in all settings. Purpose: To systematically describe preparedness of rural hospitals for neonatal resuscitation, and to determine whether delivery volume and level of perinatal care were associated with overall preparedness or its indicators. Methods: We developed the 15-point Hospital Neonatal Resuscitation Survey to examine institutional preparedness for neonatal resuscitation in 4 areas: policy and procedure, resuscitation team membership, continuing education, and connections with a wider system of perinatal care. All 58 rural hospitals with perinatal services in 2 upper Midwestern states (North Dakota and Minnesota) were asked to provide information describing preparedness for neonatal resuscitation. Nursing administrators responded to the survey. Findings: A total of 26 hospitals took part. Annual delivery volume ranged from 4 to 958. Preparedness scores ranged from 4 to 12. Hospitals with more than 125 deliveries each year reported significantly higher levels of preparedness than lower volume hospitals (9.50 vs 5.83, P < .001). Overall preparedness was not associated with level of perinatal care. Most rural hospitals did not identify a formal collaborative relationship with a regional level III perinatal center. Conclusions: Substantial variation in hospital preparedness for neonatal resuscitation was identified. Preparedness was associated with delivery volume. Lack of collaborative agreements between rural hospitals and level III perinatal centers was pervasive. Additional research into the measurement of hospital preparedness for neonatal resuscitation as a component of quality rural perinatal care is needed to optimize outcomes for rural-born neonates.
Optimal Design of IC Engine Cooling Fins by Using Genetic Algorithm

The analysis for optimal design of an air-cooled internal combustion engine cooling fin array by using genetic algorithms (GA) is presented in this study. Genetic Algorithms are robust, stochastic search techniques which are also used for optimizing highly complex problems. In this study, the fin array is of the traditional circular fin type, which is subject to ambient convective heat transfer. The parameters (degrees of freedom) selected for the analysis include the cylinder wall thickness-to-radius ratio, fin thickness, fin length, the number of fins, and the local heat transfer coefficient. By using a single objective GA procedure, the heat transfer through the fin arrays is set as the objective function to be optimized with each parameter varied within the physical ranges. Proper population size is selected and the mutations, cross-over and selection are conducted in the GA procedure to arrive at the optimal set of parameters after a certain number of generations. The GA proves to be an effective optimization method in the thermal system component designs when the number of independent variables is large.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Toward a System for Classifying Business Strategies

Porter's (1980) and Abell's (1980) attempts to classify business strategies have several fundamental limitations After discussing the objectives and attributes of “scientific” classification systems, this article presents a new classification scheme, built on the work of Porter and Abell, as a first step toward developing an “optimal” business strategy classification system.
Case Report: Chronic Granulocytic (Myelogenous) Leukemia and Pregnancy

1. An additional case of coexistent pregnancy and chronic granulocytic (myelogenious) leukemia is reported. 2. Coincident with pregnancy the leukemia in this patient underwent a transition from the chronic phase in remission to acute myeloblastic disease with rapid exitus. 3. The pertinent literature concerning pregnancy and chronic granulocytic leukemia has been reviewed and evaluated. 4. Our findings indicate that pregnancy may have a deleterious effect on the course of the patient with chronic granulocytic leukemia, and may initiate an acute exacerbation of the disease. 5. In approximately one-third of the cases of chronic granulocytic leukemia complicated by pregnancy, an exacerbation and death occurred within eight months postpartum. 6. In chronic granulocytic leukemia, pregnancy should be avoided.
The multiple innervation of limb muscles in man.

Experimental evidence from the dog, demonstrating the physiological importance of the multiple innervation to individual muscles, led to the detailed observations, here presented, upon multiple nerve branches in the human. Of fifty-eight separate heads of origin of the long muscles of the limbs in one cadaver, all but fifteen were entered by nerve branches at more than one point. Ten of these fifteen are known to receive more than one branch in Other individuals. These multiple branches may enter the muscle close together, or may be distributed for some distance over the length of the muscle. In neither pattern of branching can the ultimate distribution of the nerve fibers within the muscle be deduced from a purely morphological study. The evidence obtained from experiments on the dog by Markee and Lowenbach demonstrates that the multiple nerves entering a muscle may control the contraction of different "segments" along the length of the muscle. The present study has emphasized that a similar anatomical condition exists in the human. However, physiological evidence similar to that for the dog has yet to be obtained.
PO-0959 Understanding Parent-paediatrician Partnerships: The Factor Structure Of The Parent Paediatrician Partnership Scale (ppps)

