cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supervisory control of software execution for failure avoidance: Experience from the Gadara project

Abstract We discuss our experience in the Gadara project, whose objective is to control the execution of software to avoid potential failures using discrete-event control techniques. We summarize our accomplishments so far and discuss future challenges. After initial work on safety of workflow scripts via supervisory control techniques, we have focused our efforts on deadlock avoidance in multithreaded C programs that use locking primitives to control access to shared data. We describe how we automatically construct automata models of workflows and Petri net models of concurrent programs. In the case of multithreaded C programs, the resulting models characterize a new class of resource-allocation Petri nets called Gadara nets. These nets enjoy structural properties that facilitate the synthesis of liveness-enforcing control policies that are maximally-permissive. We describe our strategy for run-time implementation of these control policies, especially by a technique known as code instrumentation. It is hoped that the lessons learned so far in the Gadara project will be useful in other application areas and will suggest avenues for future theoretical investigations.
Helical arrays of Escherichia coli small ribosomal subunits produced in vitro.

Abstract In vitro conditions have been determined for obtaining ordered helical ribbons of small ribosomal subunits from Escherichia coli . These ribbons, suitable for study by three-dimensional reconstruction, are the first ordered arrays of ribosomes or ribosomal subunits to be produced in vitro . Although small ribosomal subunits remain in solution for extended periods (up to 6 months) during this procedure, their structural integrity, as assessed by acrylamide/agarose gel electrophoresis, by sucrose gradients, and by electron microscopy, is not significantly altered. Electron micrographs of ribbons of small subunits diffract to 60 A resolution. Optical diffraction patterns suggest that adjacent subunits within helical ribbons are related by a 2-fold screw parallel to the long axis of the ribbon and the helical repeat distance measured from electron micrographs is 220 A.
Preferred level of sexual experience in a date or mate: The merger of two methodologies

Using evolutionary and sociological models, we predicted how much sexual experience was desired by men and women for a casual dating relationship versus a marital relationship. We used a combined mate‐selection questionnaire and experimental paradigm to examine more systematically men's and women's (N = 436) desires for different levels of sexual experience in a potential partner. When rating either a casual dating or a marital partner, participants gave higher desirability ratings to chastity than to either moderate or extensive sexual experience; furthermore, moderate sexual experience was perceived as more desirable than extensive sexual experience. Contrary to our predictions, no gender differences in desirability ratings were found for the various levels of sexual experience. We also examined how sociosexual orientation (i.e., degree of sexual permissiveness; see Simpson & Gangestad, 1991a) might be related to desirability ratings for sexual (in)experience in a partner within each gender. Unrestricte...
Folk theorems for the observable implications of repeated games

The fact that infinitely repeated games have many different equilibrium outcomes is known as the Folk Theorem. Previous versions of the Folk Theorem have characterized only the payoffs of the game. This paper shows that over a finite portion of an infinitely repeated game, the concept of perfect equilibrium imposes virtually no restrictions on observable behavior. The Prisoner's Dilemma is presented as an example and discussed in detail.
Differentials of fuzzy functions

Abstract In this paper the Radstrom embedding theorem (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 3 (1952), 165) is generalized and is used to define the concept of the differential of a fuzzy function.
Effect of Uniaxial Deformation, Annealing and Carbon Nanotubes on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Poly (Butylene Terephthalate) and PBT Nanocomposites

The goal of this investigation is to elucidate the interrelations between the strain-induced crystallization behavior, morphology and mechanical properties of poly (butylene terephthalate) PBT and its nanocomposites with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers such as PBT depend upon the processing conditions, which affect the crystallization behavior and the resulting crystal morphology developed within the processed sample. PBT is observed to undergo strain-induced crystallization during uniaxial deformation, with concomitant changes in the polymer crystal as a function of the applied strain history. In the current work polymer morphology was investigated with wide angle XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light microscopy (PLM). DSC results indicate an increase in crystallinity due to strain-induced crystallization during uniaxial cold-stretching, which was further confirmed with XRD analysis of the samples. Analyses of the samples under polarized light pre- and post-stretching clearly show that there is a transformation of the spherulitic crystals of the pre-stretch morphology into elongated oblong crystals, as the imposed strain exceeds a critical value. Annealing of PBT was done under different conditions to probe the effects of changes in the crystallinity obtained upon thermal treatment on polymer morphology and mechanical properties. The annealed samples were found to have high crystallinity, high Young’s modulus, and low yield stress values as compared to unannealed samples processed under similar conditions. To investigate the effects of nanoparticle loadings on PBT crystal morphology and mechanical properties, pure PBT was melt mixed with different concentrations of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Due to the increased nucleation rate effect associated with the incorporation of MWNTs, the PBT crystallization temperature was increased and the crystal size decreased with the increasing concentration of MWNTs. Tensile tests performed on PBT and their nanocomposite samples revealed decreases in the elongation at break values. Research is ongoing to understand the relationship between the MWNT loading levels and mechanical properties along with study of orientation of MWNTs under tensile load and its effect on strain-induced crystallization.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Renal tubular dysfunction and lactic acidosis: Questions

