cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Dilemmas of Frontline Staff Working With the Homeless: Housing First, Discretion, and the Task Environment

This paper examines staff discretion in permanent supportive housing facilities run by a nonprofit agency claiming to use a housing-first approach. Field observation, archival data, and individual and group interviews with staff and clients were examined to better understand agency processes involved in intake, sanctions, and disposal of clients to evaluate housing-first fidelity. In their day-to-day interactions with clients, frontline workers' discretion is affected by working conditions such as lack of resources and heavy workloads, as well as by demands placed on the agency by members of the its task environment. Implications for housing-first programs and homeless clients are discussed.
Models of Child Abuse: A Metatheoretical Analysis

This review assesses progress in the development of causal models of physical child abuse by examining the foundations of current theorizing. The sociopolitical forces and methodological problems t...
Cognition Without Concepts

There is an intellectual unease in our article and in the commentaries on it. Although the article and the commentaries are all about the role of perception in children's concepts, the subtext concerns the validity of our most fundamental assumptions about cognition. All of the articles show the tension. For us, and for Mervis, Johnson, and Scott (1993), the strain is evident in data showing dramatic changes and context sensitivity in categories that are neither explained by, nor of interest to, current theory. Mandler's (1993) and Gelman and Medin's (1993) commentaries show the strain in acknowledging interactions between perception, task, and various knowledge sources, yet at the same time also arguing that some kinds of knowledge--intensions, or essences, or functions, or ontological beliefs--are more fundamental than others and, indeed, are the explanation o f why behavior is the way it is. Barsalou (1993) explicitly recognizes that the tension derives from discontent with the founding assumptions of a structural approach to cognition: "'We have no accounts of how propositional representations arise in the cognitive system, either innately or through experience. We haven't the faintest idea of how biological mechanisms could produce abstract propositions, nor of how information processing mechanisms might transduce propositions from perceptual experience" (p. 173). As Barsalou argues, when we cannot imagine how our basic ideas about cognition can possibly be realized, we ought to consider the possibility that they are wrong. Our original article also asked whether the traditional view of concepts is wrong. We approached this possibility via a long argument that perception matters. Our claim, however, was not about the relative importance of perception and conception. The issue was not whether perceptual features belong at the cores or at the peripheries of concepts. The point was not that there is one early word-learning or object recognition strategy that favors perceptual information. We presented evidence showing that children's novel word extensions vary across different contexts in a way that is systematic, intelligent, and complex. This kind of intelligent variability in cognition means that perception always
Insomnia and daytime sleepiness in people with dementia residing in assisted living: findings from the Maryland Assisted Living Study

Objective To estimate the frequency and correlates of insomnia and daytime sleepiness among people with dementia in AL facilities. Methods Participants were randomly selected from 22 different assisted living facilities in Maryland. A total of 124 dementia participants were included in the analysis. All participants were rated on an 11-item sleep questionnaire regarding insomnia and daytime sleepiness. Results Sleep disturbance was present in 59.2% of people with dementia. Of the total sample, 21.8% had insomnia only (IN); 21.6% had excessive daytime sleepiness only (DS); and 16.8% had both IN and DS. 40.8% had no sleep disturbance. IN and DS scores were not significantly associated with each other (r = 0.07, p = 0.43). Of those in the IN group, the majority had mild and moderate dementia and of those in the DS only group the majority had severe dementia. Those with IN only performed the best and DS only performed the worst on both cognitive measures (the Mini Mental State Examination) (F = 3.26, p = 0.014), and on physical measures (the physical subscale of the psychogeraitric dependency rating scale) (F = 6.09, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups on the Cornell scale for depression in dementia. Conclusion The frequency of insomnia and daytime sleepiness in dementia subjects in AL is similar to that found in nursing homes. Daytime sleepiness is associated with poorer cognitive and day-to-day functioning. Effective management of DS may lead to improved functioning in the AL residents. Insomnia is associated with the best outcomes, even better than those with no sleep disturbance. This finding needs to be replicated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New Media Use in Context: Environmental Cues and Online Self-Disclosure via Weblogs

As Internet access moves away from desktop platforms to increasingly mobile, handheld, ubiquitous computing tools, questions arise regarding the impact physical surroundings have on online self-disclosure. Considering that popular Web2.0 applications like weblogs are characterized by broad and often intimate disclosures of personal information, we test the relationship between a range of environmental characteristics and onine self-disclosure via blogs. Results suggest that both the familiarity and perceived warmth of locations predict online disclosure. Interestingly, results also suggest that people with low general life satisfaction who also like to talk about themselves tend to engage in online self-disclosure.
Urban Elementary School Teachers' Perspectives Regarding Collaborative Teaching Practices

