cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A study of premature mortality

Summary The study of premature mortality remains an important one. In 1938,31,100 neonatal deaths were reported by the United States Bureau of the Census as directly due to premature birth. We have presented the following: 1. A comparative mortality study among the 859 premature birthsat the Charity Hospital of Louisiana, in New Orleans, over the years 1937–1940 inclusive. 2. The main causes of the 498 deaths occurring in the series studied,using the standard weight groups adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics for tabulation. 3. The average term of ife in each weight group of the premature infants who died. 4. Our observation of the factors responsible for the decrease inmortality at Charity Hospital and suggestions therefrom for the continued and further lowering of the mortality rate.
EPS8 Inhibition Increases Cisplatin Sensitivity in Lung Cancer Cells

Cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic, is associated with ototoxicity, renal toxicity and neurotoxicity, thus identifying means to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin may allow for improved outcomes. A SNP (rs4343077) within EPS8, discovered through a genome wide association study of cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), provided impetus to further study this gene. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the role of EPS8 in cellular susceptibility to cisplatin in cancerous and non-cancerous cells. We used EPS8 RNA interference to determine the effect of decreased EPS8 expression on LCL and A549 lung cancer cell sensitivity to cisplatin. EPS8 knockdown in LCLs resulted in a 7.9% increase in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 1.98 × 10(-7)) and an 8.7% decrease in apoptosis (P = 0.004) compared to control. In contrast, reduced EPS8 expression in lung cancer cells resulted in a 20.6% decrease in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 5.08 × 10(-5)). We then investigated an EPS8 inhibitor, mithramycin A, as a potential agent to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin. Mithramycin A decreased EPS8 expression in LCLs resulting in decreased cellular sensitivity to cisplatin as evidenced by lower caspase 3/7 activation following cisplatin treatment (42.7% ± 6.8% relative to control P = 0.0002). In 5 non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines, mithramycin A also resulted in decreased EPS8 expression. Adding mithramycin to 4 NSCLC cell lines and a bladder cancer cell line, resulted in increased sensitivity to cisplatin that was significantly more pronounced in tumor cell lines than in LCL lines (p<0.0001). An EGFR mutant NSCLC cell line (H1975) showed no significant change in sensitivity to cisplatin with the addition of mithramycin treatment. Therefore, an inhibitor of EPS8, such as mithramycin A, could improve cisplatin treatment by increasing sensitivity of tumor relative to normal cells.
A two-stage imputation procedure for item nonresponse in surveys

Abstract Regardless of the overall response rate, surveys that involve individual self-reports frequently have some degree of item nonresponse. Rather than discard these individuals from any analysis that is to be conducted and reduce the sample size, the typical procedure used by researchers is to simply substitute the mean value computed from all respondents to the question as the response for any individual not answering the question. The main problem with such a procedure is that it assumes item nonresponse is random, which often is not the case, and therefore, could produce biased results. This article proposes and empirically demonstrates a 2-stage procedure for imputing missing values. The procedure first tests whetther item nonresponse is systematic or not systematic. If nonresponse is found to be non-systematic, then a mean substitution method is acceptable. However, if item nonresponse is systematic, the second stage of the procedure imputes answers for each individual who does not answer the question using a modified least-squares procedure outlined in the article.
Parasitic Inductance Cancellation for Surface Mount Shunt Capacitor Filters

Parasitic mutual inductance between the input and output loops of a shunt capacitor filter limits the attenuation obtainable at high frequencies. This paper presents compact designs for integrated cancellation coils for surface mount shunt capacitor filters that enable these filters to be effective from megahertz to gigahertz frequencies. Computer inductance extraction tools are used to optimize the filter performance. Experiments are performed to validate the designs. A lumped element model of the filter describes the secondary parasitics that affect the performance and ultimately determine the bandwidth of the filter.
Elementary Teachers' Teaching for Conceptual Understanding: Learning from Action Research.

This study reports teachers’ learning through action research on students’ conceptual understanding. The study examined (a) the teachers’ views about science teaching and learning, (b) the teachers’ learning about their teaching practices and (c) the conditions that supported the teachers’ learning through action research. A total of 14 elementary in-service teachers’ course discussion, self-video reflection, action research reports, and learning reflection were analyzed. Findings revealed that (a) the teachers in this study commonly espoused the importance of probing and utilizing students’ preconceptions in science teaching, but they demonstrated various levels of epistemological understanding of student learning and teaching, (b) the teachers experienced the action research as a means to evaluate science teaching methods and changing their teaching practices, and (c) the teachers identified sharing goals, problems, and solutions as an essential supporting condition for their learning through action research. Implications for professional development and further research are discussed.
Rover technology development and mission infusion beyond MER