A 10-year-old girl presented with a 3-week history of lethargy and weight loss with associated polyuria and polydypsia. There was no significant past medical or family history. On examination she was appropriately grown for age, with no organomegaly or lymphadenopathy, but was noted to be peripherally mottled. Serum electrolyte and venous blood gas levels indicated marked metabolic acidosis (pH 7.29, bicarbonate 12 mmol/L) and hypokalaemia (potassium 1.8 mmol/L). Lactic acid was also elevated (6.4 mmol/L; normal <2 mmol/L). Urinary potassium was 9.9 mmol/L and urinary pH was 6.0 on admission. Calcium, magnesium and phosphate levels were within normal limits, and the results of a full blood examination were normal. She was admitted to the ward and her hypokalaemia corrected using oral supplementation with a mixture of oral potassium chloride and potassium citrate. The serum phosphate decreased to 0.73 mmol/L, requiring supplementation. Glycosuria was noted on dipstick, and there was associated aminoaciduria. The spot calcium:creatinine ratio was elevated at 1.30 mmol/mmol (<0.7 mmol/L). Ultrasound examination identified a right kidney measuring 12.1 cm and a left kidney measuring 13.2 cm, both greater than the 97th centile for age, with preserved corticomedullary differentiation; Doppler waveforms were normal. There was no nephrocalcinosis. Despite appropriate bicarbonate supplementation, the patient remained severely acidotic with bicarbonate levels of between 7 and 13 mmol/L and there was a persistent elevation of lactate of between 5 and 10 mmol/L. The initial diagnosis was considered to be secondary to a combination of proximal renal tubular acidosis with features of distal tubular dysfunction. An underlying mitochondrial disorder was proposed due to the persistently elevated lactic acidosis. Other causes suggested as differential diagnoses of the tubular acidosis, including heavy metal poisoning, were considered but did not explain the persistent lactic acidosis. Initial haematological findings were normal with no associated organomegaly and a malignant cause was thought to be unlikely. Our patient underwent skin, liver and muscle biopsies for the suspected mitochondrial disorder. One month post-initial presentation, our patient progressively developed anaemia with a decrease in haemoglobin from 116 to 75 g/L. The total white cell count was slightly depressed at 3.9×10/L, but the neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were normal at 1.5×10/L and 2.6×10/L, respectively. The platelet count was also within normal range. Bone marrow examination revealed that blasts accounted for 38 % of all nucleated cells and that these had the morphology of The answers to these questions can be found at doi:10.1007/s00467012-2180-2.
A dual approach to solving nonlinear programming problems by unconstrained optimization

Several recent algorithms for solving nonlinear programming problems with equality constraints have made use of an augmented “penalty” Lagrangian function, where terms involving squares of the constraint functions are added to the ordinary Lagrangian. In this paper, the corresponding penalty Lagrangian for problems with inequality constraints is described, and its relationship with the theory of duality is examined. In the convex case, the modified dual problem consists of maximizing a differentiable concave function (indirectly defined) subject to no constraints at all. It is shown that any maximizing sequence for the dual can be made to yield, in a general way, an asymptotically minimizing sequence for the primal which typically converges at least as rapidly.
An algorithm for the rapid evaluation of special function transforms

Abstract We introduce a new class of fast algorithms for the application to arbitrary vectors of certain special function transforms. The scheme is applicable to a number of transforms, including the Fourier–Bessel transform, the non-equispaced Fourier transform, transforms associated with all classical orthogonal polynomials, etc.; it requires order O ( n log ( n ) ) operations to apply an n × n matrix to an arbitrary vector. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated by several numerical examples.
Variational principles and finite element method for stress analysis of porous media

A number of variational principles are established in this paper for the stress analysis of porous media with compressible constituents. A three-dimensional finite element method is proposed based on the variational principle. The finite element method thus established is applied to the study of the temperature, deformation and flow field associated with the water-flood technique in secondary recovery projects for oil exploration. In the study model, the layout of injection wells and production wells is considered to have a regular pattern where symmetry conditions exist. The injection fluid diffuses slowly into the formation through a vertical crack which is initially generated by an explosion. The problem is analysed by a plane strain formulation with the effects of heat conduction and convection included.(A)
Father's Occupation and Son's Personality: Findings and Questions for the Emerging Linkage Hypothesis

In the past decade an impressive body of research has accumulated on the association between social structure and personality. An important development in that literature has been the emergence of ...
Genetic Modulation of PPARγ Phosphorylation Regulates Insulin Sensitivity