Collaborative teaching has grown in popularity as students with disabilities have been increasingly moved to general education classrooms. Despite the growth of these models, little empirical evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of these practices. In this investigation, general and special education teachers (N = 118) from 20 urban elementary schools were surveyed regarding their perceptions of collaborative teaching. The survey instrument elicited teacher perceptions about collaboration, their views regarding inclusion, and what is needed to ensure effective collaborative teaching. Findings indicate that 92% of respondents thought that collaboration was occurring in their school but that only 57% reported use of the practices in their own classrooms. Respondents valued inclusive practices, although special educators had more positive perceptions than did general educators. The interpersonal and structural factors valued by these teachers included team processes, positive attitudes, resources, pro...
BRIC development financing flows to low-income countries

Development aid flows from the BRICs to low-income countries (LICs) have increased in recent years. Philosophical reasons for their development financing include some commonality within some of the BRIC countries, and additional differences may be found between them and traditional donors (e.g., debt sustainability and debt relief). Differences with traditional donors have also led to differences in estimates of development assistance. To maximize the benefits of LIC–BRIC cooperation, LICs will need to ensure high returns for the BRIC-financed projects through sound public investment management. LICs and BRICs can work together to improve the transparency of project financing.
Subband Coding Of Video For Packet Networks

Video coding has been investigated for the novel application of video transmission over packed-switched networks. The underlying design goals are presented, together with a software implementation of a coding scheme, which divides the input signal into frequency bands in all three dimensions, seems promising in that it lends itself to parrallel implementation, is robust enough to handle errors due to lost packets, and yields high compression with sustained good quality. Moreover, it may be well integrated with the network to handle issues is given, together with the results obtained from simulated system.
Rapid Detection of Opioids in Vitreous Humor by Enzyme Immunoassay

Comprehensive and rapid screening of specimens that enter a postmortem forensic toxicology laboratory is essential. Although blood and urine specimens are most commonly utilized for immunoassay screening, this study illustrates the use of vitreous humor for similar purpose. Over a 2-year period, 1233 out of 5471 cases submitted for drug analysis were screened for the presence of opioids in vitreous humor by the Microgenics Cloned Enzyme Donor Immunoassay (CEDIA) DAU opiate assay. Eighty-five of these cases were presumptively opioid positive by the opiate assay. In 75 of the 85 cases (88.2%), at least one opioid | was subsequently confirmed in blood and/or bile. The gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detection (GC-NPD) screening method employed by this laboratory detected the presence of opioids in 20 of the 75 opioid-confirmed cases (26.6%). Codeine and oxycodone were readily identified by the GC-NPD screen; however, morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and 6-acetylmorphine were detected primarily by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In summary, the CEDIA DAU opiate assay improved the detection of opioids in our casework for the period studied by 1.0% (55/5471).
Molecular Regulation of the Mitosis/Meiosis Decision in Multicellular Organisms

A major step in the journey from germline stem cell to differentiated gamete is the decision to leave the mitotic cell cycle and begin progression through the meiotic cell cycle. Over the past decade, molecular regulators of the mitosis/meiosis decision have been discovered in most of the major model multicellular organisms. Historically, the mitosis/meiosis decision has been closely linked with controls of germline self-renewal and the sperm/egg decision, especially in nematodes and mice. Molecular explanations of those linkages clarify our understanding of this fundamental germ cell decision, and unifying themes have begun to emerge. Although the complete circuitry of the decision is not known in any organism, the recent advances promise to impact key issues in human reproduction and agriculture.
Hjørland's critique of bates' work on defining information

In a recent article, Birger Hjorland (2007) critiqued the author's efforts in defining and conceptualizing information as a core concept in information science (Bates, 2005, 2006). It is argued that Hjorland has seriously misrepresented and confused the actual line of argument in those articles. Specifics of that case are presented, and the reader is urged to return to the original Bates articles to understand her claims. In those articles, Bates attempted to develop a broad conception of information, as well as a number of subtypes of information, for use in the field of information science. The development of information was related to evolutionary processes, with emergence as a significant theme. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
What matters in scientific explanations: Effects of elaboration and content

Given the breadth and depth of available information, determining which components of an explanation are most important is a crucial process for simplifying learning. Three experiments tested whether people believe that components of an explanation with more elaboration are more important. In Experiment 1, participants read separate and unstructured components that comprised explanations of real-world scientific phenomena, rated the components on their importance for understanding the explanations, and drew graphs depicting which components elaborated on which other components. Participants gave higher importance scores for components that they judged to be elaborated upon by other components. Experiment 2 demonstrated that experimentally increasing the amount of elaboration of a component increased the perceived importance of the elaborated component. Furthermore, Experiment 3 demonstrated that elaboration increases the importance of the elaborated information by providing insight into understanding the elaborated information; information that was too technical to provide insight into the elaborated component did not increase the importance of the elaborated component. While learning an explanation, people piece together the structure of elaboration relationships between components and use the insight provided by elaboration to identify important components.
A Meta-Framework for Design Space Exploration

