cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhaled Selective Pulmonary Vasodilators for Advanced Heart Failure Therapies

Purpose Inhaled pulmonary vasodilators (iPVD) are commonly used to lower PVR to modify the risk of acute RV failure in durable LVAD implantation or orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). While inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is the iPVD gold standard, inhaled epoprostenol (Veletri®) has been introduced as a cost-conscious alternative without high-grade evidence. Thus, we conducted an investigation to primarily determine if inhaled epoprostenol is equivalent to iNO in the ability to modify acute RVF after advanced heart failure therapies. Methods Our group has enrolled 232 patients (LVAD, N=100; OHT, N=132) in a triple-blinded (clinician, subject, statistician) randomized controlled trial conducted between May 2017-October 2020 (NCT03081052). Participants were grouped into strata according to key clinical prognostic features. Within each stratum, subjects were assigned either iNO or inhaled epoprostenol via 1:1 randomization. To assess equivalency between the two treatment arms for our primary outcome analysis, we will calculate absolute and relative risk estimates and corresponding confidence intervals (CI). If the CI do not contain the margin of difference (15%), then we will conclude there is sufficient evidence that the risk of the primary outcome in each treatment arm is similar. For each secondary outcome, we will construct univariable effect estimates and corresponding CI, which will allow for assessment of difference between treatment arms. In the case that patients have switched to the other treatment arm, we will perform an intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis without reclassifying treatment assignment. To verify ITT results, we will perform a per-protocol analysis. Endpoints Primary. LVAD: Moderate or Severe RVF (defined by INTERMACS, up to 21-days after surgery); OHT: PGD-RV treated with RVAD or VA-ECMO, up to 30-days after surgery. Secondary. Duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation, iPVD duration/cost, ICU and hospital lengths-of-stay, postoperative acute kidney injury, and 30-day mortality.
Using SELR (Simplify-Enable-Leverage-Resource) to Develop Solutions to Identified Opportunities

The SELR approach was introduced by the U. S. Navy Reserve Force in 2018 to make its associated operations more efficient and responsive to an ever-changing environment. Such an approach is exactly the focus of such programs as 6∑, Lean, Continuous Process Improvement, etc. SELR is defined by the following. Simplify the way business is conducted by streamlining activities, programs, to make them more efficient. Enable personnel to more effectively provide required capabilities and supportive policies. Leverage personnel skills and relationships to further enhance their contributions to the organization. Resource delivering more responsive personnel capabilities to the organization. This approach is applied to ergonomic intervention development and illustrated through case studies.
Embarking as Captain of the Ship for the Curriculum Committee.

This commentary examines the curriculum chair's responsibilities and discusses considerations when assuming this role, using a captain of the ship metaphor. From knowing the crew to managing a diverse set of responsibilities, the path to becoming an effective chair is challenging and each captain's stripe must be earned. Advice is provided to assist with understanding the curriculum and governance processes, as well as the chair's various roles and professional development. The need for both leadership and management is also emphasized.
Effects of Biology, Drugs, Life Events, and the Environment on Wellbeing

This chapter describes the effects of objective reality in terms of personal factors such as genetics, biology, health, drugs, life events, and the physical environment on the subjective aspects of quality of life (hedonic wellbeing, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia). With respect to biology, wellbeing research is discussed in relation to genes; hormones; stress, anxiety, and depression; food, sex, and drugs; sleep, physical exercise, obesity, body image, and diurnal preference. With respect to health, research is discussed in reference to how both physical and mental health influence wellbeing at large. Research is also discussed covering drugs and substance abuse and their effects on wellbeing. Focusing on life events, two research streams are discussed: facilitating adaptation to negative events and mitigating adaptation to positive events. Finally, the wellbeing effects of the physical environment (seasonal variation, climate, and weather; the natural environment; environmental pathogens; and resource scarcity) are highlighted.
The cell phone vibration test: A telemedicine substitute for the tuning fork test.

Objective An at home-test for differentiating between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss remains elusive. Our goal was to validate the novel cell-phone vibration test (CPVT) against the Weber tuning fork test (WTFT) and to assess if the CPVT can be self-administered by patients reliably. Study design Cross-sectional. Methods The CPVT involves placement of a vibrating cellphone on the center of the forehead to determine which ear perceives the sound louder. 40 consecutive adult patients with an audiogram within 6 months and no report of recent hearing changes were recruited. Group 1 consisted of 20 patients who were examined by the provider with the CPVT and WTFT using various tuning forks (256, 512, and 1024 Hz). Group 2 consisted of an additional 20 patients who received instructions on self-administering the CPVT. Kappa statistics were calculated to assess the strength of concordance between the CPVT, WTFT, and audiometric findings for group 1 and between patient self-administered and provider administered CPVT and WTFT for group 2. Results Concordance between CPVT and WTFT in the entire cohort was substantial (Kappa coefficient: 0.81 for 256 Hz, 0.73 for 512 Hz, and 0.62 for 1024 Hz) with similar concordances between actual and expected results based on audiogram (Kappa coefficient: 0.52 for CPVT and 0.52 for WTFT). Concordance between patient-administered and provider-administered CPVT showed almost perfect agreement (Kappa coefficient: 0.92). Conclusions The CPVT provides consistent results when compared to a formal WTFT and can be reliably self-administered by patients with appropriate instructions.Level of evidence: 4.
A Life Estate Conception of Property