Obesity-associated diabetes is epidemic in industrialized societies. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is highly expressed in adipose tissue and the presumed molecular target for antidiabetic thiazolidinedione drugs that reverse insulin resistance but also promote weight gain. Phosphorylation reduces the activity of PPARgamma in vitro, but physiological relevance has not been demonstrated. We have studied mice homozygous for a mutation (S112A) that prevents PPARgamma phosphorylation. Surprisingly, the weights and adipose mass of PPARgamma-S112A mice are not greater than wild-type. Remarkably, however, genetic prevention of PPARgamma phosphorylation preserves insulin sensitivity in the setting of diet-induced obesity. Underlying this protection are smaller fat cells, elevated serum adiponectin, and reduced free fatty acid levels. Thus, the phosphorylation state of PPARgamma modulates insulin sensitivity. Compounds that prevent PPARgamma phosphorylation or ligands that induce the conformation of nonphosphorylated PPARgamma may selectively enhance insulin sensitivity without increasing body weight.
Amniotic Fluid Reverse Triiodothyronine in Complicated Pregnancy

The concentrations of reverse triiodothyronine (3,3′,5′-T3or rT3) inamniotic fluid (AF) were measured by radioimmunoassay in 81 patients with various complications of pregnancy and in 39 normal pregnant patients at equivalent gestational age.In normal pregnancy, AFrT3 concentrations decreased with advancing gestational age. At 21–25, 26–30, 31–35, and 36–40 weeks of normal pregnancy, AFrT3 concentrations (mean ±SE) were 353 ± 62 (n = 6), 131 ± 49 (n = 7), 94 ± 25 (n = 14), and93 ± 5 (n = 20) ng/dl, respectively (ranges: 200–600, 57–350, 66–135, and 50–135). Both normal and supranormal values of AFrT3 were found in patients with complicated pregnancy. In patients with Rh isoimmune disease, higher than normal AFrT3 concentrations were associated with seriously affected or gravely ill fetuses whereas normal AFrT3concentrations predicted a more favorable outcome. There was a good correlation between AFrT3 and AF pigment (ΔOD450) levels (r = 0.70, P < 0.001). In complicated pregnancy other than erythroblastosi...
Mollified birth in natural-age-grid Galerkin methods for age-structured biological systems

We present natural-age-grid Galerkin methods for a model of a biological population undergoing aging. We use a mollified birth term in the method and analysis. The error due to mollification is of arbitrary order, depending on the choice of mollifier.The methods in this paper generalize the methods presented in [1], where the approximation space in age was taken to be a discontinuous piecewise polynomial subspace of L2. We refer to these methods as 'natural-age-grid' Galerkin methods since transport in the age variable is computed through the smooth movement of the age grid at the natural dimensionless velocity of one. The time variable has been left continuous to emphasize this smooth motion, as well as the independence of the time and age discretizations. The methods are shown to be superconvergent in the age variable.
Critical Phase of Connectivity in Wireless Network Expansion

In this paper, we study the transition phase in the network connectivity. We focus on the critical time points that mark the network transformation from partition to connected state following a growth of node density. The percolation theory is used to analyze the relationship between the density increase process and the connectivity transition. Specifically, we derive the lower bound and the upper bound of critical density points against node transmission range. We also use three growth functions of node density to obtain the first connection time and the total connection time which denote the critical points when the node densities reach the lower bound and upper bound of critical value respectively. The simulation demonstrates the evolution of network in terms of the connectivity and gives the connection times with three different growth models.
A neuropathy in goats caused by experimental coyotillo (Karwinskia humboldtiana) poisoning. 3. Distribution of lesions in peripheral nerves.

A severe neurologic disease occurs in domestic animals and man following ingestion of the fruits of the coyotillo (KarwinJka htlmboldtian.) shrub41 5,9. The lesions observed in teased peripheral nerve fibers from experimentally poisoned goats have been reporteds. The peripheral neuropathy in these goats was characterized by segmental demyelination and Wallerian degeneration with lesions occurring first and most often in Schwann cells. In a preliminary study of this disease in goats, it was observed that lesions of different types were not evenly distributed in the peripheral nervous system4. This is a report of the extent and distribution of the different lesions in selected peripheral nerves from goats poisoned experimentally with coyotillo.
Power-Aware Reliable Embedded Software Design

We propose a new approach, namely optimized embedded signature monitoring (OESM) to perform on-line control-flow fault detection. The underlined advantage of this approach is the ability to perform a profiling algorithm that analyses the control-flow graph of user program in order to optimize the number of checkpoints (i. e., signatures) to be inserted along with the application code. By optimization, we mean to find, for a given application, the best trade-off between the minimum number of signatures to be inserted in the code, for the maximum fault detection coverage, with the minimum impact in terms of power increase. The embedded signatures are checked at runtime by the processor against compilation-time pre-computed values every time the processor reaches these signature points. Practical experiments have been carried out to demonstrate the OESM benefits when compared to conventional control-flow fault detection approaches.
Adiponectin Secretion Is Regulated by SIRT1 and the Endoplasmic Reticulum Oxidoreductase Ero1-Lα