This paper describes recent efforts of the Mars Technology Program (MTP) to develop, integrate, and validate new rover technologies for upcoming missions. Missions planned after the current Mars Exploration Rovers require increased autonomy in several usage scenarios: long traverse, instrument placement, sampling, and onboard science data processing. To ensure improvements over current systems, MTP is funding component technology development toward these ends, as well as integration efforts that unify the components to address the larger scenarios. This unified software is expanding a developing infrastructure of common tools for operations, control, and hardware interfacing or system simulation. Using these, validation efforts are underway to quantify the performance of the scenario solutions, and document these for subsequent presentation to the upcoming flight projects.
Recognition, sovereignty struggles, and indigenous rights in the United States

One of the most contentious and fruitful debates within Indigenous Studies recently has been around the question of recognition. Recent books by scholars such as Glen Coulthard, Joanne Barker, Bria...
Equations of state for strongly nonideal fluid mixtures: Application of local compositions toward density-dependent mixing rules

Abstract A local-composition, two-fluid model has been developed for equation-of-state calculations of fluid-phase equilibria for asymmetric mixtures; it is applicable to any equation of state of the van der Waals form. A modification of the quasichemical theory of Guggenheim is applied to mixtures at all fluid densities. Desirable boundary conditions are met at low densities, at high densities, and at high temperatures. In effect, the local-composition model uses density-dependent mixing rules. It contains no new adjustable binary parameters and can be extended to multicomponent mixtures without ternary (or higher) parameters. It appears that, when compared to conventional one-fluid models, significant improvement may be obtained in predictions for vapor-liquid equilibria of typical asymmetric mixtures.
Computer Applications in Fisheries Science

Abstract Most uses of computers in fisheries science can be categorized as: (1) data tabulation, processing, and analysis; (2) automated and semi-automated monitoring systems; (3) educational, especially at the university level; (4) simulation to evaluate management strategies; (5) simulation to learn basic system properties, especially ecological interrelationships; or (6) facilitation of numerical analysis. A problem in renewable natural resource management is determining when and how the use of computer technology is warranted.
Erratum to: Prior Victimization, Region, and Neighborhood Effects on Fear of Crime in Mumbai, India

Asian Criminology (2012) 7:355DOI 10.1007/s11417-011-9119-6The online version of the original article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11417-011-9114-y.M. K. Nalla (*)SchoolofCriminalJustice, Michigan State University, 560 Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1118, USAe-mail: nalla@msu.eduJ. D. JohnsonDepartment of Criminal Justice, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USAe-mail: johnsonjo@rowan.eduR. HayesDepartment of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Central Michigan University, 131 AnspachHall, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USAe-mail: Hayes2r@cmich.edu
Quantum Shift-Register Circuits

A quantum-shift-register circuit acts on a set of input qubits and memory qubits, outputs a set of output qubits and updated memory qubits, and feeds the memory back into the device for the next cycle (similar to the operation of a classical shift register). Such a device finds application as an encoding and decoding circuit for a particular type of quantum error-correcting code called a quantum convolutional code. Building on the Ollivier-Tillich and Grassl-R\"otteler encoding algorithms for quantum convolutional codes, I present a method to determine a quantum-shift-register encoding circuit for a quantum convolutional code. I also determine a formula for the amount of memory that a Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) quantum convolutional code requires. I then detail primitive quantum-shift-register circuits that realize all of the finite- and infinite-depth transformations in the shift-invariant Clifford group (the class of transformations important for encoding and decoding quantum convolutional codes). The memory formula for a CSS quantum convolutional code then immediately leads to a formula for the memory required by a CSS entanglement-assisted quantum convolutional code.
A correlation for interfacial area concentration in high void fraction flows in large diameter channels