Complex software systems have a large number of choices in terms of selection of software components and hardware architectures for implementation. These design choices create a large space of possible design solutions called the design space. The design process requires exploring through this design space to find valid design solutions before the actual implementation. Design space exploration (DSE) is the process of searching through the design space to find feasible and optimal design solutions. The main challenge in DSE is to deal with an exponential number of design alternatives, which is further complicated by the various conflicting requirements. Thus, there is a clear need for tool support to automate DSE. Over the years domain-experts have frequently relied on different search techniques (mathematical programming, constraint techniques, heuristics) to automate DSE. Different approaches can be used to integrate the search techniques into the existing development environment. One of the approaches is development of black-box frameworks for DSE. Literature survey reveals that existing DSE frameworks are domain-specific where the representation and exploration algorithm are tightly coupled with domain-dependent assumptions. Besides this, most frameworks use a single search technique to automate exploration, which may not work well as the problem evolves over time. Thus, most frameworks lack reusability and flexibility. This paper presents a survey of existing approaches for automated DSE. The goal is to highlight the requirements and research challenges in the development of a meta-framework for design space exploration. This framework can be meta-programmed by domain-experts to work for a class of DSE problems in any domain, thus providing reusability. The meta-framework also supports a set of search techniques providing the flexibility to choose a technique based on the characteristics of the problem instance.
Exploring the feasibility of alternative STD-testing venues and results delivery channels for a national screening campaign.

Annual chlamydia screening is recommended for sexually active women aged 25 years and younger, though less than half of eligible women are screened each year. If acceptable to young women, nontraditional testing venues and new communication technologies could promote efficiencies in sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening and facilitate screening by overcoming barriers at systems and patient levels. Objective. This study sought to explore young women’s technology use, preferences for STD-testing venues, attitudes toward nontraditional venues, and acceptability of test results delivery options. Method. A total of 80 ethnographic one-on-one telephone interviews were conducted with African American, Caucasian, and Latina women, aged 15 to 25 years, in 10 metropolitan areas of the United States. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo2. Results. Alternative STD-testing venues and results delivery channels are valued by young women for their convenience and accessibility, but they ...
A Dynamic PF Scheduler to Improve the Cell Edge Performance

In order to improve the QoS in the cell edge of broadband cellular systems, we propose to modify the proportional fair (PF) scheduling algorithm in a new way. In the traditional PF algorithm, a beta parameter can be used in the denominator to control the PF ratio. In our method, the beta is dynamically adjusted in a time and user depended basis, taking into account for example, the user's receiving signal level. In each updating period, the value of beta may be different from different users. Therefore, the scheduling priority is adapted to individual user's condition. The underlying idea is to accelerate the increase of scheduling priority when the user moves to the cell edge. Simulation results show that our dynamic PF scheduling algorithm can improve the performance of cell edge users with a limited degradation of whole system throughput.
Altered right ventricular kinetic energy work density and viscous energy dissipation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study using 4D flow MRI

Introduction Right ventricular (RV) function has increasingly being recognized as an important predictor for morbidity and mortality in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The increased RV after-load increase RV work in PAH. We used time-resolved 3D phase contrast MRI (4D flow MRI) to derive RV kinetic energy (KE) work density and energy loss in the pulmonary artery (PA) to better characterize RV work in PAH patients. Methods 4D flow and standard cardiac cine images were obtained in ten functional class I/II patients with PAH and nine healthy subjects. For each individual, we calculated the RV KE work density and the amount of viscous dissipation in the PA. Results PAH patients had alterations in flow patterns in both the RV and the PA compared to healthy subjects. PAH subjects had significantly higher RV KE work density than healthy subjects (94.7±33.7 mJ/mL vs. 61.7±14.8 mJ/mL, p = 0.007) as well as a much greater percent PA energy loss (21.1±6.4% vs. 2.2±1.3%, p = 0.0001) throughout the cardiac cycle. RV KE work density and percent PA energy loss had mild and moderate correlations with RV ejection fraction. Conclusion This study has quantified two kinetic energy metrics to assess RV function using 4D flow. RV KE work density and PA viscous energy loss not only distinguished healthy subjects from patients, but also provided distinction amongst PAH patients. These metrics hold promise as imaging markers for RV function.
Good Syndrome, a rare disease that physicians cannot afford to overlook; Case report and review of literature