The dominant conception of ownership in Anglo-American law ever since Blackstone, at least, has been the fee simple absolute. Among the incidents of ownership in this absolute conception is the jus abutendi or right to waste. A life estate conception of property would abrogate this right to waste while preserving the attractive features of the fee simple absolute, including in particular alienability and freedom of testamentary disposition. This article argues that liberal society has always disapproved of waste, in each of two senses -- dissipatory use or destruction and non-urgent use. The evolution of forms of ownership towards an absolute model was in fact motivated in part by a desire to curtail waste in its dissipatory sense. As value has moved away from land and into intangible repositories, paradigmatically money, the problem of non-urgent waste has become more pressing. Whereas prior scholars have not been able to conceive of a practical general law against waste, the tax system can bring about just this result, through a progressive consumption tax. Such a tax makes the wealthy fiduciaries of society's capital stock, now seen as the main element of social property. The article is presented as an extended illustration of a political and interpretive argument, in the spirit of John Rawls.
Molecular Characterization of Neurally Expressing Genes in the para Sodium Channel Gene Cluster of Drosophila

To elucidate the mechanisms regulating expression of para, which encodes the major class of sodium channels in the Drosophila nervous system, we have tried to locate upstream cis-acting regulatory elements by mapping the transcriptional start site and analyzing the region immediately upstream of para in region 14D of the polytene chromosomes. From these studies, we have discovered that the region contains a cluster of neurally expressing genes. Here we report the molecular characterization of the genomic organization of the 14D region and the genes within this region, which are: calnexin (Cnx), actin related protein 14D (Arp14D), calcineurin A 14D (CnnA14D), and chromosome associated protein (Cap). The tight clustering of these genes, their neuronal expression patterns, and their potential functions related to expression, modulation, or regulation of sodium channels raise the possibility that these genes represent a functionally related group sharing some coordinate regulatory mechanism.
Ecology, Behavior and Evolution of Disease Resistance in Termites

The nesting and feeding habits of termites create the risk of contact with microbial and invertebrate pathogens and parasites. Additionally, termite life history can result in cyclical decreases in nestmate genetic heterogeneity, increasing susceptibility to parasites, and sociality may elevate transmission rates of infection within colonies. Current research indicates that ecology and group living have selected for disease resistance in both basal and derived termite families, which have evolved diverse immune adaptations deployed sequentially or simultaneously at both individual and societal levels. These include inducible behavioral, biochemical, immunological and social mechanisms of infection control. Mortality from disease can be significant for reproductives, pseudergates and sterile castes, and influences colony fitness through impacts on colony size, demography, polymorphism, division of labor, communication, development, reproduction, colony foundation, and colony and population genetics. The hemimetabolic development, diplodiploid genetics, microbial symbioses and recalcitrant diets of termites present unique opportunities to model the effects of disease on immune function, including the adaptive design of immune molecules, life-history traits and social evolution. Comparisons can also be made between termite and hymenopteran immunocompetences, highlighting phylogenetic and ecological differences. We advocate a multidisciplinary approach to disease resistance in termites, focusing simultaneously on cellular and humoral immunity, antibiotic prophylaxis and social modes of infection control.
MHC class I and class II Presentation of Tumor Antigen in Retrovirally and Adenovirally Transduced Dendritic Cells

MHC class I and class II presentation of tumor antigen in retrovirally and adenovirally transduced dendritic cells
Careful Construction of Hypothesis Tests: Comment on “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics (in Geology)”

[1] In his Forum, P. Vermeesch (Eos, 90(47), 443, doi:10.1029/2009EO470004, 2009) applied Pearson's chi-square test to a large catalog of earthquakes to test the hypothesis that earthquakes are uniformly distributed across day of week (the formal null hypothesis that an earthquake has equal probability of occurring on any day). In his analysis, this hypothesis is rejected, and he proposes that the statistical test implies that earthquakes are correlated with day of the week (with specifically high seismicity on Sunday), and therefore strong dependence ofp values on sample size makes them uninterpretable. It is a well-known property of classical hypothesis tests that the power of a statistical test is a function of the degrees of freedom, so that a test with large degrees of freedom will always have the resolution to reject the null. Consideration for practical as well as statistical significance is essential. Selecting bins so that the chi-square test fails to reject the null hypothesis is essentially formulating a test to agree with a foregone conclusion. To the point, this data set does not exhibit uniform seismicity across time, and the statistical test is summarizing the data correctly. With proper attention to the application setting, and formulation of the null and alternative hypotheses, summarizing with p values is technically sound.
Aganglionosis of the entire colon.