Abstract Two phase flows exist as a part of many industrial processes, including chemical processes, nuclear reactor systems, and heat exchangers. In all of these applications the interfacial area concentration is an important parameter for evaluating the interactions between the phases, including drag forces, heat transfer or chemical reaction rates. Many models for interfacial area concentration exist for dispersed bubbly flows; however this type of flow only exists at relatively low void fractions. Very few correlations exist for the prediction of cap-turbulent, slug, or churn-turbulent flows. In this paper a new correlation for predicting the interfacial area concentration beyond bubbly flows in large diameter pipes is derived using a two-bubble-group method (spherical and distorted bubbles as Group-1 bubbles and cap and churn-turbulent bubbles as Group-2 bubbles) and the two-group interfacial area transport equation. The derivation assumes steady state and fully developed flow, and is based on interfacial area transport source and sink terms for large diameter pipes developed by Smith et al., 2012a . Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 33, 156–167. The resulting equations can be used to predict the void fraction for each group of bubbles and the Sauter mean diameter for each group of bubbles in addition to the total interfacial area concentration. The model is then benchmarked based on the data collected by Schlegel et al., 2012. Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci. 41, 12–22; Schlegel et al., 2014. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 47, 42–56. It is found that the correlation predicts the data for Sauter mean diameter of Group 1 bubbles with RMS error of 23.3% and bias of +1.83%. For Group 2 bubbles the RMS error is 24.0% and the bias is +5.35%. This indicates that the correlation somewhat over-predicts the bubble sizes. In spite of this the prediction error remains reasonable compared to the accuracy of previous correlations, and given that the experimental uncertainty can be as high as 15% for some flow conditions. The RMS error and bias in the total interfacial area concentration are 22.6% and −4.29%, respectively. This is consistent with the over-prediction of the Sauter mean diameters, but again is reasonable considering the experimental uncertainty and the prediction error of previous correlations. The model is also able to predict the trends found in the experimental data with varied liquid and gas velocities, representing a large improvement over previous modeling efforts. An expanded database of accurate interfacial area concentration measurements at higher pressures would allow further improvement of the model benchmark and expansion of the range of applicability of the model.
6.2.1 Complexity Types: From Science to Systems Engineering

How to measure complexity for systems engineering is currently receiving great attention, including such efforts as DARPA's META program. However, complexity is a highly varying concept with many different views. This paper discusses some of those varieties of meaning, types of complexities, and entities which may be measured for complexity (qualitatively or quantitatively). First discussed are attributes that make a system complex and difficulties in dealing with the system because of the complexity (i.e. complexity causes and effects). Next types of complexity are reviewed from previous work. Finally those types of complexity are applied to four types of systems engineering entity: a project building a technological system, that system itself, the environment into which the system will be inserted, and the cognitive load on humans involved in the system. Ongoing and future work is also described.
Pathogen alarm behavior in a termite: A new form of communication in social insects

Dampwood termites, Zootermopsis angusticollis, show an alarm response after detecting the presence of spores of the pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. Termites in direct contact with a high concentration of spores (107 spores/ml) show a striking vibratory display which appears to convey information about the presence of pathogens to nearby unexposed nestmates through substrate vibration. Nestmates not directly in contact with spores that perceive the vibrational signal increase significantly their distance from the spore-exposed vibrating termites, apparently to escape from the source of infection. The fleeing response is not induced by the presence of the spores alone or by pheromones, and requires the perception of the vibrations propagated through the substrate. This "pathogen alarm behavior" appears to be a previously unrecognized communication mechanism that allows termites to reduce disease risks within the nest.
An in vitro Model for Assessment of Fluoride Uptake from Glass-ionomer Cements by Dentin and its Effect on Acid Resistance:

This investigation presents an experimental model for studying interactions of glass-ionomer cements (GICs) with bovine dentin slabs. Fluoride incorporation was studied with five serial abrasion biopsies, each being approximately 10 μm thick. The time of interaction was a very important parameter, indicating continuous fluoride release from the GIC and diffusion into dentin over a 30-day period. Expressed in mass per volume (mg F/cm3), the fluoride incorporation reached 12.0 mg at the first and 2.5 mg at the fifth layer, several times greater than the baseline of 0.27 mg/cm3 in bovine dentin. A subsequent test of acid resistance in a lactic acid buffer (pH 4.0), followed by microradiography of lesions, showed a characteristic 40-μm-wide acid-resistant zone on surfaces exposed to the GICs. In contrast, the untreated control surfaces had lesions demineralized evenly from the surface to the intact tissue, without the higher-density zone at the surface of the lesion. The model seems promising for screening fl...
Studies on the development of a radioimmunoassay for angiotensin II.

(1) A method for the radioiodination of angiotensin II is described in detail. (2) The specific radioactivity of the labelled angiotensin was 78.8 mc. of131I iodide per mg. of angiotensin. (3) The131I-labelled hormone contained no detectable degradation products on agar electrophoresis. (4) The oxidising effect of chloramine-T was stopped after 15 seconds by the addition of sodium metabisulphite. (5) Synthetic angiotensin has been successfully used without conjugation to another particle to produce antibodies in the rabbit. (6) The antibody produced is extremely sensitive as shown by the inhibition of the reaction between the anti-angiotensin and radio-angiotensin by millimicrograms of unlabelled angiotensin. (7) A radioimmunoassay for endogenous angiotensin is feasible.
Hawkmoths’ innate flower preferences: a potential selective force on floral biomechanics