Background and aims This study was conducted as the second phase in the development of the Parent Paediatrician Partnership Scale (PPPS). Our objective was to identify the latent factor structure among thirty-two items relating to partnership between parents and paediatricians and identify the parent/child characteristics that were associated with each factor. Methods Thirty-two items relating to partnership were administered to three-hundred and twenty five parents. The sample population was White (70.4%), had a family income of over $35,000 (50.6%), had at least some college education (70.4%), and the index child was male (61.3%). About one-half of the parents were interviewed in a community practice (n = 157; 48.3%) and the remainder in sub-specialty clinics located in a children’s hospital (n = 168; 51.7%). The 32 items were entered in a factor analysis that produced five clearly defined factors. Results The factors included Parental Involvement (PI, 4 items), Paediatrician Sensitivity (PS, 7 items), Communication (Co, 4 items), Access (Ac, 2 items) and a broad Comprehensive factor (BC, 13 items). Parent/child characteristics and their use of the practice or clinic were examined for their bivariate relationships with each factor. Although several characteristics were associated with factors, setting (community practice or sub-specialty clinic) was the most robust characteristic, associated with four of five factors. Conclusion Partnership between parents and their children’s paediatrician involves several elements, including a paediatrician’s willingness to provide a parent with the opportunity to be involved and a paediatrician’s ability to have a non-judgmental attitude, treat parent and child with dignity, and have sensitivity to a parent’s moods.
A Replicating Adenovirus Capsid Display Recombinant Elicits Antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum Sporozoites in Aotus nancymaae Monkeys

Decades of success with live adenovirus vaccines suggest that replication-competent recombinant adenoviruses (rAds) could serve as effective vectors for immunization against other pathogens. To explore the potential of a live rAd vaccine against malaria, we prepared a viable adenovirus 5 (Ad5) recombinant that displays a B-cell epitope from the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium falciparum on the virion surface. The recombinant induced P. falciparum sporozoite-neutralizing antibodies in mice. Human adenoviruses do not replicate in mice. Therefore, to examine immunogenicity in a system in which, as in humans, the recombinant replicates, we constructed a similar recombinant in an adenovirus mutant that replicates in monkey cells and immunized four Aotus nancymaae monkeys. The recombinant replicated in the monkeys after intratracheal instillation, the first demonstration of replication of human adenoviruses in New World monkeys. Immunization elicited antibodies both to the Plasmodium epitope and the Ad5 vector. Antibodies from all four monkeys recognized CSP on intact parasites, and plasma from one monkey neutralized sporozoites in vitro and conferred partial protection against P. falciparum sporozoite infection after passive transfer to mice. Prior enteric inoculation of two animals with antigenically wild-type adenovirus primed a response to the subsequent intratracheal inoculation, suggesting a route to optimizing performance. A vaccine is not yet available against P. falciparum, which induces the deadliest form of malaria and kills approximately one million children each year. The live capsid display recombinant described here may constitute an early step in a critically needed novel approach to malaria immunization.
Design and Test of a Large Two-Shaft Gas Turbine

The largest two-shaft gas turbine in the United States has been operated in combined cycle service at the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company Horseshoe Lake Station since May 1963. The same design unit has been operated in peaking and stand-by service at Public Service Electric and Gas (Essex, N. J.) station since December 1963. The O.G & E. unit has a NEMA rating of 25 Mw base load. The PSEG unit has a NEMA peaking rating of 29 Mw. The paper describes the design features of this unit and a method of testing the high-pressure set and variable second-stage nozzle under full-load conditions without actually loading the load turbine.Copyright © 1964 by ASME
Standardizing the writing of nursing records and strengthening the management of safety

To analyze the problems in the writing of nursing records, which including: inconsistency of time and contents,inaccuracy and untimely of nursing records,unclear handwriting,lack of coherence in contents,lack of key points,etc.Nursing staff should think highly of the importance of nursing records and guarantee the quality of records, so as to improve the coefficient of safe management in nursing.
The Bayesian t -Test and Beyond

In this chapter we will explore Bayesian alternatives to the t-test. We saw in Chapter 1 how t-test can be used to test whether the expected outcomes of the two groups are equal or not. In Chapter 3 we saw how to make inferences from a Bayesian perspective in principle. In this chapter we will put these together to develop a Bayesian procedure for a t-test. This procedure depends on the data only through the t-statistic. It requires prior inputs and we will discuss how to assign them. We will use an example from a microarray study as to demonstrate the practical issues. The microarray study is an important application for the Bayesian t-test as it naturally brings up the question of simultaneous t-tests. It turns out that the Bayesian procedure can easily be extended to carry several t-tests on the same data set, provided some attention is paid to the concept of the correlation between tests.
Testicular Papillary Cystadenomatous Tumor of Low Malignant Potential: A Case Report and Discussion of the Literature