Summary Four patients with aganglionosis of the entire colon, one with extensive small bowel involvement, are presented. The patient in case 1 lived to age fourteen before a definitive diagnosis and surgical correction was achieved. This represents the oldest case reported to date. The incidence, sexual distribution, and familial occurrence are discussed. The usual clinical presentation is incomplete small bowel obstruction without evidence of megacolon. Radiographically, the diagnosis may be suspected but not proved. The diagnosis can only be made when pathologic examination of the bowel confirms the absence of ganglion cells. Operations for this disease should be staged, an ileostomy being performed with normal bowel at one operation and reconstitution being carried out by one of the several procedures at a later date. The over-all mortality is a dismal 67 per cent, but can be improved by suspecting and treating adequately any child first explored for obstruction or its complications in which no obvious mechanical cause is found.
Effects of combining ultraviolet repair and recombination mutations in Haemophilus influenzae.

IN order to determine effects of double mutations at loci affecting recombination and repair of damage caused by ultraviolet radiation in Haemophilus influenzae, we have attempted to combine mutations from strains isolated previously in this laboratory1,2. Our most significant result is that we were unable to isolate a strain with a mutation in both the rec1 gene and the uvr1 gene. The rec1− gene makes the cell recombination-defective and also ultravioletrsensitive due to a defect in post-replication repair3. The uvr1− mutant is ultraviolet-sensitive because of a defect in the specific endonuclease operating during the excision of ultraviolet-induced pyrimidine dimers4. We conclude that both gene products are used for normal maintenance of DNA in H. influenzae and that this combination of mutations is lethal.
Deposition of particles in a parallel-plate channel due to electrostatic charge, diffusion and gravitational effects

Abstract The deposition of fine particles in channel flow due to the effects of electrostatic charge and diffusion and due to charge and gravity in the direction of flow with uniform and parabolic velocity profiles was investigated using a finite difference analysis. The variations in deposition were determined using an axial parameter which includes a ratio of the electrostatic charge to the diffusion effect. These results were determined along the channel for various values of electrostatic charge. The deposition due to diffusion and charge effect was studied and the range of charge effect was determined for which the diffusion effect may be neglected. Also, the deposition due to charge and gravity was investigated to determine the effect of the velocity profile on the deposition.
Bioethics: Brave new biopolitics

Kevin Finneran hails a timely take on the debate raging over biotechnology breakthroughs in the United States.
Trajectories of change in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities in relation to multiple wildfires

Repeated perturbations, both biotic and abiotic, can lead to fundamental changes in the nature of ecosystems, including changes in state. Sagebrush steppe communities provide important habitat for wildlife and grazing for livestock. Fire is an integral part of these systems, but there is concern that increased ignition frequencies and invasive species are fundamentally altering them. Despite these issues, the majority of studies of fire effects in systems dominated by Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis have focused on the effects of single burns. The Arid Lands Ecology Reserve (ALE), in south-central Washington (USA), was one of the largest contiguous areas of sagebrush steppe habitat in the state until large wildfires burned the majority of it in 2000 and 2007. We analyzed data from permanent vegetation transects established in 1996 and resampled in 2002 and 2009. Our objective was to describe how the fires, and subsequent postfire restoration efforts, affected communities' successional pathways. Plant co...
Inferring paleostresses from natural fracture patterns; a new method

We introduce a method to infer the remote differential stress magnitude from the curvature of overlapping echelon fracture traces. The curving paths of overlapping echelon cracks imply the predominance of local crack-induced stresses over remote stresses during propagation. Nearly straight crack paths imply the controlling influence of a remote compressive crack-parallel differential stress. This method is used to interpret complex joint patterns mapped in sedimentary rock. It is also applied to the problem of fracture-pattern generation using computer models.
From Physiology of the Coronary Circulation to Myocardial Perfusion Imaging

The present paper reviews important recent publications concerning the application of principles of coronary physiology to quantitative PET myocardial perfusion imaging. Invasive measurements as well as coronary computed tomography angiography are also considered. The review focuses on physiological concepts relevant to the understanding of the effects of coronary atherosclerosis on myocardial blood flow (MBF) responses to stress. It also highlights the increasing shift from an anatomical paradigm of stenosis severity assessment to a physiological one, emphasizing the importance of absolute measurements of MBF. Key concepts and supporting literature reviewed in the present paper include quantitative PET measurements of absolute rest and stress MBF, the use of stress MBF alone for physiological assessment of stenosis functional severity, the utility of ratios such as fractional flow reserve (FFR) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in assessing stenosis severity, and most importantly, the absolute level of MBF required to sustain vigorous physical exercise (9–10 metabolic equivalents (METs)) in healthy adults.
Markstein Numbers of Negatively-Stretched Premixed Flames: Microgravity Measurements and Computations