While plant–pollinator interactions are a classic model system for evolutionary relationships, the relationship between forager energetics and floral motions remains little explored. In this study, we show that hawkmoths preferentially feed on horizontally oscillating flowers, which have previously been shown to yield higher energy gains during feeding bouts than looming flowers. We also analyze natural flower motions exhibited by four hawkmoth-pollinated species. Our analysis shows these flowers have higher amplitude motions in the horizontal axis than that in the looming axis. This work demonstrates the potential for adaptation between the biomechanical determinates of flower motions and the feeding performance of hawkmoths.
The Process and Product of the Felix Decree Review of Empirically Supported Treatments: Prospects for Change

The report by Chorpita et al. on the Hawaii Empirical Basis to Services Task Force details a significant effort to improve services and enhance children's lives. Several elements distinguish this particular project to identify empirically supported treatments, notably the multi-disciplinary and consumer composition of the review committee and the mandated application of treatments identified in the process. The context of the lawsuit with the resulting Felix decree and the process of decision-making are important for public policy as well as for the science and practice of mental health service delivery. These considerations will likely enlarge the impact of this project.
Triumph and/or Tragedy: The Present Food and Drug Administration Program of Enriching Grains With Folic Acid

In this issue of Pediatrics , Bol et al1 report on the survival and severity of neural tube defects (NTDs) during the period that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated folic acid fortification of grains. They conducted a retrospective cohort study of 2841 infants with spina bifida and 638 infants with an encephalocele born between 1995 and 2001. The investigators reported that the 5-year survival of 92.1% of infants born with spina bifida was improved significantly when compared with the 90.3% survival in infants born before folic acid fortification. The clinical impact of these data is that the 5-year mortality from spina bifida decreased from 93 to 79 per 1000 spina bifida births. These data indicate that a child born with spina bifida in the United States is 10 times as likely to die in the first 5 years as the average newborn child. The survival of infants born with encephaloceles was higher also during the fortification period, but the difference was not statistically significant. The authors concluded that folic acid fortification “may play a role in reducing the severity of NTDs” in addition to the prior publications that indicate that folic acid prevents the occurrence of NTDs. This is a well-planned and well-performed study. The investigators' conclusions are biologically plausible. They indicate that there may be confounding factors that affect the data, that is, the variable frequency and decisions for interrupting pregnancy because of the presence of an NTD, the use of historical controls, improvement in medical and surgical care, and the possible effect of differences of delivery on the mortality of the infants with NTDs. The authors do not believe that in utero surgical intervention had a significant impact on their data. After considering all these possible confounding factors, the authors determined that their conclusions are … Address correspondence to Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Radiology, and Pathology, Thomas Jefferson University, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Box 269, Wilmington, DE 19899. E-mail: rbrent{at}nemours.org
High-Altitude Radar Measurements of Ice Thickness Over the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets as a Part of Operation IceBridge

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated a program called Operation IceBridge for monitoring critical parts of Greenland and Antarctica with airborne LIDARs until ICESat-II is launched in 2016. We have been operating radar instrumentation on the NASA DC-8 and P-3 aircraft used for LIDAR measurements over Antarctica and Greenland, respectively. The radar package on both aircraft includes a radar depth sounder/imager operating at the center frequency of 195 MHz. During high-altitude missions flown to perform surface-elevation measurements, we also collected radar depth sounder data. We obtained good ice thickness information and mapped internal layers for both thicker and thinner ice. We successfully sounded 3.2-km-thick low-loss ice with a smooth surface and also sounded about 1-km or less thick shallow ice with a moderately rough surface. The successful sounding required processing of data with an algorithm to obtain 56-dB or lower range sidelobes and array processing with a minimum variance distortionless response algorithm to reduce cross-track surface clutter. In this paper, we provide a brief description of the radar system, discuss range-sidelobe reduction and array processing algorithms, and provide sample results to demonstrate the successful sounding of the ice bottom interface from high altitudes over the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Crack tip opening angle measurement through a girth weld in an X100 steel pipeline section