Introduction Good syndrome (thymoma with immunodeficiency) is a rare cause of immunodeficiency.1There is a combined B and T cell immunodeficiency with hypogammaglobulinemia, reversal of the CD4/CD8 ratio and reduced or absent B cells causing an increased susceptibility to bacterial, viral and fungal infections. It is classified as a primary immunodeficiency,2 and patients usually present with recurrent infections or a mediastinal mass.3The infrequency with which it is encountered makes Good syndrome a diagnostic challenge.
HIV-1 latency and virus production from unintegrated genomes following direct infection of resting CD4 T cells

HIV-1 integration is prone to a high rate of failure, resulting in the accumulation of unintegrated viral genomes (uDNA) in vivo and in vitro. uDNA can be transcriptionally active, and circularized uDNA genomes are biochemically stable in non-proliferating cells. Resting, non-proliferating CD4 T cells are prime targets of HIV-1 infection and latently infected resting CD4 T cells are the major barrier to HIV cure. Our prior studies demonstrated that uDNA generates infectious virions when T cell activation follows rather than precedes infection. Here, we characterize in primary resting CD4 T cells the dynamics of integrated and unintegrated virus expression, genome persistence and sensitivity to latency reversing agents. Unintegrated HIV-1 was abundant in directly infected resting CD4 T cells. Maximal gene expression from uDNA was delayed compared with integrated HIV-1 and was less toxic, resulting in uDNA enrichment over time relative to integrated proviruses. Inhibiting integration with raltegravir shunted the generation of durable latency from integrated to unintegrated genomes. Latent uDNA was activated to de novo virus production by latency reversing agents that also activated latent integrated proviruses, including PKC activators, histone deacetylase inhibitors and P-TEFb agonists. However, uDNA responses displayed a wider dynamic range, indicating differential regulation of expression relative to integrated proviruses. Similar to what has recently been demonstrated for latent integrated proviruses, one or two applications of latency reversing agents failed to activate all latent unintegrated genomes. Unlike integrated proviruses, uDNA gene expression did not down modulate expression of HLA Class I on resting CD4 T cells. uDNA did, however, efficiently prime infected cells for killing by HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T cells. These studies demonstrate that contributions by unintegrated genomes to HIV-1 gene expression, virus production, latency and immune responses are inherent properties of the direct infection of resting CD4 T cells. Experimental models of HIV-1 latency employing directly infected resting CD4 T cells should calibrate the contribution of unintegrated HIV-1.
Relativistic dispersion relation approach to photomeson production

Relativistic dispersion relations for photomeson production, analogous to the pion-nucleon scattering dispersion relations, are formulated without proof. The assumption that the 33 resonance dominates the dispersion integrals then leads to detailed predictions about the photomeson amplitude. An attempt is made to keep first order (in v/c) nucleon recoil effects. Except for the latter, the predictions of the cutoff model are generally reproduced.
An Introduction to Arabic Literature: The contexts of the literary tradition

INTRODUCTION The Arab League, Arab nationalism; Arabic numerals, Arabic literature; the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabian Nights . The English language makes use of several epithets to describe the people, language, and region whose literary creativity is the topic of this book. The Arabic language itself, by contrast, has a single word, ' arabī , an adjective derived from what must be one of the earliest words in the history of the language, ' arab , originally used to describe the nomadic peoples in the central regions of what is now termed the Arabian Peninsula. Quite how far back the existence of the ' arab can be traced is difficult to say, but a group called the ar-ba-a-a are cited as components of an army in cuneiform inscriptions dating from as early as 853 bc. At the end of the 1950s the same word, ' arab , was used by Jamāl ʾAbd al-Nāṣir (Nasser), the President of Egypt, when he proclaimed in a speech that ‘from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf we are Arabs’. In this chapter I will provide a series of contexts that are intended to serve as background for the investigations of the genres of Arabic literature that follow. Firstly I will discuss two particular contexts within which the literary tradition has been created, developed, and recorded: the physical and the linguistic.
Studies of replication of four selected viruses in two cell lines derived from salmonid fish.

