cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intergranular fracture in high chromium heat-resistant steel

The grain boundary segregation of impurities, especially phosphorus, and the fracture behavior of 12Cr heatresistant steel have been investigated. Temper embrittlement caused by phosphorus at grain boundaries was observed at a temperature below 750°C. Phosphorus at the grain boundaries increased as tempering temperature decreased, which changed the fractrure mode from trans- to intergranular. The segregation free energy of phosphorus was evaluated asδG segrδHsegr- TδSsegr=- 24,900-48.2T (Jmol-1). The enhanced concentration of phosphorus at the grain boundaries is due to the decrease in carbon activity by the chromium addition rather than the synergistic cosegregation of chromium and phosphorus.
Teachers' Religious Garb as an Instrument for Globalization in Education

Nebraska and Pennsylvania currently have laws in place that prohibit public school teachers from wearing religious garb. This Note applies the appropriate constitutional framework––a balancing test––in order to determine the propriety of a religious garb statute. Courts have upheld the statutes in light of perceived government endorsement of teachers’ religion and feared impact on impressionable young children. However, both of these concerns are exaggerated and misplaced. Rather, a court must consider the demands a newly globalized world places on effective education for tomorrow’s global citizens.
Spain Rains on the Austerity Victory Parade

Leaders in Spain and Britain, among others, have tried to claim that their austerity programs are a success. It is nonsense, says the author. The sudden jump in unemployment in Spain at the end of 2013 should silence the spin masters. Austerity is a tragic failure.
Fault Localization for Make-Based Build Crashes

In large-scale software projects, build code has a high level of complexity, churn rate, and defect proneness. While it is desirable to have automated tools to help developers in localizing faults in build code, it is challenging to build such tools due to the dynamic nature of build code. Existing automatic fault localization methods focus on traditional code and none of them has such support for build code. This paper introduces MkFault, a novel automatic tool/method to localize faults in build code that cause run-time build failures. Given a test case that causes a run-time crash in the execution of a Make file, it returns a ranked list of statements in the Make file with their suspiciousness scores. MkFault records the evaluation traces from Make code to identify the corresponding concrete build rules and the execution traces of those rules. It then uses those traces and its novel Bayesian-like rating algorithm to give suspiciousness scores to the original statements in the Make file. Our empirical evaluation on real faults in several open-source projects has shown that MkFault can achieve high accuracy and help reduce a large percentage of the lines of code that developers need to examine.
Characterization of ejected fused silica particles following surface breakdown with nanosecond pulses

The light emission produced near the surface of fused silica following laser-induced breakdown on the exit surface was spatially and spectrally resolved. This signal is in part generated by ejected particles while traveling outside the hot ionized region. The thermal emission produced by the particles can be separated from the plasma emission near the surface and its spectral characteristics provide information on the temperature of the particles after ejection from the surface. Assuming the emission is thermal in origin, data suggest an initial average temperature on the order of at least 0.5 eV.
A model of enhanced STM current due to semiconductor optical absorption

Abstract We present a simple model for the change in tunneling current between a semiconductor surface and a metal tip under spectroscopic illumination in a scanning tunneling microscope. This model predicts a sharp increase in the tunneling current due to the increase in the conduction band carrier density when the photon energy exceeds the optical band gap. The tunneling current for a large diffusion length has a more pronounced onset than for a small length. Our model should provide, when combined with experiments, a method of determining localized effective stoichiometry, and therefore provides a localized alternative to the use of optical absorption measurements. Our theoretical tunneling current versus photon energy curves are in good qualitative agreement with the existing experimentally measured curves for Si, GaAs, and InP obtained by Qian and Wessels. In addition, we have examined the effects of temperature, surface recombination velocity, and degeneracy on our theoretical results for the Hg 1− x Cd x Te, Hg 1− x Zn x Te, and Hg 1− x Zn x Se ternary narrow gap semiconductor systems.
Warfarin Users Prone to Coagulopathy in First 30 Days After Hospital Discharge from Gastric Bypass

Background Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), a nonprofit tertiary care facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is an accredited American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network (ACSBSCN) Level 1 site performing 400+ bariatric procedures annually. Bariatric data submission began in April 2008. Complication review revealed that approximately 17 % of patients on chronic anticoagulation (warfarin) therapy preoperatively were readmitted with supratherapeutic international normalized ratios (INRs), postsurgical bleeding, anastomotic ulcer, or other intraluminal hemorrhage. Opinion level recommendations have been published regarding the adjustment of warfarin dosages post-bariatric procedures with no widespread consensus. Case series have been published detailing perioperative hemorrhage risk for bariatric patients on preoperative anticoagulation. Little data of post-discharge hemorrhage rates have been published. With increasing numbers of bariatric surgical procedures performed annually, there is a potential for developing serious coagulopathic complications in those patients who resume their anticoagulation therapy postoperatively.
Effect of filipin on rat-liver and yeast mitochondria.