Crack tip opening angle (CTOA) is becoming one of the most accepted methods for characterizing fully plastic fracture. It provides a measure of the resistance to fracture for a material in cases where there is a large degree of stable-tearing crack extension during the fracture process. Our current pipeline research uses the CTOA test as an alternative, or addition, to the CTOD (crack tip opening displacement) and the fracture energy characterization provided by the J-integral approach. A test technique was developed for measurement of CTOA that uses a modified double cantilever beam (MDCB) specimen. A digital camera and image analysis software were used to record the progression of the crack tip and to estimate the CTOA. In this article, CTOA data on crack growth orientations perpendicular to pipeline girth welds are presented. The CTOA for X100 high strength bainitic gas pipeline steel is reported. Two different specimen gauge sections, 3 mm and 8 mm, were used and the effect of the specimen thickness on the CTOA is discussed. The results show a change in the CTOA as the crack grows into the heat affected zone (HAZ). A slight improvement in the fracture resistance is measured, and through the weld, a slight decrease in fracture resistance is observed.
Modeling electromigration failures in TiN/Al-alloy/TiN interconnects and TiN thin films

Electromigration characteristics, especially resistance oscillations, of TiN/Al-alloy/TiN multilayered interconnect and the failure mechanism of a TiN barrier layer have been studied. A model has been developed for the linewidth dependence of the multilayered structure. The experimental results show that the failure observed in TiN was not caused by electromigration, instead it was due to thermomigration caused by a temperature gradient. The activation energy of this process was found to be 1.5 eV. In order to obtain a 10-year lifetime, the hottest spot in the TiN film must be kept below 408/spl deg/C. This suggests that TiN may safely conduct 2.4/spl times/10/sup 7/ A/cm/sup 2/ for the typical thermal impedance of a hot spot.
Variational Transform Invariant Mixture of Probabilistic PCA

In many video-based object recognition applications, the object appearances are acquired by visual tracking or detection and are inconsistent due to misalignments. We believe the misalignments can be removed if we can reduce the inconsistency in the object appearances caused by misalignments through clustering the objects in appearance, space and time domain simultaneously. We therefore propose to learn Transform Invariant Mixtures of Probabilistic PCA (TIMPPCA) model from the data while at the same time eliminating the misalignments. The model is formulated in a generative framework, and the misalignments are considered as hidden variables in the model. Variational EM update rules are then derived based on Variational Message Passing (VMP) techniques. The proposed TIMP-PCA is applied to improve head pose estimation performance and to detect the change of attention focus in meeting room video for meeting room video indexing/retrieval and achieves promising performance.
Lupus pernio: a tale of four characters in search of a malady

Honfleur, an old picturesque port, sits on the southern estuary of the Seine, one of the principal rivers of France. Many artists, including Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, John Jongkind and Eugene Boudin have immortalized its beauty, serenity, and natural elegance. The explorer Binot Paulmierde Gonneville set forth from its shores in 1503 to explore Brazil. Another navigator, Jean Denis left Honfleur in 1608 to found Newfoundland and the mouth of Saint Lawrence River. Other famous Honfleurais have included Alphonse Allais, writer and humorist: Erik Satie, musician; and Stephane Ferrand, wildlife photographer. In 1859, Baudelaire ravaged by his illnesses, long-term use of laudanum and absinthe, stress and poverty, moved to Honfleur to live with is mother. He was at peace in the seaside town where wrote Le Voyage. Ernest Besnier, one of the characters of our tale was also born in Honfleur on April 21, 1831 (Fig. 1). His father was a government official on the move. As a result, the young Besnier was schooled in different places, including Honfleur, Marseilles, and Orleans. Finally, he settled in Paris to study Medicine. He worked hard and won the first prize of the Internat des Hopitaux de Paris in 1853. He was then 22 years old. In 1867, at 32 years of age, Besnier secured his Doctor of Medicine degree and joined the Institution Saint Perrine. He stayed there for 10 years and published several epidemiological reports on the then prevalent diseases. In 1873, he was moved to the Hopital Saint Louis to occupy the Chair in Dermatology vacated by the retirement of Bazin. An intellectually honest man, Besnier worked for a quarter of a century in complete harmony with his medical colleagues and his patients. He was an outstanding teacher, had a large clinical practice, and was an able administrator and organizer. He built an annex to the hospital with complete histopathology and parasitology laboratories. He introduced the word “biopsy” to describe the techLupus pernio: a tale of four characters in search of a malady
Evaluation of trap types for two vectors of western X-disease: Colladonus montanus and Fieberiella florii (Homoptera: Cicadellidae).