SummaryTwo established cell lines, derived from the embryonic tissues of chinook salmon and steelhead trout, respectively, have been examined for their ability to support the replication of two viruses of salmonid fish, and two viruses of warm-blooded vertebrates. The sockeye salmon virus (Oregon strain) produced large yields of progeny virus upon primary inoculation in the steelhead trout cells, and was readily propagated through five serial transfers. Infection was accompanied by a characteristic cytopathic effect on the cells. In the chinook salmon cells, replication of the virus was limited upon primary inoculation, but was greatly enhanced after a series of five culture passages. The Sacramento River chinook virus was also found to replicate in both of these cell lines upon primary inoculation, and the agent was transmitted through five serial passages. The cytopathic effect produced by this virus appeared essentially identical to that of the sockeye salmon virus. It was found that both salmonid cell...
Macroeconomic Fluctuations, Oil Supply Shocks, and Equilibrium Oil Futures Prices

What is the role of macroeconomic fluctuations and of oil supply shocks for oil prices, volatilities, and risk premia? I analyze this question within a general equilibrium asset pricing framework with an oil sector. The benchmark calibration shows that short-run macroeconomic growth shocks and oil productivity shocks account for the largest part of the volatility in the oil market and are responsible for the mean-reversion behavior of oil prices. On the other hand, long-run macroeconomic growth risks are the main driver of risk premia on oil futures and their upward-sloping term structure, which is observed in the data. The model consistently explains quantity and price dynamics in the oil sector and in the general macroeconomy, and furthermore sheds light on the intricate relationship between oil and equity returns.
Monitoring Results of Intestinal Pathogens in Xicheng District of Beijing City in 2010

[Objective] To monitor the incidence of infectious diarrhea in Xicheng District of Beijing City,to analyze the changes of major strain of pathogens and the trend of drug resistance,and provide the basis for guiding epidemiological study of infectious diarrhea and rational administration in clinic. [Methods]The pathogens were isolated and identified according to the Health Industry Standard of the PRC WS 287-2008,WS 271-2007,WS289-2008.The drug susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer recommended by US Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI). [Results]The peak incidence of diarrhea appeared during August and October.39 strains of pathogens were isolated from 308 specimens and the positive rate was 12.66%.The Vibrio spp was the dominant flora,followed by Salmonella spp and Shigellae spp in which Shigella sonnei was the major serotype.The drug susceptibility test results showed that there was significant differences in the susceptibility at different bacteria genus.The pathogens were general resistant to penicillins antibiotics,however,they were sensitive to cephalosporins and quinolones. [Conclusion]The infectious diarrhea is caused by different pathogens in Xicheng District,which have obvious distribution features of age and season,and the type of some prevalent bacteria type appears notable change,so it is quite important to strengthen the daily monitoring,and to use rationally antibiotics according to different types of pathogen strains and change of drug resistant of bacteria.
Decade-long trends in the timeliness of receipt of a primary percutaneous coronary intervention

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine decade-long trends (2001-2011) in, and factors associated with, door-to-balloon time within 90 minutes of hospital presentation among patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who received a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS Residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized with STEMI who received a primary PCI at two major PCI-capable medical centers in central Massachusetts on a biennial basis between 2001 and 2011 comprised the study population (n=629). Multivariable regression analyses were used to examine factors associated with failing to receive a primary PCI within 90 minutes after emergency department (ED) arrival. RESULTS The average age of this patient population was 61.9 years; 30.5% were women, and 91.7% were White. During the years under study, 50.9% of patients received a primary PCI within 90 minutes of ED arrival; this proportion increased from 2001/2003 (17.2%) to 2009/2011 (70.5%) (P<0.001). Having previously undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery, arriving at the ED by car/walk-in and during off-hours were significantly associated with a higher risk of failing to receive a primary PCI within 90 minutes of ED arrival. CONCLUSION The likelihood of receiving a timely primary PCI in residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized with STEMI at the major teaching/community medical centers increased dramatically during the years under study. Several groups were identified for purposes of heightened surveillance and intervention efforts to reduce the likelihood of failing to receive a timely primary PCI among patients acutely diagnosed with STEMI.
Quantitation of Nitric Oxide in Cell Culture by Luciferin-Luciferase Chemiluminescence

The chemiluminescent method is proposed for quantitation of NO generation in cell cultures grown on standard 96-well plates. The method is based on activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase by NO; the product of guanylyl cyclase reaction, pyrophosphate, after conversion to ATP by ATP sulfurylase, is detected in luciferin-luciferase system. The method has been applied to the measurement of NO generation by activated RAW 264.7 cells, primary bone-marrow murine macrophages and aortic endothelial cells. For macrophages, activated by lipopolysaccharide and γ−interferon, the rate of NO production is about 100 amol/(cell·min); the same rate was found from the measurements of nitrite, the final product of NO oxidation, for the same cells. For endothelial cells, the basal rate of NO generation is 5 amol/(cell·min); it approximately doubles upon activation by bradykinin, Ca2+ ionophore A23187 or mechanical stress (shaking). For both types of cells the measured NO generation is strongly affected by inhibitors of NO synthase. The sensitivity of the method is about 50 pM/min, allowing to measure NO generated by 102 – 104 cells. The direct comparison shows the chemiluminescent method to be two orders of magnitude more sensitive than fluorescent detection using DAF-FM.
Generated effect modifiers (GEM’s) in randomized clinical trials