Adiponectin is secreted from adipose tissue in response to metabolic effectors in order to sensitize the liver and muscle to insulin. Reduced circulating levels of adiponectin that usually accompany obesity contribute to the associated insulin resistance. The molecular mechanisms controlling the production of adiponectin are essentially unknown. In this report, we demonstrate that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) oxidoreductase Ero1-Lα and effectors modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and SIRT1 activities regulate secretion of adiponectin from 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Specifically, adiponectin secretion and Ero1-Lα expression are induced during the early phase of adipogenesis but are then down-regulated during the terminal phase, coincident with an increased expression of SIRT1. Suppression of SIRT1 or activation of PPARγ enhances Ero1-Lα expression and stimulates secretion of high-molecular-weight complexes of adiponectin in mature adipocytes. Suppression of Ero1-Lα through expression of a corresponding small interfering RNA reduces adiponectin secretion during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Moreover, ectopic expression of Ero1-Lα in Ero1-Lα-deficient 3T3 fibroblasts stimulates the secretion of adiponectin following their conversion into adipocytes and prevents the suppression of adiponectin secretion in response to activation of SIRT1 by exposure to resveratrol. These findings provide a framework to understand the mechanisms by which adipocytes regulate secretion of adiponectin in response to various metabolic states.
A 300-MHz BiCMOS serial data transceiver

A BiCMOS circuit for serial data communication is presented. The chip has phase-locked loops for transmit frequency synthesis and receive clock recovery, serial-to-parallel and parallel-to-serial converters, and encode and decode functions. Since this is a mixed-analog/digital design, and the transmitter and receiver operate asynchronously, many techniques are used to decrease noise coupling. A 1.2 /spl mu/m BiCMOS process allows operation at speeds of 300 MHz along with this high level of system integration, and the chip consumes less than 1 W from a single 5 V supply. >
Chiropractic management of a postoperative complete anterior cruciate ligament rupture using a multimodal approach: a case report.

Objective: The purpose of this case report is to describe the chiropractic management of a patient who had postoperative reconstructive surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. Clinical Features: A 25-year-old man experienced a rupture of his left ACL, as well as a bucket-handle tear of the medial meniscus and full-thickness tear within the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus, following direct-contact trauma while playing basketball. Intervention and Outcome: Postoperative care included a 12-week functional chiropractic rehabilitation program along with Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, and Kinesio Taping. Following treatment, the patient recorded a 0/10 on the Numeric Pain Scale, recorded improvement on the Patient Specific Functional and Pain Scales, returned to play with no complications, and had complete restoration of range of motion and lower extremity muscle strength. At 1-year follow-up, the patient reported no pain and was fully functional. Conclusion: A multimodal approach to the treatment of a postsurgical ACL repair was successfulinrestoringfunctionalability,aswellascompletesubjectivepainrelief.Chiropractic care may be a beneficial addition to the care of postoperative patients. © 2011 National University of Health Sciences.
Effects of nutritional copper deficiency on the biomechanical properties of bone and arterial elastin metabolism in the chick.

Increased bone fragility was observed in chickens fed diets containing < 1 ppm copper. Using a device that was designed to measure torsion during fracture, it could be demonstrated that bone from copper-deficient chicks fractured with less deformation and torque than bone from control chicks. The collagen of bone from copper-deficient chicks appeared to contain fewer cross-links than normal bone. The introduction of artificial cross-links into collagen from copper-deficient chick bone by formaldehyde and NaBHi treatments improved bone strength and strain (deformation) so that it was comparable with normal bone. Copper deficiency blocks the formation of cross-links in collagens and elastin from various tissues. It is felt that the bone fragility related to nutritional copper deficiency is the result of decreased bone collagen cross-linking. Arterial elastin metabolism was also investigated. By radioactively label ing arterial soluble elastin ( tropoelastin ) in vivo by an intraperitoneal injection of (G-3H)valine, it could be demonstrated that copper deficiency appeared to reduce its rate of metabolic turnover. Soluble elastin or tropoelastin is assumed to be the pre cursor of mature or insoluble elastin. The observations presented here are consistent with the view that by retarding the steps associated with elastA­ncross-link formation, the incorporation of soluble elastA¬n into mature elastin may be retarded as well. J. Nutr. 105: 1062-1070, 1975.
Increased transcription rates correlate with increased reversion rates in leuB and argH Escherichia coli auxotrophs.