Four types of yellow sticky traps (two commercially available and two handmade) were compared for their effectiveness in capturing Colladonus montanus (Van Duzee) and Fieberiella florii (Stal). The commercially available traps captured as many or more leafhoppers on a common unit of sticky surface area as the handmade traps, and the commercial traps were much easier to handle in the field. Yellow sticky traps placed at the top of the cherry tree canopy (approximately 4.9 m) captured significantly more C. montanus in the spring and fall and F. florii in the fall compared with traps placed at 1.8 m. Yellow sticky traps baited with adult female F. florii captured significantly more males than did traps baited with males or no leafhoppers.
The challenge of early synovitis: multiple pathways to a common clinical syndrome

There is an increasing recognition that patients with synovitis of recent onset have divergent pathogenic mechanisms underlying what appear to be relatively similar clinical phenotypes. There is also a recognition that there are major differences in the outcome of early synovitis. The challenge facing investigators in this area is clarifying how these mechanisms determine outcome and, in turn, which mechanisms are the most appropriate therapeutic targets.
The Lifetime of Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in Single Cells

In many eukaryotic cell types, receptor activation leads to the formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) which causes calcium ions (Ca) to be released from internal stores. Ca release was observed in response to the muscarinic agonist carbachol by fura-2 imaging of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells. Ca release followed receptor activation after a latency of 0.4 to 20 s. Latency was not caused by Ca feedback on IP3 receptors, but rather by IP3 accumulation to a threshold for release. The dependence of latency on carbachol dose was fitted to a model in which IP3 synthesis and degradation compete, resulting in gradual accumulation to a threshold level at which Ca release becomes regenerative. This analysis gave degradation rate constants of IP3 in single cells ranging from 0 to 0.284 s-1 (0.058 +/- 0.067 s-1 SD, 53 cells) and a mean IP3 lifetime of 9.2 +/- 2.2 s. IP3 degradation was also measured directly with biochemical methods. This gave a half life of 9 +/- 2 s. The rate of IP3 degradation sets the time frame over which IP3 accumulations are integrated as input signals. IP3 levels are also filtered over time, and on average, large-amplitude oscillations in IP3 in these cells cannot occur with period < 10 s.
Vibrational spectra of one-dimensional mass-disordered quaternary alloys

Abstract The spectral density of vibrational states for one-dimensional mass-disordered quaternary alloys A y B 1− y C 1− x D x is evaluated using the negative eigenvalue theorem. Spectra for masses corresponding to Al y Ga 1−y As 1−x P x are presented.
An examination of pathways from childhood maltreatment to adolescent binge drinking

Considerable clinical and empirical evidence has accumulated over the past decades indicating that there is a strong association between childhood maltreatment and heavy episodic drinking in adolescence, but there is a paucity of empirically based knowledge about the processes linking the association. The aim of this paper is to examine mechanisms that might account for the association between childhood maltreatment and heavy episodic drinking in adolescence. Using a nationally representative sample of adolescents (ages ranging 12-21; N = 6,337), this study examined the role of individual self-regulatory processes in the associations, controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, peer substance use, parental alcoholism, and parent-child conflict. Factor analyses were used to test the measurement structure of self-regulatory processes. Findings confirmed the association between childhood maltreatment and heavy episodic drinking in adolescence. Structural modeling analyses indicated indirect effects for childhood maltreatment primarily through poor self-regulatory processes and peer substance use. Implications for future research are discussed. (Am J Addict 2012;21:202-209). Language: en
Exploiting knowledge in unsupervised open information extraction

The extraction of structured information from text is a long-standing challenge in Natural Language Processing (NLP) which has been reinvigorated with the ever-increasing availability of user-generated textual content Online. The ability to extract interesting and important pieces of information from text documents is crucial for large scale language understanding, which powers modern Web search engines. The field of Open Information Extraction (Open IE) offers a way to automatically discover relations from large and heterogeneous text collections. Since it is difficult to obtain adequate training data for Open IE, unsupervised approaches that rely on rules and clustering are popular. However, the major trend in unsupervised Open IE has been to borrow algorithms and low-level features from other applications such as search, relying on previous work that has been proved to be successful in other domains. This thesis argues that it is essential to use domain and external knowledge in Open IE, and proposes several ways of doing it to achieve substantial performance improvements over state-of-the-art systems. We use three main knowledge sources: (1) a large corpus of unstructured text that is used to learn a language model over relations that can be incorporated into a weighting scheme that outperforms the common TFIDF weighting scheme; (2) an external knowledge base such as Wikipedia that is used to extract fine-grained types of entities that yield better understanding of how relations are expressed in English; and (3) domain knowledge extracted from the blogosphere (e.g., the degree of a node in the network) that is used to improve performance at scale.
Harnack's inequality for second order linear ordinary differential inequalities

We prove a Harnack-type inequality for nonnegative solutions of second order ordinary differential inequalities. Maximum principles are the main tools used, and to make the paper self-contained, we provide alternative proofs to those available in the literature.
RISK FACTORS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY IN MEXICAN AMERICANS AND NON-HISPANIC WHITES THE SAN ANTONIO HEART STUDY