In a randomized clinical trial (RCT), it is often of interest not only to estimate the effect of various treatments on the outcome, but also to determine whether any patient characteristic has a different relationship with the outcome, depending on treatment. In regression models for the outcome, if there is a non-zero interaction between treatment and a predictor, that predictor is called an "effect modifier". Identification of such effect modifiers is crucial as we move towards precision medicine, that is, optimizing individual treatment assignment based on patient measurements assessed when presenting for treatment. In most settings, there will be several baseline predictor variables that could potentially modify the treatment effects. This article proposes optimal methods of constructing a composite variable (defined as a linear combination of pre-treatment patient characteristics) in order to generate an effect modifier in an RCT setting. Several criteria are considered for generating effect modifiers and their performance is studied via simulations. An example from a RCT is provided for illustration.
Hinduism and the Enduring Self

According to Hinduism and Jainism, we can experience the effects of our karma in subsequent lives because there is a self which survives death and bears its karma into the next life. Throughout our discussion we have referred or alluded to the existence of a persistent self and in chapter 4 we considered it as touching on the question of human free agency. It is now time to focus on this crucial presupposition, to say more about its nature, and ask why anyone should believe that it exists.
Roles for Plasma Membrane Redox Systems in Cell Growth

Correlative evidence from cultured mammalian cells suggests that growth and plasma membrane redox activities are somehow related. This comes in part from studies with hormones, growth factors and anticancer drugs where substances that stimulate or inhibit growth respectively stimulate or inhibit plasma membrane redox activities to corresponding degrees and vice versa (Crane et al., 1985). One possibility is that plasma membrane redox activities are somehow involved in cell cycle control but the mechanisms by which that regulation might be achieved remain obscure. In this report, we have extended the observations from mammalian cells to elongating plant tissues and regulation by auxin hormones where growth is due primarily, if not exclusively, to an increase in cell size.
Adaptive and Scalable Predictive Page Policies for High Core-Count Server CPUs

Increasing datacenter compute requirements has led to tremendous growth in the cadence of CPU cores on chip-multiprocessors. With large number of threads running on a single node, it is critical to achieve high memory bandwidth efficiency on large scale CMPs to support continued growth in the number CPU cores. In this paper, we present several mechanisms that improve the memory efficiency by improving the page hit rate for multi-core processors. In particular, we present memory page-policies that dynamically adapt to the runtime workload characteristics and use thread awareness to reduce contention between different memory address streams from the different threads. Unlike contemporary DRAM page policies such as static or timer-based, the proposed framework profiles the memory stream at runtime and uncovers opportunities to close or keep DRAM pages open, resulting in reduced page-conflicts and improved efficiencies. We implement the proposed policies in a cycle-accurate performance model simulating an 8-core processor. Our results show that the proposed adaptive page policies increase performance of high memory bandwidth workloads in SPECint2006 by up to 3%, and can attain 83% average performance relative to a “perfect” page prediction policy. We further show that the performance improvement from the techniques increases with the number of cores and with making the policies thread-aware in a many-core processor. The implementation cost of our techniques is extremely low, an area overhead of only 69 bits, making them extremely attractive for real-life products.
A Feminist Analysis of Campus Sexual Assault Policies: Results from a National Sample

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States are obligated to address sexual assault on campus under the Clery Act and Title IX, and a recent surge in societal interest in sexual assault among college students has prompted many IHEs to bolster their response. Little systematic information exists about IHEs' sexual assault policies and services and whether they align with feminist-based models of advocacy. This study examined annual security reports and student handbooks and codes of conduct for a nationally representative sample of 4-year IHEs (N = 387) and assessed IHEs' responses to sexual assault on college campuses through the lens of a feminist-based organizational model. Findings indicate that policies for the sampled IHEs include a mean of 12 of 17 policy components' aligned with feminist models, and 4% of sampled IHEs include all 17 components. Implications for improving IHEs' responses to sexual assault in ways consistent with feminist models are discussed.
Diet and collapse: A stable isotope study of Imperial-era Gabii (1st–3rd centuries AD)

Abstract The city of Gabii arose just east of Rome around the 8th century BC. By the Imperial period, it had all but collapsed, its habitation areas either abandoned or repurposed for industrial production. Burials within the city, however, may speak to the urbanization and collapse of Gabii. Twenty-one skeletons from the Imperial era (1st–3rd centuries AD) were analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in an effort to understand palaeodiet. Adults' diets are relatively homogeneous, particularly in comparison with samples from nearby sites dating to the same period, and reflect consumption of terrestrial meats and C 3 plants. Subadult diets do not reflect breastfeeding at the time of death. One individual with anomalous isotopes may have been an immigrant to Gabii.
Identification of oxidative modifications of hemopexin and their predicted physiological relevance.