Escherichia coli auxotrophs of leuB and argH were examined to determine if higher rates of transcription in derepressed genes were correlated with increased reversion rates. Rates of leuB and argH mRNA synthesis were determined using half-lives and concentrations, during exponential growth and at several time points during 30 min of amino acid starvation. Changes in mRNA concentration were primarily due to increased mRNA synthesis and not to increased stability. Four strains of E. coli amino acid auxotrophs, isogenic except for relA and argR, were examined. In both the leuB and argH genes, rates of transcription and mutation were compared. In general, strains able to activate transcription with guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) had higher rates of mRNA synthesis and mutation than those lacking ppGpp (relA2 mutants). argR knockout strains were constructed in relA + and relA mutant strains, and rates of both argH reversion and mRNA synthesis were significantly higher in the argR knockouts than in the regulated strains. A statistically significant linear correlation between increased rates of transcription and mutation was found for data from both genes. In general, changes in mRNA half-lives were less than threefold, whereas changes in rates of mRNA synthesis were often two orders of magnitude. The results suggest that specific starvation conditions target the biosynthetic genes for derepression and increased rates of transcription and mutation.
Genetic analysis of the gyrase A-like domain of DNA topoisomerase II of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have undertaken a genetic analysis of heat-sensitive and cold-sensitive mutations in TOP2, the gene encoding yeast DNA topoisomerase II. Deletion mapping was used to localize 14 heat-sensitive and four cold-sensitive top2 mutations created by a method biased toward mutations in the 3' two-thirds of the gene. The mutations all appear to be located in the region of DNA topoisomerase II that shows homology to the ``A'' subunit of bacterial DNA gyrase. The heat-sensitive mutations and one cold-sensitive mutation lie in the center of the gene near the sequence that encodes the active site tyrosine. The three other cold-sensitive mutations map farther toward the 3' end of the gene. The cold-sensitive mutations exhibit intragenic complementation, and the complementation groups correspond to the physical map. We sequenced nine top2 mutations and found that the mutations are usually single missense mutations, frequently involve proline, and affect conserved regions of the protein. Suppressor analysis yielded two intragenic suppressors and seven independent isolates of an allele-specific extragenic suppressor we named tos1; tos1 is not allelic to any genes predicted to encode type I topoisomerase-related proteins. The two intragenic suppressors were tested for allele-specificity; the results revealed a complex pattern of suppression between heat-sensitive and cold-sensitive top2 alleles. These top2 mutations may have compensatory effects on the general stability of the protein.
Transcriptional induction of purple membrane and gas vesicle synthesis in the archaebacterium Halobacterium halobium is blocked by a DNA gyrase inhibitor.

We have investigated the expression of the bacteriorhodopsin gene (bop) and the gas vesicle protein gene (gvpA) in the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Halobacterium halobium, using primer-directed reverse transcription of RNA to quantify message levels. The level of gvpA gene transcript was found to increase about 5-fold from early to mid-logarithmic growth phase, while the level of bop gene transcript increased about 20-fold from mid-logarithmic to stationary phase. Transcriptional induction of both the gvpA and bop genes was significantly reduced by aeration and almost completely blocked by the DNA gyrase inhibitor novobiocin. Images
Reducing stray currents in molecular memory through data encoding

Much progress is being made in the fabrication of molecular devices and nanoscale circuits. Such strides have led to studies and experimental tests using these devices in non-volatile memory arrays. However, the architecture of such arrays makes it difficult to accurately determine the value of each stored bit in the memory. When reading, each bit is effected by the rest of the memory through variable numbers of `stray current pathsiquest. This paper presents the idea of data encoding to thwart the impacts of these stray currents. The results show that this encoding method makes each bit unique and deterministic, independent of the memory array size. Details of the encoding scheme, the hardware design, and layouts are presented throughout this work.
ATP-site binding inhibitor effectively targets mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes in glioblastoma

The PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling axis is central to the transformed phenotype of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, due to frequent loss of tumor suppressor PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10). The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase is present in two cellular multi-protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, which have distinct subunit composition, substrates and mechanisms of action. Targeting the mTOR protein is a promising strategy for GBM therapy. However, neither of these complexes is fully inhibited by the allosteric inhibitor of mTOR, rapamycin or its analogs. Herein, we provide evidence that the combined inhibition of mTORC1/2, using the ATP-competitive binding inhibitor PP242, would effectively suppress GBM growth and dissemination as compared to an allosteric binding inhibitor of mTOR. GBM cells treated with PP242 demonstrated significantly decreased activation of mTORC1 and mTORC2, as shown by reduced phosphorylation of their substrate levels, p70 S6K(Thr389) and AKT(Ser473), respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, insulin induced activation of these kinases was abrogated by pretreatment with PP242 as compared with rapamycin. Unlike rapamycin, PP242 modestly activates extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2), as shown by expression of pERK(Thr202/Tyr204). Cell proliferation and S-phase entry of GBM cells was significantly suppressed by PP242, which was more pronounced compared to rapamycin treatment. Lastly, PP242 significantly suppressed the migration of GBM cells, which was associated with a change in cellular behavior rather than cytoskeleton loss. In conclusion, these results underscore the potential therapeutic use of the PP242, a novel ATP-competitive binding inhibitor of mTORC1/2 kinase, in suppression of GBM growth and dissemination.
The CFL phase and m_s: An effective field theory approach