The effect of flame stretch, composed of strain and curvature, plays a major role in the propagation of turbulent premixed flames. Although all forms of stretch (positive and negative) are present in turbulent conditions, little research has been focused on the stretch due to curvature. The present study quantifies the Markstein number (which characterizes the sensitivity of the flame propagation speed to the imposed stretch rate) for an inwardly-propagating flame (IPF). This flame is of interest because it is negatively stretched, and is subjected to curvature effects alone, without the competing effects of strain. In an extension of our previous work, microgravity experiments were run using a vortex-flame interaction to create a pocket of reactants surrounded by an IPF. Computations using the RUN-1DL code of Rogg were also performed in order to explain the measurements. It was found that the Markstein number of an inwardly-propagating flame, for both the microgravity experiment and the computations, is significantly larger than that of an outwardly-propagating flame. Further insight was gained by running the computations for the simplified (hypothetical) cases of one step chemistry, unity Lewis number, and negligible heat release. Results provide additional evidence that the Markstein numbers associated with strain and curvature have different values.
A Quantum Mechanics Treatment of the Water Molecule

The perturbation method of Heitler and London has been applied to study the interaction of the atoms in the water molecule. For a preliminary calculation an arbitrary internuclear distance has been assumed, and no ionic wave function has been considered. The calculated binding energy, 3.5 volts, is too small, as was to be expected. An analysis of the sources of this energy in various types of resonance or electron interchange is developed, and the results compared with Slater's simplified model. Methods for the evaluation of electron reactions involving three centers are described, including a possible alternative for the customary Neumann method, applicable to two-center problems. Formulas for products of bi-axial surface harmonics and their integrals are given.
Impact of user-generated and professional critics reviews on Bollywood movie success

Abstract User generated (e.g., peer-to-peer or word-of-mouth) reviews and professional experts' reviews are important sources of external information that consumers use in making consumption decisions, but studies of their simultaneous effects is scarce. We develop a conceptual model for hypothesizing the simultaneous effects of the volume and valence of user and expert reviews on sales (i.e., box-office) revenue in the consumption of entertainment products (i.e., movies). We gather and analyze the User Generated Reviews (UGRs) using a text processing algorithm and evaluate resulting semantic networks to validate our approach. Combining these data with other relevant data from multiple sources for all Bollywood movies released over a six month period, we test the hypotheses proposed in the model. We find that, after controlling for effect of expert reviews, both volume and valence of user generated reviews have significant positive association with box-office revenue; however, valence evidences a curvilinear (saturation) effect such that positivity effect shows decreasing returns at high positivity levels. We also find that expert reviews positively affect box office revenue with little evidence of saturation or amplifying effects.
ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A NEW UNIVERSAL PURCHASE VACCINE PROGRAM ON FAMILIES' EXPENSES FOR PREVENTIVE CARE † 539

Background: Universal purchase (UP), the state purchase of vaccines for all children regardless of income or insurance status, is one strategy to lower families' health care expenses. North Carolina implemented a UP program in 1994.
Relationship between immune response to hydralazine and to deoxyribonucleoprotein in patients receiving hydralazine

In a prospective study of 21 hypertensive patients receiving hydralazine for 1 year, we found a close relationship between development of antibodies to deoxyribonucleoprotein (DNP) and to hydralazine but no evidence for cross-reactivity between antibodies to these two antigens. Of 8 patients who developed increased levels of antiDNP, 7 also developed antibodies to hydralazine. Inhibition of the reaction between DNP and antiDNP as measured by radioimmunoassay in 3 patients with hydralazine lupus could not be achieved with large amounts of hydralazine. However, antibodies to DNP produced in guinea pigs immunized with hydralazine conjugates could be inhibited with hydralazine in accordance with previous studies by others on rabbits. In the human, antibodies to DNP which develop during hydralazine administration are not due to cross-reactive antibodies nor do they appear as a result of immune response to an in vivo hydralazine DNP conjugate.
Learning to find fruit in Ceratitis capitata flies