Hemopexin protects against heme toxicity in hemolytic diseases and conditions, sepsis, and sickle cell disease. This protection is sustained by heme-hemopexin complexes in biological fluids that resist oxidative damage during heme-driven inflammation. However, apo-hemopexin is vulnerable to inactivation by reactive nitrogen (RNS) and oxygen species (ROS) that covalently modify amino acids. The resultant nitration of amino acids is considered a specific effect reflecting biological events. Using LC-MS, we discovered low endogenous levels of tyrosine nitration in the peptide YYCFQGNQFLR in the heme-binding site of human hemopexin, which was similarly nitrated in rabbit and rat hemopexins. Immunoblotting and selective reaction monitoring were used to quantify tyrosine nitration of in vivo samples and when hemopexin was incubated in vitro with nitrating nitrite/myeloperoxidase/glucose oxidase. Significantly, heme binding by hemopexin declined as tyrosine nitration proceeded in vitro. Three nitrated tyrosines reside in the heme-binding site of hemopexin, and we found that one, Tyr-199, interacts directly with the heme ring D propionate. Investigating the oxidative modifications of amino acids after incubation with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and hypochlorous acid in vitro, we identified additional covalent oxidative modifications on four tyrosine residues and one tryptophan residue of hemopexin. Importantly, three of the four modified tyrosines, some of which have more than one modification, cluster in the heme-binding site, supporting a hierarchy of vulnerable amino acids. We propose that during inflammation, apo-hemopexin is nitrated and oxidated in niches of the body containing activated RNS- and ROS-generating immune and endothelial cells, potentially impairing hemopexin's protective extracellular antioxidant function.
Internationalization Pace in a Fragmented Industry: Experiential Learning and Competitive Dynamics

Internalization theory maintains that firms expand globally to exploit the value of their intangible assets. Yet, internationalization theory maintains that internationalization is an incremental p...
Using concept mapping to develop inclusive curriculum

This is a Work-in-Progress paper that will explore how concept maps can be utilized to make engineering curricula, pedagogy, and assessment more inclusive. Making engineering more inclusive is one method in increasing the representation of women, underrepresented minority (URM) students, and underserved populations in an engineering program. The paper will show how inclusive curriculum, pedagogy and assessment was developed over time. It is important to understand the historic development of inclusive curriculum in order to understand how concept mapping can be used to enhance inclusivity as well as student learning and development. After showing how concept mapping can be used, future work and development will be described to show what will develop over time.
A rodent brain-machine interface paradigm to study the impact of paraplegia on BMI performance

Abstract Background Most brain machine interfaces (BMI) focus on upper body function in non-injured animals, not addressing the lower limb functional needs of those with paraplegia. A need exists for a novel BMI task that engages the lower body and takes advantage of well-established rodent spinal cord injury (SCI) models to study methods to improve BMI performance. New method A tilt BMI task was designed that randomly applies different types of tilts to a platform, decodes the tilt type applied and rights the platform if the decoder correctly classifies the tilt type. The task was tested on female rats and is relatively natural such that it does not require the animal to learn a new skill. It is self-rewarding such that there is no need for additional rewards, eliminating food or water restriction, which can be especially hard on spinalized rats. Finally, task difficulty can be adjusted by making the tilt parameters. Results This novel BMI task bilaterally engages the cortex without visual feedback regarding limb position in space and animals learn to improve their performance both pre and post-SCI.Comparison with Existing Methods: Most BMI tasks primarily engage one hemisphere, are upper-body, rely heavily on visual feedback, do not perform investigations in animal models of SCI, and require nonnaturalistic extrinsic motivation such as water rewarding for performance improvement. Our task addresses these gaps. Conclusions The BMI paradigm presented here will enable researchers to investigate the interaction of plasticity after SCI and plasticity during BMI training on performance.
Estimates of rupture probabilities for nuclear power plant components : expert judgment elicitation

This paper reports that as part of the nondestructive evaluation reliability program sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) developed a risk-based method for establishing inspection priorities for systems and components at nuclear power plants. In this method, the results of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) are used to estimate the safety consequences of component failures. The method also requires estimates of the probabilities of structural failures. Since sufficient operating experience data and detailed fracture mechanics analyses are not available, an expert judgment elicitation is conducted to estimate component rupture probabilities. (An expert judgment process is generally adapted from the NRC severe accident risk program).
Near Dipole-Dipole Interaction Effects in Quantum and Nonlinear Optics