Abstract 1. Under the appropriate conditions intact yeast and mammalian mitochondria exhibit a heretofore unobserved sensitivity to the polyene antibiotic, filipin. The activity of the “filipin complex” (Filipins I, II, III and IV) is shown to be primarily due to the component designated Filipin II. 2. Yeast mitochondria treated with filipin complex, or purified Filipin II, exhibit “uncoupled” succinate oxidation and inhibited α-ketoglutarate oxidation. Maximum filipin effect is observed at a concentration of 4 mM Filipin II. Rat-liver mitochondria are more sensitive to filipin than yeast mitochondria, and respiratory inhibition is observed regardless of substrate. 3. In liver mitochondria filipin-inhibited respiration is not relieved by Mg2+, K+, Ca2+ or 2,4-dinitrophenol, but is reversed by cytochrome c. 4. It is proposed that filipin treatment leads to altered membrane permeability and that respiratory inhibition is due to a loss of endogenous respiratory cofactors or an inactivation of primary dehydrogenases. The filipin-uncoupled yeast respiration may likewise be attributed to an altered phosphate permeability of the yeast mitochondrial membranes.
Factors Related to Willingness to Help Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Although researchers have found that survivors of intimate partner violence seek support from a multitude of sources, ranging from professionals to informal support networks, little is known about the extent to which community members reach out to help survivors. This study explored the type of support provided to survivors and various factors that relate to individuals' willingness to help. Survivors were more likely to be helped by women, younger individuals, those who strongly endorsed criminal justice interventions for perpetrators, and those who perceived intimate partner violence as a frequently occurring issue in their communities. Two additional factors were found to relate to an individual's likelihood of assisting others, including witnessing intimate partner violence as a child and prior victimization. Further research is needed in this area to explore helper, survivor, and contextual characteristics that may affect one's likelihood to offer assistance to survivors.
The Metaphorical Structure of the Human Conceptual System

If anything is central to Cognitive Science, it is the nature of the human conceptual system. We have found that that system is fundamentally metaphorical in character. That is, it contains metaphorical as well as nonmetaphorical concepts, and the metaphorical structure is extremely rich and complex. Nonmetaphorical concepts are those that emerge directly from our experience and are defined in their own terms. These include at least (1) spatial orientations (e.g., UpDOWN, IN-OUT, NEAR-FAR, FRONT-BACK), (2) ontological concepts arising in physical experience (e.g., ENTITY, SUBSTANCE, CONTAINER, PERSON), and (3) structured experiences and activities (e .g . , EATING, MOVING, TRANSFERRING OBJECTS FROM PLACE TO PLACE, etc.). Metaphorical concepts are those which are understood and structured not merely on their own terms, but rather in terms of other concepts. This involves conceptualizing one kind of object or experience in terms of a difSerent kind of object or experience. ,Paralleling the kinds of nonmetaphorical concepts, there are roughly three types of metaphorical concepts, which are realized by a vast number of linguistic expressions:
Detection of bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency by nonisotopic ligase chain reaction

Summary A nonisotopic ligase chain reaction (LCR) assay was developed to detect the mutation (D128G; Shuster et al. (1992) PNAS 89, 9225-9) for bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD). Two sets of diagonally opposed discriminating LCR primers that differentiate the normal and BLAD allele were designed so that the 3′ end of each primer overlapped the D128G mutation. These discriminating primers were synthesized with a 5′ biotin and could be captured using streptavidin-coated microtitre wells. A common set of primers that abut these discriminating primers were also synthesized and 3′-tailed with digoxigenin-ddUTP. Captured LCR products were then detected using antidigoxigenin antibodies coupled to alkaline phosphatase. The assay readout was a chemiluminescent signal generated by the hydrolysis of Lumi-Phos TM 530 and the entire assay including DNA isolation can be completed within 8 h.
Hearing in Drosophila: development of Johnston's organ and emerging parallels to vertebrate ear development

In this review, I describe recent progress toward understanding the developmental genetics governing formation of the Drosophila auditory apparatus. The Drosophila auditory organ, Johnston's organ, is housed in the antenna. Intriguingly, key genes needed for specification or function of auditory cell types in the Drosophila antenna also are required for normal development or function of the vertebrate ear. These genes include distal-less, spalt and spalt-related, atonal, crinkled, nanchung and inactive, and prestin, and their vertebrate counterparts Dlx, spalt-like (sall), atonal homolog (ath), myosin VIIA, TRPV, and prestin, respectively. In addition, Drosophila auditory neurons recently were shown to serve actuating as well as transducing roles, much like their hair cell counterparts of the vertebrate cochlea. The emerging genetic and physiologic parallels have come as something of a surprise, because conventional wisdom holds that vertebrate and invertebrate hearing organs have separate evolutionary origins. The new findings raise the possibility that auditory organs are more ancient than previously thought and indicate that Drosophila is likely to be a powerful model system in which to gain insights regarding the etiologies of human deafness disorders.
Pigmented basal cell carcinoma: Investigation of 70 cases