Wild Mediterranean fruit fly females, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), from an essentially monophagous population on the island of Hawaii were exposed to natural mock orange (Murraya paniculata) or sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) host fruit hung from branches of potted trees for 3-day periods in field enclosures. Subsequently, when flies were released individually onto potted trees harboring one or the other (or a mixture) of these fruit types, a higher proportion visited the type of fruit with which they were familiar (and visitors found familiar fruit faster) compared with the fruit type with which they were unfamiliar. Moreover, fruit-finding flies of this monophagous population attempted oviposition exclusively in the familiar fruit type, and thus appeared to be just as capable of learning to accept fruit for oviposition as wild flies from a previously-tested polyphagous population on the island of Maui. Additional tests were conducted in which flies were exposed to natural or colored-wax-covered mock oranges or sweet oranges and tested for response to colored-wax-covered natural or artificial fruit. Results suggested that fruit size was the principal character learned and used in finding mock orange or sweet orange fruit, while fruit color and odor appeared to be of little or no importance in this regard. Resume L'apprentissage de la decouverte des fruits par Ceratitis capitata Des femelles sauvages d'une population essentiellement monophage de C. capitata Wiedemann, provenant de l'ile de Hawai, ont ete mises en presence pendant des periodes de 3 jours dans des enceintes dans la nature a des fruits de Murraya paniculata et de Citrus sinensis suspendus a des branches d'arbres empotes. Quand les mouches ont ete liberees individuellement sur les arbres empotes portant l'un ou l'autre de ces fruits (ou leur melange), une plus forte proportion a visite le fruit avec lequel elles etaient familiarisees (et l'ont trouve plus vite) que le fruit avec lequel elles ne n'etaient pas. De plus, les femelles decouvrant des fruits de cette population monophage ne tenterent de pondre que dans le type de fruit avec lequel elle etaient familiarisees. Elles se montrerent aussi capables que les mouches d'une population polyphage de l'ile de Maui d'apprendre a accepter de nouveaux fruits pour pondre. Des experiences complementaires ont ete realisees dans lesquelles les mouches etaient mises en presence de fruits de M. paniculata ou de C. sinensis naturels ou couverts de cire coloree ou encore de fruits artificiels. Les resultats suggerent que la taille du fruit est le principal critere d'apprentissage utilise pour trouver M. paniculata ou C. sinensis, la couleur et l'odeur du fruit etant apparus comme de moindre importance ou sans effet.
Conservation Implications of the Prevalence and Representation of Locally Extinct Mammals in the Folklore of Native Americans

Many rationales for wildlife conservation have been suggested. One rationale not often mentioned is the impact of extinctions on the traditions of local people, and conservationists' subsequent need to strongly consider culturally based reasons for conservation. As a first step in strengthening the case for this rationale, we quantitatively examined the presence and representation of eight potentially extinct mammals in folklore of 48 Native American tribes that live/lived near to 11 national parks in the United States. We aimed to confirm if these extinct animals were traditionally important species for Native Americans. At least one-third of the tribes included the extinct mammals in their folklore (N=45 of 124) and about half of these accounts featured the extinct species with positive and respectful attitudes, especially the carnivores. This research has shown that mammals that might have gone locally extinct have been prevalent and important in Native American traditions. Research is now needed to investigate if there indeed has been or might be any effects on traditions due to these extinctions. Regardless, due to even the possibility that the traditions of local people might be adversely affected by the loss of species, conservationists might need to consider not only all the biological reasons to conserve, but also cultural ones.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy investigations of polybenzimidazole/poly(bisphenol-A carbonate) blends

Abstract The results of a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTi.r.) study of the blend formed by poly(2,2′-m-phenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole (PBI) and poly-[2,2-propane-bis(4-phenyl carbonate)] (PC) are discussed. The spectral features observed in the NH stretching and carbonyl stretching regions of all the compositions investigated have been interpreted in terms of hydrogen bonding interactions occurring between the NH groups of PBI and the CO groups of PC. Qualitative as well as quantitative information about these interactions has derived. The FTi.r. results indicate a high degree of molecular mixing between the two components at all blend compositions. A spectroscopic study as a function of temperature of a single blend composition ( 50 50 wt % ) is also reported. A quantitative analysis of the carbonyl region in the spectra yielded information about the onset temperature of large scale molecular mobility. A strong catalytic effect of PBI on the thermal degradation of PC was observed and is also discussed.
Grain growth model for electric field-assisted processing and flash sintering of materials

This paper proposes a model to explain interesting features of grain growth retardation and saturation during electric field-assisted processing and flash sintering of materials. It is argued that electric field-induced defect generation and segregation of these defects at dislocations and grain boundaries can retard the grain growth rate and reduce it to zero as a result of grain boundary melting under flash sintering. Grain growth rates are derived taking into account kinetic and various thermodynamic factors under an applied field and compared with other models.
Laparoscopic incisional hernia repair: a technical advance.