We study the phase diagram of dense quark matter with an emphasis on the role of the strange quark mass. Our approach is based on two effective field theories (EFTs). The first is an EFT that describes quark quasi-particles near the Fermi surface. This EFT is valid at energies small compared to the chemical potential. The second is an EFT for the Goldstone modes in the paired phase. We find that in response to a non-zero strange quark mass the CFL phase first undergoes a transition to a kaon condensed phase, and then to a gapless phase with a non-zero Goldstone boson current.
Depositional and Floristic Interpretations of a Pollen Diagram from Middle Eocene, Claiborne Formation, Upper Mississippi Embayment

A middle Eocene pollen profile was extracted from a 9-meter series of clay and lignite in western Tennessee. Recent pollen depositional information on small basins was used to interpret depositional environments and pollen source areas. Two depositional systems were operant during deposition, an open system and a closed system. Using the change in depositional systems, three pollen source areas, local, background, and regional were established. The results show care must be taken in stratigraphic correlation of small nonmarine fossil deposits when this is based on types present and relative abundance. Plant communities of the three source areas varied significantly in composition, a situation which must be considered in floristic interpretation of past community structures and paleoclimates.
Nanophotonics with titanium nitride and transparent conducting oxides

Recent advances in alternative nanophotonic materials, specifically CMOS-compatible materials, have propelled a unique class of integrated optical devices to achieve high performance.
Minor craniofacial anomalies among a Negro population. I. Prevalence of cleft uvula, commissural lip pits, preauricular pits, torus palatinus, and torus mandibularis.

Abstract A sample of 956 North American Negroes was examined for cleft uvula, commissural lip pits, preauricular pits, torus palatinus, and torus mandibularis. The following prevalences were found: cleft uvula, 0.52 per cent; commissural lip pits, 21.13 per cent; preauricular pits, 4.49 per cent; torus palatinus, 19.65 per cent; and torus mandibularis, 7.85 per cent. There was no significant difference in distribution by sex except for torus palatinus, which occurred twice as often in females as in males. There was a significant association between commissural lip pits and preauricular pits. A similarly significant association was found between torus palatinus and torus mandibularis.
Sleight of Hand: Brazilian and American Authors Manipulate the Brazilian Racial Situation, 1910–1951

In June, 1908, Sir Harry Johnston, explorer, historian, diplomat and African colonial administrator, wrote to Theodore Roosevelt expressing a desire to come to the New World. In Johnston’s own words, What I want to learn is the present condition and possible prospects of the Negro in North America, the West Indies and tropical South America. This English Lord had written extensively about blacks in Africa, and while his knowledge of racial and historical conditions in the two Americas was hardly profound, his reputation opened doors that might otherwise have been hermetically sealed. Roosevelt’s reply was recognition of this fact:
A Patient with a Large Minimally Invasive Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) is a differentiated thyroid cancer, representing 5.5 % of all thyroid cancers. FTC is histologically subclassified according to its degree of invasiveness into either a minimally invasive follicular cancer (MIFC) or a widely invasive follicular thyroid cancer (WIFC). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), MIFC presents with unequivocal invasion of the blood vessels within or immediately outside of the tumor capsule and/or invasion that fully penetrates the thickness of the capsule, whereas WIFC is characterized by widespread infiltration of blood vessels and/or surrounding parenchyma and tissue. However, the diagnostic criteria for MIFC are still controversial which has led to differing recommendations as to the appropriate extent of treatment for patients with MIFC, ranging from thyroid lobectomy alone to total thyroidectomy and postoperative radioactive iodine ablation (RAI).
Effect of Residents on Operative Time and Complications: Focus on Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in the Community

Objective To better understand important aspects of resident education in the perioperative setting, given that there are conflicting data regarding resident training and outcomes (e.g., operative times and complications). To study continuity of care in a resident-run outpatient hospital clinic. Design Retrospective analysis of 2 databases. Setting The study was set up in a community teaching hospital. Results Of 4603 cases in a cholecystectomy database, 3302 (72%) were assisted by residents, with operative times ranging from 19 to 383 minutes, and 1576 (22.9%) were assisted by nonresidents. The average times were 93 and 77 minutes for resident- and non–resident-assisted cases, respectively. Complications were almost 3 times more likely for urgent vs. elective but were similar for resident-assisted vs. non–resident-assisted cases. The operative time was similar across PGY levels. Of 149 cases in a resident-run outpatient clinic, 100 (67%) of the residents participated in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of case, but in only 4% of cases was it the same resident. Conclusion Resident assistance increased operative times but not complications. Counterbalanced effects of increasing skill and increasing participation may explain this time stability across PGY levels. Continuity of care is preserved in the era of the 80-hour workweek, but not to a patient-specific degree.
STAT3 inhibition prevents lung inflammation, remodeling, and accumulation of Th2 and Th17 cells in a murine asthma model.