Background: Pigmented basal cell carcinoma (PBCC) is a clinical and histologic variant of BCC. Objective: Our purpose was to identify the histologic subtypes of BCC that were most often associated with pigment and to determine whether this correlated with outcome after excision. Methods: A series of PBCC was identified and the histologic subtype noted. Margins of all excisions were examined for residual tumor. These results were then compared with a series of nonpigmented BCCs. Results: In a series of 1039 consecutive BCCs, 70 (6.7%) contained pigment. The histologic growth pattern most frequently associated with pigment was the nodular/micronodular pattern (12.4%) followed by the nodular (7.7%), superficial (7.2%), micronodular (4.0%), and the nodular/micronodular/infiltrative (3.4%) patterns. Margins were examined for evidence of residual tumor in the 40 cases that were excised. In only one case (2.5% was the margin positive for tumor. This was statistically significant ( p Conclusion: PBCC, as a clinical variant, is more frequently excised with adequate margins than are tumors of comparable histologic subtypes that do not contain pigment.
Blueprint for a comprehensive foreign language CAI curriculum

Academics who attempt to justify placing a word processor on every scholar's desk-and if possible, one at home, too-inevitably dwell on the beneficial impact these machines will have on scholarly productivity. Often the argument succeeds, for increased productivity means more research, more publication, more visibility for the institution. Can we apply this same reasoning to students, by invoking a concept of student productivity? While we have certainly tried, over the years, to give students the best possible conditions of learning, we have seldom endeavored to formulate a comprehensive plan, discipline by discipline, for the configuration of tools that would meet their needs. As long as the main tool in students' own hands was the
Infliximab-induced Anterior Uveitis in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis

Dear Editor, Our patient is a 49-year-old male diagnosed with left-sided ulcerative colitis (UC) in 1992. His symptoms at diagnosis were eight to ten bloody bowel movements daily and associated arthralgias. He required multiple steroid courses for flares and was started on 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and mesalamine with a partial response. Subsequently, 6MP was discontinued due to drug-induced hepatotoxicity and pancytopenia. He was induced with infliximab 5 mg/kg and dosed every 8 weeks with subsequent resolution of symptoms. In early 2012 he had breakthrough arthralgias between doses, but his bowel symptoms remained in remission. A sigmoidoscopy revealed active colitis and …
Transglutaminase Induces Protofibril-like Amyloid β-Protein Assemblies That Are Protease-resistant and Inhibit Long-term Potentiation

An increasing body of evidence suggests that soluble assemblies of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) play an important role in the initiation of Alzheimer disease (AD). In vitro studies have found that synthetic Aβ can form soluble aggregates through self-assembly, but this process requires Aβ concentrations 100- to 1000-fold greater than physiological levels. Tissue transglutaminase (TGase) has been implicated in neurodegeneration and can cross-link Aβ. Here we show that TGase induces rapid aggregation of Aβ within 0.5-30 min, which was not observed with chemical cross-linkers. Both Aβ40 and Aβ42 are good substrates for TGase but show different aggregation patterns. Guinea pig and human TGase induced similar Aβ aggregation patterns, and oligomerization was observed with Aβ40 concentrations as low as 50 nm. The formed Aβ40 species range from 5 to 6 nm spheres to curvilinear structures of the same width, but up to 100 nm in length, that resemble the previously described self-assembled Aβ protofibrils. TGase-induced Aβ40 assemblies are resistant to a 1-h incubation with either neprilysin or insulin degrading enzyme, whereas the monomer is rapidly degraded by both proteases. In support of these species being pathological, TGase-induced Aβ40 assemblies (100 nm) inhibited long term potentiation recorded in the CA1 region of mouse hippocampus slices. Our data suggest that TGase can contribute to AD by initiating Aβ oligomerization and aggregation at physiological levels, by reducing the clearance of Aβ due to the generation of protease-resistant Aβ species, and by forming Aβ assemblies that inhibit processes involved in memory and learning. Our data suggest that TGase might constitute a specific therapeutic target for slowing or blocking the progression of AD.
Chloride distribution in human dental enamel as determined by electron probe microanalysis