Incisional hernia is the most common complication after abdominal surgery. In order to reduce accompanying symptomatology, some patients must modify their activities, lifestyle, and employment; thus, the outcome of incisional hernia may have major social and economic implications. Although 10% to 30% of patients undergoing laparotomy will develop an incisional hernia, subsequent conventional open repair often fails to adequately address this substantial problem. The recurrence rate for primary tissue repairs may approach the 35% range, which is higher than the primary occurrence rate; when repaired for recurrence, rates have been reported greater than 50%. Although the advent of prosthetic repair has significantly reduced the recurrence rate compared with that of primary suture repair, it remains in the 10% to 24% range. Gradual decreases in recurrence rates have been realized over the last decade as minimally invasive techniques have been increasingly utilized. For example, in some series, the recurrence rate of initial incisional hernias has been reduced to 2% to 9%. Moreover, multiple studies demonstrate that laparoscopic repair of incisional hernia results in a short length of stay and quick return to normal activities. The recurrence rate after laparoscopic repair of a recurrent hernia ranges between 9% and 12%, which is an improvement when compared with recurrence rates of 20% after conventional repair with prosthetic material. Clearly, the laparoscopic approach to repair of incisional hernia has significantly improved the management of this problem.
An efficient checkpointing method for multicomputers with wormhole routing

Efficient checkpointing and resumption of multicomputer applications is essential if multicomputers are to support time-sharing and the automatic resumption of jobs after a system failure. We present a checkpointing scheme that is transparent, imposes overhead only during checkpoints, requires minimal message logging, and allows for quick resumption of execution from a checkpointed image. Furthermore, the checkpointing algorithm allows each processorp to continue running the application being checkpointed except during the time thatp is actively taking a local snapshot, and requires no global stop or freeze of the multicomputer. Since checkpointing multicomputer applications poses requirements different from those posed by checkpointing general distributed systems, existing distributed checkpointing schemes are inadequate for multicomputer checkpointing. Our checkpointing scheme makes use of special properties of wormhole routing networks to satisfy this new set of requirements.
Constitutive relations and the electromagnetic spectrum in a fluctuating medium

Abstract A two-parameter susceptibility function χ ( t ; τ ) is introduced, to characterize the local macroscopic properties of a linear isotropic dielectric, whose behavior may change in time. χ ( t ; τ ) generally is a stochastic variable with respect to its first argument. An expression is derived for the spectral density of the induced polarization in terms of the spectral densities of the fluctuations of χ and of the electric field. In general, this relationship is not a simple convolution. In the special case when the incident electric field is monochromatic, the induced polarization has the usual Brilouin-type spectrum.
The sobolev equation, i

The abstract evolution equation Mu?(t)+Lu(t) = f(t) is considered, where the closed operators M and L are obtained from the pairs of Hilbert spaces {Vm,H} and {V1,H}, respectively. We assume Vl↪Vm↪H, where A↪B means A is a dense subspace of B and the injection is continuous. Under various hypotheses, the existence and uniqueness of weak solutions (in Vl?)and of strong solutions (in H) of the equation are obtained by semi-group methods.We shall consider weak and strong solutions of the Cauchy problem for the abstract evolution equation Mu?(t)+Lu(t) = f(t) in a Hilbert space. In applications, M and L are elliptic partial differential operators of orders 2m and 2l, respectively, with m?l. The definitions of weak and strong solutions are given in Section 1, and sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a strong solution are given in Section 2. Sufficient conditions for a unique weak solution to exist are given in Section 3, and Section 4 consists of general remarks on the applications of the a...
African‐American insurance enterprises: An early vehicle for economic and social development

The study analyzes different early African‐American life insurance enterprises and illustrates how these organizations significantly influenced both cultural and economic development in African‐American communities. Because African Americans purchased at least one billion‐dollars worth of insurance by the end of the 1930s and because African‐American insurance companies carried at least $340,000,000 of this insurance, African Americans also played a significant role in developing the United States’ financial infrastructure during the first half of the twentieth century. This paper explores the cultural and economic issues used by this industry to overcome the environment constraints that hindered many other African‐American industries.
Hod Mice and the Mouse Set Conjecture

Introduction Hod mice Comparison theory of Hod mice Hod mice revisited Analysis of HOD Hod pair constructions A proof of the mouse set conjecture Appendix A. Descriptive set theory primer Index Bibliography
Risk modeling to detect weapon production in biological laboratories

The 2001 United States anthrax attacks raise issues regarding U.S. national security. These attacks bring into question the risk of biological laboratory misuse. This capstone project developed a model that determines whether a given facility could be involved in the production of a biological weapon. The proposed model centers around five laboratory factors that comprehensively evaluate a laboratory and provide insight concerning potential resource exploitation. These factors include materials in the lab, equipment in the lab, electricity usage, abnormal contents in wastewater, and background of laboratory personnel. Each of these factors has an individual model that detects suspicious behavior. A final model combines the results of the individual models above to produce an overall evaluation of the laboratory's threat level.
A Re-Examination of Global Suppression of RNA Interference by HIV-1