Background STAT3 drives development of Th17 cells and cytokine production by Th2 and Th17 cells, which contribute to asthma. Alternative asthma treatments are needed, especially for the Th17 phenotype. We sought to determine whether C188-9, a small-molecule STAT3 inhibitor, can block Th2 and Th17 cell expansion and cytokine production to prevent house dust mite (HDM)-induced airway inflammation and remodeling. Methods Three groups of C57BL/6 mice were treated intranasally (IN) and intraperitoneally (IP) daily for 3 weeks with the following: (i) vehicle 1 IN and vehicle 2 IP, (ii) HDM IN and vehicle 2 IP, or (iii) HDM IN and C188-9 IP. Sections of lung were stained with Alcian Blue/PAS and examined microscopically. Total (t) STAT3, STAT3 phosphorylated on Y705 (pSTAT3), IL-17, IL-13, IL-5, and IL-4 levels were measured in lung protein extracts and serum using Luminex beads. Frequencies of Th2-type and Th17-type lymphocytes were assessed in lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) by multiparametric flow cytometry. Results HDM inhalation markedly increased airway goblet cell numbers and thickness of the epithelium and subepithelial smooth muscle layer, which was accompanied in the whole lung by increased pSTAT3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-17, and % CD4+ T cells that produce IL-5, IL-13, and IL-17. HDM inhalation also increased serum IL-4 and IL-17 levels and increased BALF % CD4+ T cells that produce IL-5 and IL-13. Remarkably, treatment with C188-9 normalized each endpoint. Conclusion HDM-induced airway inflammation, remodeling, and Th2/Th17-type cell accumulation involve STAT3 activation that can be prevented by C188-9 treatment.
Opsoclonus-Myoclonus and Streptococcal Infection

A 9-year-old Nepalese boy living in the UK presented with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome associated with group A streptococcal infection, and is reported from St Mary's Hospital, London; and University of Southampton, UK.
Generating an efficient version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in an urban obstetrical population

Abstract Background Postpartum depression incurs significant burden and suffering. Methods We investigated the latent structure of the most commonly used screening measure, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in women (N=15,172) and tested its predictive validity for the diagnosis of depression as determined with a structured clinical interview. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results A seven-item one factor scale (items 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) emerged with a Goodness of Index Fit Index (GFI) =.96, relative to the ten-item two factor version of the EPDS (GFI =.94). The seven-item EPDS achieved good sensitivity and specificity in predicting the 10-item EPDS, with a cut point score of 4 on the seven item EPDS to predict a 10-item EPDS score of 10 or more (sensitivity =95%, specificity =91%). The seven and 10-item EPDS showed a similar ability to predict a diagnoses of depression (area under the ROC curve=.795 for the 10-item, .770 for the seven-item EPDS). Logistic regression analyses showed similar predictive ability between the seven- and 10-item scales in predicting scores higher than 18 on the clinical interview Limitations The sample represents women from one Midwest medical center and the EPDS was measured via phone. Conclusion The seven-item one factor version of the EPDS is an efficient and effective measure of depression severity on par with the two factor 10-item version of the EPDS.
Resident Training and the Medical Emergency Team

The need to train and develop house staff for independent practice may conflict with the needs of patients who require rapid stabilization. Finding a healthy balance between the 2, where the patient receives the best care possible, is a challenge to those in academic medicine. Increasingly, data suggests that the traditional models of resident training have in part failed to place the patient first. The contributors to this text believe that the implementation of Medical Emergency Teams will offset some of these shortcomings in care and improve the public accountability of medical education. The MET can also offer opportunities for the development of competencies in patient care for both trainees and established physicians. Likewise, the MET can provide an educational structure from which house staff can learn a great deal more about interdisciplinary teamwork, patient safety, and the responsiveness of health care to patient needs.
CFD modeling of a industrial-scale steam methane reforming furnace