A lower cardiovascular mortality in Mexican-American men than in non-Hispanic white men has been consistently observed. In contrast, no such ethnic difference has been observed in women. To determine whether this sex-ethnicity interaction in mortality is matched by a corresponding sex-ethnicity interaction in cardiovascular risk factors, the authors compared risk factors between 3,301 Mexican Americans and 1,877 non-Hispanic whites from the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based study of cardiovascular disease and diabetes conducted in San Antonio, Texas (1979-1988). In both men and women, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and body mass index (weight (kg)/height (m)2) were higher and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites. Although Mexican-American men were more likely than non-Hispanic white men to be smokers, Mexican Americans of both sexes smoked, on average, fewer cigarettes per day than non-Hispanic whites. Cardiovascular risk scores, which were constructed from Framingham Study risk equations to summarize the combined effect of multiple risk factors, were higher in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites of both sexes. The cardiovascular risk profile was less favorable for both Mexican Americans who grew up in Mexico and Mexican Americans who grew up in San Antonio. Although it is possible that in their younger years Mexican Americans had a more favorable cardiovascular risk profile, these results may also indicate that some protective factor, either genetic or life-style, is present in Mexican-American males but absent in non-Hispanic white males.
Conic sector synthesis - LMI approach

An LMI approach for conic sector synthesis is presented. It includes strictly bounded real and strongly positive real synthesis procedures as special cases. The resulting LMI is expressed directly in terms of the original plant state-space matrices. Therefore, the need for "loop-shifting" transformations, which may increase computation time and introduce numerical round-off errors, is eliminated. tation time and introduce numerical round-off error. In this paper, an alternative LMI formulation of conic sector synthesis problem is developed which requires no preliminary numerical transformation for original plant state-space matrices. 2. Preliminaries and Notation Refer to Table 1 for notation. Consider the system shown in Figure 1. In this figure, K(s) is a linear time invariant controller
Metachromatic sulfatides in cerebral white matter and kidney.

Summary1) Metachromatic sulfuric acid esters (SAE) were measured in sulfatide fractions extracted from normal and abnormal white matter and kidney. 2) Slightly lower than average SAE values for white matter were found in early childhood, in old age, and in diseases interfering with myelin metabolism. 3) The average SAE value in normal mature white matter was 58 mg/g. This was 10 times the value for normal kidney and corresponds with the much greater lipid metachromasia in white matter histologically. 4) Statistically significant elevations in sulfatide values were found in white matter and kidney in one disease (metachromatic leucoencephalopathy). 5) This accumulation may be related to an error in sulfatide metabolism, and appears, descriptively, to constitute a “sulfatide lipidosis.”
A ‘Pretensed and Counterfeit Holiness’ or Sowers of ‘Spiritual Things’? John Jewel and Thomas Harding on Monasticism:

Though Bishop John Jewel did not say much against the institution of monasticism in his Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae, he does have much to say about it in his other works. An examination of his opinions on monasticism show that he is in general agreement with other Reformation-era views of monasticism, including some Anglican divines as well as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli. The Roman Catholic Thomas Harding’s A confutation of a booke intituled An apologie of the Church of England took Jewel to task for his misunderstanding of monasticism. Jewel, in due course, responded to Harding in his A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande by stitching together a litany of quotations from the early and medieval Church to show that Harding was mistaken. Though Jewel’s rhetorical strategy in this instance has been called a ‘polemical duplicity’ by Gary Jenkins, it is part of Jewel’s larger rhetorical strategy. This article investigates the writings of Jewel to discern his understanding of ...
Numerical Simulation and Structure Optimization for Automotive Air Filter

Reducing the flow resistance of air filter is one of the best way to improve filtration efficiency and longer filter life,to improve engine power and economy.The numerical simulation and structure optimization for the automotive air filter are completed by using computational fluid dynamic(CFD).We have reduced the flow resistance and improved uniformity of the filter air flow through adjusting the inlet angle of filter and rounded corners.
Pursuing the promises of social media? Changes in adoption and usage of social media by the top 10 U.S. police departments

Recent academic literature highlights the potential benefits of social media use by government agencies, such as police departments (PDs). This study builds on previous work to explore whether and how the top 10 U.S. police departments changed their social media use between two points in time. To do this, we examine what, if any, changes have occurred in PDs' use of social media, their use of it for interaction, as well as their use of the platforms for dialogic communication. Our findings suggest that there is change, yet the change is slow and not always in the direction of hype.
Substrate Temperature in Plastic and Alternative Nursery Containers