The nature of the interaction between replicating HIV-1 and the cellular RNAi pathway has been controversial, but it is clear that it can be complex and multifaceted. It has been proposed that the interaction is bi-directional, whereby cellular silencing pathways can restrict HIV-1 replication, and in turn, HIV-1 can suppress silencing pathways. Overall suppression of RNAi has been suggested to occur via direct binding and inhibition of Dicer by the HIV-1 Tat protein or through sequestration of TRBP, a Dicer co-factor, by the structured TAR element of HIV-1 transcripts. The role of Tat as an inhibitor of Dicer has been questioned and our results support and extend the conclusion that Tat does not inhibit RNAi that is mediated by either exogenous or endogenous miRNAs. Similarly, we find no suppression of silencing pathways in cells with replicating virus, suggesting that viral products such as the TAR RNA elements also do not reduce the efficacy of cellular RNA silencing. However, knockdown of Dicer does allow increased viral replication and this occurs at a post-transcriptional level. These results support the idea that although individual miRNAs can act to restrict HIV-1 replication, the virus does not counter these effects through a global suppression of RNAi synthesis or processing.
Cellular and Molecular Characteristics of Scarless versus Fibrotic Wound Healing

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the discrete biology differentiating fetal wound repair from its adult counterpart. Integumentary wound healing in mammalian fetuses is essentially different from wound healing in adult skin. Adult (postnatal) skin wound healing is a complex and well-orchestrated process spurred by attendant inflammation that leads to wound closure with scar formation. In contrast, fetal wound repair occurs with minimal inflammation, faster re-epithelialization, and without the accumulation of scar. Although research into scarless healing began decades ago, the critical molecular mechanisms driving the process of regenerative fetal healing remain uncertain. Understanding the molecular and cellular events during regenerative healing may provide clues that one day enable us to modulate adult wound healing and consequently reduce scarring.
Comparison of responses of primate spinothalamic tract neurons to pruritic and algogenic stimuli.

We investigated the role of mechanosensitive spinothalamic tract (STT) neurons in mediating 1) the itch evoked by intradermal injection of histamine, 2) the enhanced sense of itch evoked by innocuo...
Evidence for the persistence of visual guidance information.

An earlier study from our laboratory provided initial support for the hypothesis that information facilitating visual guidance persists in the absence of retinal stimulation. The present study supports and extends this hypothesis with three experiments in which visually occluded subjects positioned a point of light at the location of a previously viewed target and also walked in the direction of a previously viewed path. In both tasks, performance was possible following occlusion, and in all cases, performance slowly and significantly decreased with longer durations of occlusion. This decay in performance was gradual and had a “half-life” of greater than 15 sec. Absolute performance was correlated across tasks. The effect of occlusion on absolute error in the localization performance was relatively stable within individuals over a 3-week period. The biological utility of guidance information persistence is discussed along with implications for space constancy, illusions of motion, and problems of disorientation.
Cysteamine Blocks Amphetamine-Induced Deficits in Sensorimotor Gating

Somatostatin is a neuropeptide that has been shown to interact with dopamine. Low concentrations of cysteamine selectively depletes somatostatin and has been used to investigate the role of endogenous somatostatin in lieu of an available selective receptor antagonist. We examined the effects of various doses of subcutaneous cysteamine on baseline and amphetamine-disrupted sensorimotor gating as measured by prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex. Cysteamine in doses ranging from 50-300 mg/kg reversed decreases in PPI induced by systemic injections of amphetamine (2 mg/kg). Cysteamine had no effect on the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex itself. The results lend further support to a somatostatin-dopamine interaction within the brain in which endogenous somatostatin facilitates dopaminergic activity. These findings also suggest that endogenous somatostatin might play a significant role in regulation of sensorimotor gating deficits. This has clinical implications as deficient prepulse inhibition is recorded in humans suffering from neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia.
Glutamine deprivation initiates reversible assembly of mammalian rods and rings

Rods and rings (RR) are protein assemblies composed of cytidine triphosphate synthetase type 1 (CTPS1) and inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase type 2 (IMPDH2), key enzymes in CTP and GTP biosynthesis. Small-molecule inhibitors of CTPS1 or IMPDH2 induce RR assembly in various cancer cell lines within 15 min to hours. Since glutamine is an essential amide nitrogen donor in these nucleotide biosynthetic pathways, glutamine deprivation was examined to determine whether it leads to RR formation. HeLa cells cultured in normal conditions did not show RR, but after culturing in media lacking glutamine, short rods ( 5 μm) formed after 48 h. Upon supplementation with glutamine or guanosine, these RR underwent almost complete disassembly within 15 min. Inhibition of glutamine synthetase with methionine sulfoximine also increased RR assembly in cells deprived of glutamine. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that CTP/GTP biosynthetic enzymes polymerize to form RR in response to a decreased intracellular level of glutamine. We speculate that rod and ring formation is an adaptive metabolic response linked to disruption of glutamine homeostasis.
An exploration of gender participation patterns in science competitions