AbstractWe report the fifth case of a rare testicular serous papillary cystadenomatous tumor of low malignant potential. All patients presented with a testicular mass. Histologically, the tumor can be differentiated from testicular papillary cystadenocarcinoma. The natural history of this rare tumor is yet to be determined.
An Integrated QFD and Kano's Model to Determine the Optimal Target Specification

The excellence of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology for translating customer needs into target specifications had been broadly known. However, a number of researches had revealed some methodological flaws. Those stated that QFD did not have a formal methodology to optimally allocate the resource available for product development. QFD also employed subjective technique in assessing the relationship between customer need and engineering characteristics. In addition, QFD implicitly assumed that the fulfillments of customer needs linearly related to customer satisfaction. However, Kano's model notified that the fulfillment of a customer need might have a nonlinear effect to the customer satisfaction. With regard to those issues, this paper presented an optimization model to allocate product development resource. The relationship between engineering characteristics and customer need was assessed using regression technique. Kano's model was integrated in the model to represent the relationship between customer needs and customer satisfaction. The proposed model was then applied to determine the target specifications of wooden single bed frame. The result showed that by using the target specifications obtained, a great customer satisfaction was created.
Power from nature: designing green battery materials from electroactive quinone derivatives and organic polymers

Current lithium ion battery technologies suffer from challenges derived from the eco-toxicity, costliness, and energetic inefficiency of contemporary inorganic materials used in these devices. Small organic molecules containing polycyclic aromatic moieties and polar functional groups have recently been presented as attractive electron donors that bind lithium and other small metal ions. This has endowed them with the potential to replace traditional inorganic electrodes consisting of metal composites. A family of naturally occurring carbonyl compounds, or quinones, have been of particular interest to the scientific community. However, they themselves have been plagued by issues of low voltages, poor conductivity, and capacity fading due to solubility in common polar electrolytes. Herein, we review a number of theoretical and experimental solutions to this problem, which include the use of heterocyclic derivatives, polymers, and conductive supramolecular carbon frameworks as electrochemical property enhancers, or stabilizers, of potential organic electrodes. This review focuses on the benign synthesis, current status, and future direction of organic battery materials with the aim of developing sustainable energy storage systems to meet the demands of a greener future.
Live demonstration: Programmable vision chip with neighborhood level parallel processing

This live demonstration features a vision chip based on a neighborhood level parallel processing paradigm. Processors are physically embedded within groups of pixels, complete with memory and algorithmic capabilities controlled by a custom instruction set. This results in a scalable resolution, parallel processing vision chip with flexible programmability that can perform a wide variety of image and video processing tasks. A prototype vision chip has been fabricated in a 0.13μm CMOS technology consisting of an 8×10 array of processors with a 64×80 resolution. The setup demonstrates how the vision chip can execute various parallel processing programs and manipulate image acquisition parameters to match the requirements of a scene in real-time.
Global paper market forecasts to 2030 under future internet demand scenarios

The Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) was applied to forecast the effect of increased per capita Internet adoption on the global paper products industry to 2030. Two scenarios were examined: (a) full per capita Internet adoption by 2100, and (b) more rapidly by 2050. Global newsprint consumption is estimated to be 34.2–37.1 million tonnes lower in 2030 than in the US Forest Service 2010 Resources Planning Act report, and the 2010 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Similarly, global printing and writing paper consumption is forecasted to be 76.7–87.1 million tonnes lower by 2030. By including controls for per capita Internet use in the demand equations for print based media, this article reflects the recent declines in global paper product consumption. Out-of-sample forecasts over a two-year period indicate global model prediction errors from 0 to 3%, depending on the product and exogenous assumptions. The results highlight the importance of considering market evolution in long-term global forecasting, and a failure to account for future rates of Internet adoption will result in an upward bias on paper product market forecasts.
Alice frenzy: an interactive group activity

Participants will be given 10--15 minutes of instruction on programming in Alice. Then, working in small groups, participants will attempt to develop a program in 40 minutes from one of several given starting scenarios. Participants will be able to adapt this exercise for use in an introductory course using Alice.
The review identifies evidence based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorders, but research consumers should examine original studies

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Brock, M. E. … Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, 45, 1951–1966. doi: 10.1007/s10803–014-2351-zSource of funding and declaration of interests: This work was supported by the US Office of Special Education Programs [grant number H325G07004]; Institute of Education Science [grant number R324B090005].