Abstract Hydrogen is a required key material for petroleum refineries that convert crude oil into products with higher economic value and is often produced by the steam methane reforming (SMR) process, which synthesizes hydrogen and carbon oxides from methane and superheated steam in the presence of a nickel-based catalyst network in a steam methane reformer. To investigate methods for improving profits for a reformer while avoiding costly on-site parametric studies, a high-fidelity model of a steam methane reformer can be investigated. Motivated by this, the present work focuses on developing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of an industrial-scale steam methane reformer that consists of 336 reforming reactors, 96 burners and 8 flue gas tunnels. The motivation for choosing the modeling strategies used in the industrial-scale steam methane reformer CFD model is discussed and is based on expected transport phenomena and chemical reactions within the reformer. Specifically, the finite rate/eddy dissipation turbulence-chemistry interaction model, global kinetic models of hydrogen/methane combustion, global kinetic model of the SMR process and standard k - ∊ turbulence model with the ANSYS Fluent enhanced wall treatment function are used to simulate the formation and consumption rates of all chemical components of the system. In addition, an empirical correlation for estimating the radiative properties of a homogeneous gas mixture, Kirchhoff’s law, Lambert Beer’s law and the discrete ordinate method are employed to simulate radiative heat transfer in the furnace side of an industrial-scale steam methane reformer. Moreover, the modeling strategies of the reforming tubes developed in our previous work are adopted to model 336 reforming tubes in the reformer. Subsequently, the boundary conditions (i.e., the reforming tube feed, burner feed and the energy leakage through the combustion chamber refractory wall) of the industrial-scale reformer CFD model are derived based on typical plant data. The simulation results produced by the industrial-scale reformer CFD model are shown to be in agreement with typical plant data reported in the SMR literature, with the simulation data generated by an industrial-scale reforming tube CFD model and with the simulation data generated by a reforming Gibbs reactor model, which validates the chosen modeling strategies and allows the CFD data to be considered to represent actual plant data with sufficient accuracy for use in industrial operating parameter studies.
Off grid PV system for hydrogen production using PEM methanol electrolysis and an optimal management strategy

Abstract In this paper, we present a modelling and simulation study of an Off grid PV system for hydrogen production (PVHPS) using methanol electrolysis process. The system consists mainly on a PV array, lead-acid battery, methanol electrolyser and hydrogen tank. Mathematical models of each component of the system are presented. Using a semi-empirical relationship between hydrogen production rate and power consumption, hydrogen production at 80 °C and 4 M concentration is estimated. Optimal power and hydrogen management strategy (PHMS) is investigated to achieve high system efficiency. Case studies are carried out on two tilts of PV array: horizontal and tilted at 36°. Parametric sensitivity analysis is also carried out to illustrate the effect of the battery depth of discharge (DoD) on the system components sizes and overall system performance. In the simulation, data of solar irradiation and ambient temperature obtained from radiometric measurements at Algiers city are used. Simulation results show that the system with tilted PV array presents performances better than in horizontal PV array configuration and produce greater hydrogen amounts. In addition, reducing the DoD value in order to increase the lifetime of the accumulator induces some power losses which decreases the amount of hydrogen produced and consequently reduces the system efficiency.
Explicit goal-driven attention, unlike implicitly learned attention, spreads to secondary tasks

To what degree does spatial attention for one task spread to all stimuli in the attended region, regardless of task relevance? Most models imply that spatial attention acts through a unitary priority map in a task-general manner. We show that implicit learning, unlike endogenous spatial cuing, can bias spatial attention within one task without biasing attention to a spatially overlapping secondary task. Participants completed a visual search task superimposed on a background containing scenes, which they were told to encode for a later memory task. Experiments 1 and 2 used explicit instructions to bias spatial attention to one region for visual search; Experiment 3 used location probability cuing to implicitly bias spatial attention. In location probability cuing, a target appeared in one region more than others despite participants not being told of this. In all experiments, search performance was better in the cued region than in uncued regions. However, scene memory was better in the cued region only following endogenous guidance, not after implicit biasing of attention. These data support a dual-system view of top-down attention that dissociates goal-driven and implicitly learned attention. Goal-driven attention is task general, amplifying processing of a cued region across tasks, whereas implicit statistical learning is task-specific. (PsycINFO Database Record
Transnational Volunteers: American Foreign Fighters Combating the Islamic State

ABSTRACTWhy do some people go abroad to engage in other people’s wars? Some studies attempt to discern why individuals choose to fight in distant lands (Malet, 2013) or seek to count how many do so (Hegghammer, 2013). The term foreign fighter has been used nearly exclusively in recent research to describe transnational fighters who join with Islamist organizations, or more generally for individuals fighting with resistance groups against a state. However, little research has been done on the many transnational fighters who travel to fight against resistance groups or against Islamist organizations. Our paper examines these transnational militants who battle against the Islamic State, focusing on Americans who engage in such activities, often referred to as volunteers. Through a review of open-source media, we created a dataset of these individuals, recording demographic data such as each individual’s military experience and stated purpose for becoming a transnational fighter. We show descriptive analyses ...
Chemistry and Physics of Fracture (An Overview)

Fracture, the more or less abrupt separation of a solid under stress, is of unquestionable technological importance. In load bearing structures, it is to be avoided, while in some other circumstances, such as in machining, rock drilling, demolition, etc., it is to be promoted under control. In either case, for its control, the fracture phenomenon is in need of as precise a quantitative understanding as is possible. This understanding requires different but usually complementary approaches. Here, in this overview, we will only give an overall perspective of the phenomenon, which will be discussed in much greater detail and with more precision in the specific contributions by others that follow.