This study investigated participation in a state-level science competition over most of its 35-year history. Issues examined included whether different gender patterns occurred with respect to entry rate, project topic (life science, physical science, earth science, and math), and project type (research or display). The study also examined to what extent the identified patterns reflected or contradicted nationwide patterns of girls' academic performance in science over roughly the same time period. It was found that although girls initially participated in the fair less frequently than boys, for the past 20 years their participation rate has been greater than that of boys. Examination of topic preferences over the years indicates that both girls and boys have traditionally favored life science; however, boys have been and continue to be more likely to prepare physical, earth, and math/computer science projects than girls. Another gender difference is that girls are generally less likely than boys to prepare projects based on experimental research as opposed to library research. The study provides some suggestions for teachers and teacher educators for addressing these disparities.
Evidence for magnetism in the low-temperature charge-density-wave phase of NbSe3.

Experimental data on the transverse magnetoresistance in Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$, in the temperature range from 1 to 59 K, in magnetic fields of up to 227 kG, and for a variety of electrical currents are presented. They constitute clear evidence that (1) the observed behavior is caused neither exclusively by the normal galvanomagnetic properties of the conduction electrons nor by the conduction properties of the sliding charge-density wave and (2) the low-temperature phase of Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ is not, as it is ordinarily thought, a simple charge-density wave but exhibits a strong magnetic field dependence. The most probable structure of that phase is a mixed density wave, involving charge- and spin-density characteristics as well as a net magnetization.
Objective vs subjective assessment of relaxation compliance among anxious individuals

Abstract Previous relaxation outcome research has lacked means to empirically determine how well Ss comply in home-practice assignments. This study reports on a relaxation assessment device (RAD) used by 21 adults who received 4 weeks of relaxation therapy for generalized anxiety. The RAD consists of a digital wristwatch, with a stopwatch function, surreptitiously placed within Ss' tape-players to monitor the amount of relaxation practice at home. Comparison of self-reported and RAD-determined practice found that Ss exaggerated their actual practice by an average overestimation of 126%. Only one-fourth of the Ss performed relaxation daily. Anxiety reductions were significantly correlated with RAD-determined but not with self-reported practice. Self-efficacy judgments significantly correlated with relaxation compliance only when percent overestimation in self-reports was controlled. The need for objective compliance measures in relaxation outcome studies was discussed.
Increased cyclic GMP in the end-plate region of denervated frog muscle

Denervated frog sartorius muscles showed an approximately 2--3 fold increase of cyclic GMP in their end-plate rich regions which did not appear up to 5 weeks after denervation in the normally end-plate-free pelvic region. No increase in cyclic AMP was seen in these preparations. The results suggest that the increase of cyclic GMP is related to processes specific to the region in which end plates are normally present.
Sliding wear behavior of dedicated iron-based SLS materials.

Systematic investigation of wear behavior of selective laser sintering (SLS) materials is lacking in SLS/selective laser melting research. The present research is an effort to fill the gap by performing sliding wear tests under plastic and elastic contact conditions upon proprietary iron-based SLS materials: LaserForm and DirectSteel. It is found that LaserForm is a better SLS wear material. It is concluded that wear performance is governed not by the hardness of the materials but by their composition.
Effect of Delays on Complexity of Organizational Learning

We examine how delays between actions and their consequent payoffs affect the process of organizational adaptation. Formal conceptions of organizational learning typically include the assumption that payoffs immediately follow their antecedent actions, making the search for better strategies relatively straightforward. However, previous actions influence current organizational performance through their effects on organizational resources and capabilities. These resources and capabilities cannot be modified instantly, so delays---from actions to changes in resources and capabilities to altered organizational performance---are inevitable. Our computational experiments show that delays increase learning complexity and performance heterogeneity through two mechanisms. First, complexity of state-space and, therefore, of learning grows exponentially with delay length. Second, the time required to experience the benefits of long-term strategies means the intermediate steps of those strategies are initially undervalued, prompting premature abandonment of potentially fruitful regions of the strategy space. We find that these mechanisms often cause organizations to converge to suboptimal, routine-like cycles of actions, based on organizations' continually updated cognitive maps of how actions influence payoffs. Furthermore, the evolution of these cognitive maps exhibits path dependence, leading to heterogeneity across organizations. Implications for overcoming temporal complexity and the impact of initial cognitive maps are discussed.