Abstract Enamel of fifteen intact teeth (ten erupted and five unerupted) was examined by electron probe microanalysis for the distribution of Ca, P and Cl from the dentino-enamel junction to the surface. The concentration of Ca and P increased very slightly from the dentino-enamel junction towards the surface of the enamel. The Cl concentration was lowest near the dentino-enamel junction and increased towards the surface attaining values at least 3 to 5 times as high as those observed in the deepest enamel. No difference was found in the Cl profile in the enamel from erupted and unerupted teeth.
Isolation and Analysis of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from the Placenta

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to self-renew and generate all cell types of the blood lineages throughout the lifetime of an individual. All HSCs emerge during embryonic development, after which their pool size is maintained by self-renewing cell divisions. Identifying the anatomical origin of HSCs and the critical developmental events regulating the process of HSC development has been complicated as many anatomical sites participate during fetal hematopoiesis. Recently, we identified the placenta as a major hematopoietic organ where HSCs are generated and expanded in unique microenvironmental niches (Gekas, et al 2005, Rhodes, et al 2008). Consequently, the placenta is an important source of HSCs during their emergence and initial expansion. In this article, we show dissection techniques for the isolation of murine placenta from E10.5 and E12.5 embryos, corresponding to the developmental stages of initiation of HSCs and the peak in the size of the HSC pool in the placenta, respectively. In addition, we present an optimized protocol for enzymatic and mechanical dissociation of placental tissue into single-cell suspension for use in flow cytometry or functional assays. We have found that use of collagenase for single-cell suspension of placenta gives sufficient yields of HSCs. An important factor affecting HSC yield from the placenta is the degree of mechanical dissociation prior to, and duration of, enzymatic treatment. We also provide a protocol for the preparation of fixed-frozen placental tissue sections for the visualization of developing HSCs by immunohistochemistry in their precise cellular niches. As hematopoietic specific antigens are not preserved during preparation of paraffin embedded sections, we routinely use fixed frozen sections for localizing placental HSCs and progenitors.
LAG IN WATER ABSORPTION BY PLANTS IN WATER CULTURE WITH RESPECT TO CHANGES IN WIND

This paper presents a portion of the results of a series of wind-tunnel tests on water absorption, carried out in the laboratory of Plant Physiology of the Johns Hopkins University in 1924. We aimed to continue that study with more adequate control of air conditions and with other improvements in technique, but opportunity to realize that aim has not become available. To make sure that the supply of water to the roots of our plants would always be unlimited, we employed solution cultures, which were usually supplied with Shive's well-known 3-salt solution of KH2PO4, Ca(NO3)2 and MgS04, in osmotic proportions of 5 : 2 : 3 and with a total osmotic value of 1.5 atm. Rates of water absorption and transpiration must consequently have been generally limited or controlled only by internal characteristics of the plants themselves (absorbing, conducting, and transpiring capacity) and by the current evaporating power of the aerial surroundings. Excepting in some special tests, these rates were never retarded by inadequacy of the external water supply at the absorbing surfaces nor by external suction, capillarity, or osmotic resistance to absorption by the root systems. Wilting of the leaves which could be induced by exposure to wind velocity of 12-15 mi/hr., with water-vapor-pressure deficit of about 15 mm. and air temperature of 28°-33° C, indicated simply that the absorbing and conducting capacities of the plant, taken together, were inadequate to deliver water to the foliage as rapidly as water was being lost through transpiration. Several species of plants rooted in well-watered soil also showed this type of wilting and Livingston has observed (5) plants of Fagopyrum esculentum L. in water culture to attain what must be regarded as "permanent wilting" in a sunny greenhouse, even without notable wind. We were not now concerned with wilting, however, nor even with water absorption and transpiration under the influence of long-continued wind. In the experiments now considered the plant was subjected to artificial wind only long enough to attain a steady rate of absorption, after which the wind was discontinued and the absorption rate for calm air was soon regained.
Support for the Improvement of Practices through Intensive Coaching (SIPIC): A model of coaching for improving reading instruction and reading achievement

Abstract In this study, we examined one model of coaching, Support for the Improvement of Practices through Intensive Coaching (SIPIC), which draws from both direct and responsive models of coaching with classroom teachers. We found the model to be effective in improving the comprehension instruction of teachers and in raising the reading achievement of students, including students who struggle with learning to read. Additionally, we found that the interactions between coaches and teachers were statistical associated with the instructional practices of the teachers, demonstrating empirically that coaches' behaviors do influence the professional practices of teachers.
An analysis of the sources of technical change in the agricultural sector of Iran