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. biocontainer, coir fiber, keratin, wood pulp, sustainability SUMMARY. The green industry has identified the use of biodegradable containers asan alternative to plastic containers as a way to improve the sustainability of current production systems. Field trials were conducted to evaluate the performance of four types of 1-galnurserybiocontainers[keratin(KR),woodpulp(WP),fabric(FB),and coir fiber (Coir)] in comparison with standard black plastic (Plastic) containers on substrate temperature, water use, and biomass production in aboveground nurseries. Locations in Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, and Texas were selected to conduct experiments during May to Oct. 2012 using ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood (Buxus sempervirens · B. microphylla) and ‘Dark Knight’ bluebeard (Caryopteris ·clandonensis) in 2013. In this article, we were focusing on the impact of alternative container materials on hourly substrate temperature variations and plant growth. Substrate temperature was on an average higher (about 6 � C) in Plastic containers (about 36 � C) compared with that in WP, FB, and Coir containers. However, substrate temperature in KR containers was similar to Plastic. Substrate temperature was also influenced by local weather conditions with the highest substrate temperatures recorded in Texas followed by Kentucky, Mississippi, and Michigan. Laboratory and controlled environment trials using test containers were conducted in Kentucky to evaluate sidewall porosity and evaporation loss to confirm field observations. Substrate temperature was similar under laboratory simulation comparedwithfieldstudieswiththehighestsubstratetemperatureobservedinPlasticand KR, intermediate inWPand lowest inFBand Coir. Side wall temperaturewas higher in Plastic, KR, and FB compared with WP and Coir, while side wall water loss was greatest in FB, intermediate in WP and Coir, and lowest in plastic and KR. These observations suggest that the contribution of sidewall water loss to overall container evapotranspiration has a major influence on reducing substrate temperature. The porous nature of some of the alternative containers increased water use, but reduced heat stress and enhanced plant survival under hot summer conditions. The greater drying rate of alterative containers especially in hot and dry locations could demand increasedirrigationvolume,morefrequentirrigation,or both, which couldadversely affect the economic and environmental sustainability of alternative containers.
Arteriovenous Fistula Creation for End-Stage Renal Disease May Worsen Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increase in pulmonary arterial pressure secondary to narrowing and obliteration of the lumen of the lung vessels resulting in an increased resistance to flow. It is defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≥25 mm Hg at rest usually confirmed by right heart catheterization compared with normal mPAP of ≤20 mm Hg. The primary etiology of PH is unclear, although it can be from the heart, lung, or systemic disease. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at increased risk of developing PH, with up to 39% of patients with an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) developing PH. Multiple physiologic factors contribute to or exacerbate the PH in ESRD patients, including volume overload, increased vascular tone, and underlying heart failure. An additional contributing factor for PH is the AVF itself, which results in increased pulmonary flow and pressure. In this study, we report 2 patients with ESRD who clinically declined after the creation of an AVF or graft and required ligation of their AVF due to the development of high-output heart failure and progressive PH in the early postoperative period.
Principles of Mobile Maude

Mobile Maude is a mobile agent language extending the rewriting logic language Maude and supporting mobile computation. Mobile Maude uses reflection to obtain a simple and general declarative mobile language design and makes possible strong assurances of mobile agent behavior. The two key notions are processes and mobile objects. Processes are located computational environments where mobile objects can reside. Mobile objects have their own code, can move between different processes in different locations, and can communicate asynchronously with each other by means of messages. Mobile Maude’s key novel characteristics include: (1) reflection as a way of endowing mobile objects with “higher-order” capabilities; (2) object-orientation and asynchronous message passing; (3) a high-performance implementation of the underlying Maude basis; (4) a simple semantics without loss in the expressive power of application code; and (5) security mechanisms supporting authentication, secure message passing, and secure object mobility. Mobile Maude has been specified and prototyped in Maude. Here we present the Mobile Maude language for the first time, and illustrate its use in applications by means of Milner’s cell-phone example. We also discuss security and implementation issues.
Decolonization and the Minority Question in Nigeria: The Willink Commission Revisited

The Willink Commission was established to provide Constitutional safeguards for minorities during the era of decolonization, and its 1958 report has become frequently cited when discussing minority rights in Nigeria. Many scholars contend that the Commission recognized discrimination against minorities; however, it failed to provide a resolution for what would persist as a national crisis. This chapter argues against the broad consensus that ethnic minorities have always existed, and that the Commission was expected to resolve differences amongst them. Analysing the Commission’s transcripts reveals the ambiguities of minority identities and illustrates the interplay of political interests surrounding the Commission. Neither the British, nor Nigerian elites were realistic about minority identity or how ethnic relations might be resolved. Rather, political interests, including post-colonial control, electioneering districting, political offices and employment, drove the Commission’s considerations.