It is shown that electromagnetic field propagation in dense nonlinear media (many atoms within a cubic wavelength) results in a nonlinear modified form of the Bloch-Maxwell formulation for two-level atoms. In particular, microscopic near dipole-dipole interaction causes an atomic excitation-dependent resonance frequency renormalization in the macroscopic Bloch equations, describing the medium, which are coupled to the macroscopic field equation. For optically thin media, of thickness less than a resonance wavelength, and in the mean field limit, the interaction produces, in addition, subradiant and superradiant decays. The resulting renormalized Bloch-Maxwell equations are rich with respect to predictions of new phenomena obtained from them.
Extending cognitive architectures with semantic resources

This paper presents an integrated modeling framework where the learning and knowledge retrieval mechanisms of the ACT-R cognitive architecture are combined with a semantic resource. We aim to extend ACT-R with a scalable knowledge model, in order to support sub-symbolic processes with consistent, general high-level declarative representations. Design principles, methodology and implementation examples are provided.
Net Zero: Rational Performance Targets for High Performance Buildings

Sustainability suggests that society should live within the limits of nature and the resources that are locally available. However, the ecological footprint of society, particularly developed countries has been enormous, necessitating the import of enormous quantities of energy, materials, and water and the export and disposal of equally enormous quantities of waste. A relatively new concept known as Net Zero, proposes that the built environment and, by extension, building users and owners, be powered and resourced from the local environment, and preferably from the building site. The most advanced of these concepts, Net Zero Energy, has resulted in actual building projects where the facility annually generates as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes. Similarly a Net ZeroWater building must be designed to match water consumption with local rainfall, wastewater recycling, and water storage strategies. In the same spirit, the net zero strategy is being extended to materials, emissions, and carbon. This paper will address how this new strategy is affecting the design and construction of high-performance buildings in the US and how national and local governments have begun to incorporate net zero into building regulations. Several recent projects are discussed as case studies to illustrate the direction.
The impact of histology (adenocarcinoma vs. SCC) on outcomes in nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer.

419Background: Outcomes in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pancreas are generally thought to be poor compared with adenocarcinoma; however, this has not been sufficiently demonstrated in prior...
Wafer-Level Test Solution Development for a Quad-Channel Linear Driver Die in a 400G Silicon Photonics Transceiver Module

In this paper, we demonstrate a wafer-level sorting test solution developed for quad-channel linear driver to be used in a 400G silicon photonics transceiver module. In-house built tester-on-a-board (TOB) system was used to provide power and control signals to the device-under-test (DUT), as well as conduct parametric tests. RF switch matrix was implemented to support multi-channel RF tests up to 50GHz. This wafer sorting test solution covers contact tests, power consumption tests, single-ended and true-mode differential full S-parameter tests, output signal swing and total harmonic tests. This work enables wafer-level driver die sorting capability for next-generation 400G silicon photonics coherent transceiver module.
Evaluation of Current Perioperative Antimicrobial Regimens for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in Breast Implant-based Reconstructive Surgeries

Several steps to reduce the rate of postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) have been implemented. The use of prophylactic antimicrobials targeting patient's microbial flora has been associated with a decrease in postoperative infections. We evaluated the relationship between perioperative antimicrobials, baseline microbial flora, and occurrence of SSIs. Methods We prospectively enrolled 241 patients scheduled to receive a postmastectomy implant-based reconstructive procedure between September 2015 and January 2018. Axillary swab cultures were obtained preoperatively, and all recovered bacteria were identified. Surgeons were blinded to these results. The use of prophylactic perioperative antimicrobials was defined as concordant if the baseline axillary flora were susceptible to the given antibiotic and discordant if not. As Staphylococcus species are the most common pathogen causative for breast implant-related infections, patients colonized with these organisms were analyzed in detail. All patients were followed up for at least 6 months postoperatively and evaluated for SSIs. Results A total of 238 patients (99%) received both perioperative and postoperative oral antimicrobials. The most common preoperative staphylococci axillary flora recovered were methicillin-sensitive coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (67%), methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (35%), with only 1 case of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (0.4%). Thirty-three patients (14%) developed an SSI. Of those with a positive Staphylococcus culture, only 54% received a concordant antimicrobial regimen, but this was not associated with an increased risk for infection (P > 0.72). Conclusions The use of perioperative antimicrobials whether concordant or discordant with the preoperative axillary microbial flora, specifically Staphylococci species, did not provide a significant impact on the risk of SSI.