A differential structural equation system including latent variables was applied for analyzing the sources of technical change in the agricultural sector of Iran, 1971–2005. The findings indicated that international knowledge spillover, human capital, and internal research and development expenditures have a significant role in technical progress in the agricultural sector of Iran. The findings showed that international knowledge spillover has been a more effective factor on the technical progress related to internal R&D. The technical progress was found out to be Hicks-neutral.
Hair Root Cell-Free Protein Synthesis

A cell-free amino acid incorporating system has been prepared from mammalian hair root cells obtained by epilating animals with latex paint. The system requires a particulate fraction from the tissue homogenate (microsomes or ribosomes), a supernatant fraction in the case of ribosomes, ATP, GTP and magnesium. The particulate fraction is composed primarily of monomeric ribosomes which are as synthetically active as is the small amount of material with a sedimentation coefficient corresponding to polymeric ribosomes. Following in vivo injection of radioactively labeled amino acids, newly synthesized proteins are predominantly associated with the monomeric ribosomes. Ribonuclease has been identified in the components of the cell-free system whose activity is lower than that of a similar system prepared from mammalian liver.
High-resolution, resistless patterning of indium-tin-oxide thin films using excimer laser projection annealing process

Abstract High-resolution, large-area patterning of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film was demonstrated using an excimer laser projection crystallization process. After amorphous ITO (a-ITO) was deposited on a glass substrate, the a-ITO was selectively crystallized using an excimer laser scanning projection exposure system. Following the selective crystallization, the substrate was dipped in an etchant for an optimized time, resulting in formation of high-resolution patterns of polycrystalline ITO (p-ITO) on the substrate because the a-ITO has higher etch rate than the p-ITO. The p-ITO patterns were clean and sharp, and the pattern quality was suitable for production applications in the microelectronics industry.
Measurements of low heat leak demountable seals for use in superfluid helium

Abstract In an experiment using superfluid helium, a successful method has been developed for sealing a G-10 to G-10 interface within the superfluid which satisfies the following requirements: (1) provision for a very good (though imperfect) thermal barrier to heat flow, (2) easy disassembly, and (3) allowance for significant roughness or mismatch between the mating surfaces. Test results using a variety of sealing methods and materials are presented; these reveal that a combination of furniture wax applied to the G-10 surfaces and a subsequent epoxy seal between the waxed surfaces provides the best means for satisfying the above requirements.
Management strategies for acetabular defects in revision total hip arthroplasty

Abstract The management of failed acetabular implants in total hip arthroplasty revision surgery requires an algorithm for intraoperative decisions regarding technique and implant selection. When ≥50% of the acetabular host–bone is intact and stable, a press-fit ingrowth socket offers a reliable solution. In the presence of peripheral, central, or combined defects, a reconstruction ring with compacted cancellous allograft is advised. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Pondering the Extraordinary: Description, Explanation, and Theorization of the Arab Spring

There is no doubt that the Middle East has never been a contention-free zone; this is a region where people have suffered enormous economic, political, and social grievances often imposed upon them by the state. And yet, for years effective and credible opposition parties were rarely organized (save for Islamist ones) and protest movements remained flaccid. This failure to mobilize effective, regime-changing parties and protest movements has constituted an important puzzle for analysts. Here we will consider only one cluster of books—those that address the incidence of massive popular mobilization observed in the Arab world during 2011–2012. These books aim to achieve one of three objectives: description, explanation, and theorization—the first two largely retrospective in intent, the latter straining to distill generalizable lessons that might deliver analytic leverage on when and how mobilization might occur.
Interplay of initial deformation and Coulomb proximity on nuclear decay

Alpha particles emitted from an excited projectilelike fragment $({\mathrm{PLF}}^{*})$ formed in a peripheral collision of two intermediate-energy heavy ions exhibit a strong preference for emission towards the targetlike fragment. The interplay of the initial deformation of the ${\mathrm{PLF}}^{*}$ caused by the reaction, Coulomb proximity, and the rotation of the ${\mathrm{PLF}}^{*}$ results in the observed anisotropic angular distribution. Changes in the shape of the angular distribution with excitation energy are interpreted as being the result of forming more elongated initial geometries in the more peripheral collisions.
The Conditional Effects of Minority Descriptive Representation: Black Legislators and Policy Influence in the American States

Despite a substantial increase in the number of racial and ethnic minority lawmakers across the United States, scholars have been unable to demonstrate that diversification of representative bodies increases minority group influence over policy decisions outside of small local governing boards. These null findings, however, are primarily due to underspecified empirical designs that do not account for the conditioning effects of racialized political contexts and majority party coalition membership. Using state-level data on welfare benefit levels and a survey of black state legislators, this study shows that black descriptive representation exerts policy influence outside of local governing bodies, but that a highly racialized political context and party control condition the nature and degree of policy influence.
AABC: approximate approximate Bayesian computation for inference in population-genetic models.

Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) methods perform inference on model-specific parameters of mechanistically motivated parametric models when evaluating likelihoods is difficult. Central to the success of ABC methods, which have been used frequently in biology, is computationally inexpensive simulation of data sets from the parametric model of interest. However, when simulating data sets from a model is so computationally expensive that the posterior distribution of parameters cannot be adequately sampled by ABC, inference is not straightforward. We present “approximate approximate Bayesian computation” (AABC), a class of computationally fast inference methods that extends ABC to models in which simulating data is expensive. In AABC, we first simulate a number of data sets small enough to be computationally feasible to simulate from the parametric model. Conditional on these data sets, we use a statistical model that approximates the correct parametric model and enables efficient simulation of a large number of data sets. We show that under mild assumptions, the posterior distribution obtained by AABC converges to the posterior distribution obtained by ABC, as the number of data sets simulated from the parametric model and the sample size of the observed data set increase. We demonstrate the performance of AABC on a population-genetic model of natural selection, as well as on a model of the admixture history of hybrid populations. This latter example illustrates how, in population genetics, AABC is of particular utility in scenarios that rely on conceptually straightforward but potentially slow forward-in-time simulations.
Shape memory alloy/glass composite seal for solid oxide electrolyzer and fuel cells

Abstract Widespread use of solid oxide electrolyzer and fuel cells is hindered by a lack of long-term durability of seals caused by thermal expansion mismatch induced cracking. A novel seal design incorporating an engineered thermal expansion gradient in a glass matrix with a TiNiHf shape memory alloy mesh for active stress relief and crack healing is being developed. Thermal expansion coefficient (CTE) measurements of the seal and other cell components show the possibility of a thermal expansion gradient design for the seal. Differential scanning calorimetry and microscopy show that the TiNiHf alloy has shape memory phase transformation temperatures in the desired range of 200–250 °C. The glass partially crystallizes during thermal cycling, as shown by X-ray diffraction and dilatometry; the CTE decreases from 9.3 × 10 - 6 to 6.6 × 10 - 6 ∘ C - 1 after thermal cycling. Neutron diffraction data from TiNiHf /glass composite reveal that the TiNiHf alloy absorbs residual stresses from the glass matrix during austenitic to martensitic phase transformation.
Intracellular α-ketoglutarate maintains the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells

The role of cellular metabolism in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation remains poorly understood. For example, most mammalian cells cannot proliferate without exogenous glutamine supplementation even though glutamine is a non-essential amino acid. Here we show that mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells grown under conditions that maintain naive pluripotency are capable of proliferation in the absence of exogenous glutamine. Despite this, ES cells consume high levels of exogenous glutamine when the metabolite is available. In comparison to more differentiated cells, naive ES cells utilize both glucose and glutamine catabolism to maintain a high level of intracellular α-ketoglutarate (αKG). Consequently, naive ES cells exhibit an elevated αKG to succinate ratio that promotes histone/DNA demethylation and maintains pluripotency. Direct manipulation of the intracellular αKG/succinate ratio is sufficient to regulate multiple chromatin modifications, including H3K27me3 and ten-eleven translocation (Tet)-dependent DNA demethylation, which contribute to the regulation of pluripotency-associated gene expression. In vitro, supplementation with cell-permeable αKG directly supports ES-cell self-renewal while cell-permeable succinate promotes differentiation. This work reveals that intracellular αKG/succinate levels can contribute to the maintenance of cellular identity and have a mechanistic role in the transcriptional and epigenetic state of stem cells.
Purification and partial characterization of a glucan containing indole-3-acetic acid.

The “bound auxin” of Zea mays, first described by Berger and Avery (Amer. J. Bot. 1944; 31: 199-203) has been purified and partially characterized. It is an indole-3-acetic acid-containing, high molecular weight, lipophilic cellulosicglucan. The indole-3-acetic acid is in ester linkage as evidenced by indoleacetamide formation upon ammonolysis. The glucan is of variable chain length and comprises, in general, 35 to 50 per cent of the dry weight of the compound. The glucosidic residues are β 1 → 4 linked and are hydrolyzed by cellulase. Mild acid hydrolysis produces cellobiose and cellotriose. Other components, as yet unidentified, of the compound are described.
Parent and Teacher Relationships as Predictors of School Engagement and Functioning Among Low-Income Urban Youth:

This investigation examined associations between early adolescents' relationships with parents and teachers and indicators of school-adjustment. Participants were primarily students of color (91% Latino) in a low-income urban environment, and analyses were conducted to examine the relative contributions of parent-child and teacher-student relationships to school adjustment among these youth. Findings indicated that parent-child relationship quality accounted for a significant portion of the variance in student-rated school engagement, school competence, and standardized achievement in reading. Teacher-student relationship quality accounted for a significant amount of variance in student-reported engagement, grades in language arts, grades in mathematics, and mathematical achievement. Unclear expectations in relationships with parents, and closeness-trust with teachers made particularly strong contributions to school adjustment. Interaction analyses between parent and teacher relationship factors were sign...
The short-term impacts of Earned Income Tax Credit disbursement on health

Background: There are conflicting findings regarding long- and short-term effects of income on health. Whereas higher average income is associated with better health, there is evidence that health behaviours worsen in the short-term following income receipt. Prior studies revealing such negative short-term effects of income receipt focus on specific subpopulations and examine a limited set of health outcomes. Methods: The United States Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is an income supplement tied to work, and is the largest poverty reduction programme in the USA. We utilize the fact that EITC recipients typically receive large cash transfers in the months of February, March and April, in order to examine associated changes in health outcomes that can fluctuate on a monthly basis. We examine associations with 30 outcomes in the categories of diet, food security, health behaviours, cardiovascular biomarkers, metabolic biomarkers and infection and immunity among 6925 individuals from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Survey. Our research design approximates a natural experiment, since whether individuals were sampled during treatment or non-treatment months is independent of social, demographic and health characteristics that do not vary with time. Results: There are both beneficial and detrimental short-term impacts of income receipt. Although there are detrimental impacts on metabolic factors among women, most other impacts are beneficial, including those for food security, smoking and trying to lose weight. Conclusions: The short-term impacts of EITC income receipt are not universally health promoting, but on balance there are more health benefits than detriments.
Obesity is a Predictor of Morbidity in 1,629 Patients Who Underwent Adrenalectomy

We examined the impact of obesity on 30-day outcomes of adrenalectomy using a multi-institutional database. Patients who underwent adrenalectomy in 2005–2008 according to the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) data set were grouped by body mass index (BMI): normal weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI = 25.0–29.9 kg/m2), obese (BMI = 30.0–34.9 kg/m2), and morbidly obese (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2). Outcomes of the higher BMI groups were compared to those of the normal BMI group using χ2, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate regression. There were 1,629 patients in the study: 22% were normal weight, 31% overweight, 22.2% obese, and 24.7% morbidly obese. Compared to normal-weight patients, obese and morbidly obese patients had a 12.5 and 16.7% increase in operation times (129 vs. 145 and 150 min, respectively, p ≤ 0.01) and sustained more wound complications (0.2 vs. 0.4 and 1.2%, p < 0.001), including superficial and deep wound infections (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). Morbid obesity independently predicted overall complications (odds ratio [OR] 2.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7–5.7), wound complications (OR 6.1, 95% CI: 2.0–18.9), and septic complications (OR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1–8.8). Obesity independently predicted longer total time in the operating room (p < 0.006). There were no differences in rates of reoperation and length of hospital stay by BMI category. Obesity is an independent risk factor that needs to be considered in surgical decisions regarding adrenalectomy. Morbidly obese adrenalectomy patients are particularly at risk for wound and septic complications.
Extensive bedded indoor and outdoor pig production systems in USA: current trends and effects on animal care and product quality

Abstract The objective of this review paper is to document extensive bedded indoor and outdoor pig production in the United States, which has expanded due to growing niche markets for natural and organic pork. Bedded hoop (tentlike) barns are used for finishing pigs and gestating sows. Seasonal outdoor farrowing and some indoor bedded farrowing systems coupled with group lactation are used also. Most natural pork markets require outdoor or bedded settings, no subtherapeutic antibiotics or growth promotants, no animal by-products in feed, and a family farm production setting. Hoop-fed pigs have more backfat, smaller loin area, and lower carcass yield compared with confinement-fed pigs. Hoop-fed pigs have fewer aberrant behaviors and handle easier than confinement pigs. Health is similar except for an increase in internal parasites in hoop-fed pigs. Pigs in hoops are in larger groups than in confinement. Biosecurity in hoops is more difficult due to incoming bedding and open access. Hoop-fed pig performance varies depending on thermal environment, which is closely related to season and climate. Bedded hoop barns with individual feeding stalls provide an acceptable environment for gestating sows. Overall, product quality differences are relatively minor compared with wide variations in rearing environment for extensively reared pigs.
Phase reconstruction by the weighted least action principle

The problem of phase reconstruction from intensity is considered in the paraxial geometrical optics regime. The data consist of intensity measurements on two planes orthogonal to the direction of propagation. A new variational principle is used to find the ray mapping between the planes. The mapping is found by minimizing an appropriate function. The minimization process involves a nonlinear partial differential equation. A numerical algorithm for solving this equation is described. The phase is then integrated from the ray mapping. Finally, the method and code are examined by applying them to simulated data.
Intensive treatment of diabetes is associated with a reduced rate of peripheral arterial calcification in the diabetes control and complications trial.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a significant contributor to the morbidity and mortality of >2 million Americans (1). In addition to its own specific disease risks, PAD has been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular mortality and coronary artery disease, as well as a general marker for the atherosclerotic disease process (2,3). PAD complications, especially in the lower limb, are significantly greater in individuals with diabetes compared with those without diabetes, and the risk imparted by diabetes is similar or greater in magnitude to that seen for ischemic heart disease and stroke (4,5). The aortofemoral arteries are prime sites for PAD; hence, determination of claudication and measurement of blood flow in the lower extremities are the most common assessments (6). A relatively low ankle systolic blood pressure (ankle-to-brachial ratio index [ABI]) has been found to be an indicator of atherosclerosis/occlusion in this region (5). Conversely, in diabetes, a high-pressure ABI due to medial wall arterial calcification and noncompressible vessels may also be associated with adverse outcomes, including diabetic kidney disease (7). Sex differences have been reported in ABI measurements in type 1 diabetes, with women having a greater frequency of low ABI and men having a higher frequency of high ABI (7). Here, we extend these analyses by examining the effect of previous intensive diabetes management on the development of abnormally high and low ABIs in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) cohort with the hypothesis that …
Programmed Cell Death during Malaria Parasite Infection of the Vertebrate Host and Mosquito Vector

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the role of programmed cell death (PCD) in the malaria parasite’s infection of its vertebrate host and mosquito vector. Although the evidence that PCD occurs within malaria parasites themselves is currently limited and controversial, a significant body of research now indicates that PCD of both vertebrate host and mosquito vector cells plays an important, if still incompletely understood, role during infection with this parasite. A greater understanding of the role of PCD during malaria infection of the vertebrate host and mosquito vector may lead to the development of novel intervention strategies that can reduce the burden of the disease. Here we review the current evidence for the existence of PCD within malaria parasites themselves and discuss the recent fascinating advances in our understanding of the occurrence of PCD in vertebrate host and mosquito vector cells during malaria infection.
Tribological properties of stainless steels treated by colossal carbon supersaturation

Abstract A promising, alternative surface treatment to traditional case carburizing was recently developed. It enables extremely high (‘colossal’) supersaturation of carbon (up to 12 at.%) in austenitic stainless steel surfaces. This new treatment offers the advantage of hardening the surface while still retaining the corrosion resistance of stainless steels. In this study, the tribological properties of the colossal supersaturation carburized Type 316 stainless steel were investigated and benchmarked against non-treated steel. The carburized surfaces exhibited higher hardness, higher elastic modulus, and higher resistance to acid etching than non-treated surfaces. Hot hardness measurements were conducted and linear relations between the hardness and temperature were observed for both treated and non-treated specimens. The friction and wear characteristics were evaluated at both room and elevated temperatures (200 and 400 °C) under non-lubricated sliding conditions (pin-on-disk). Additional room-temperature tests were performed in salt water. Improved wear-resistance was observed on the treated surfaces at all test conditions, though less benefit was observed at elevated temperatures or in salt water.
Encrypting the internet

End-to-end communication encryption is considered necessary for protecting the privacy of user data in the Internet. Only a small fraction of all Internet traffic, however, is protected today. The primary reason for this neglect is economic, mainly security protocol speed and cost. In this paper we argue that recent advances in the implementation of cryptographic algorithms can make general purpose processors capable of encrypting packets at line rates. This implies that the Internet can be gradually transformed to an information delivery infrastructure where all traffic is encrypted and authenticated. We justify our claim by presenting technologies that accelerate end-to-end encryption and authentication by a factor of 6 and a high performance TLS 1.2 protocol implementation that takes advantage of these innovations. Our implementation is available in the public domain for experimentation.
Theoretical prediction of dynamic range and intensity discrimination for electrical noise-modulated pulse-train stimuli

We investigate dynamic range and intensity discrimination for electrical noise-modulated pulse-train stimuli using a stochastic auditory nerve model (Bruce, I.C. et al., IEEE Trans. Biomed Eng., vol.46, no.6, p.617-29, 1999). Based on a hypothesized monotonic relationship between loudness and the number of spikes, the theoretical prediction of the most uncomfortable level was determined by comparing spike counts to a fixed threshold (Bruce et al., IEEE Trans. Biomed Eng., vol.46, no.6, p.1393-1404, 1999). However, no specific rule for determining this fixed number has previously been suggested. We determine the most uncomfortable level based on the excitation pattern of the basilar membrane in a normal ear. The number of fibers corresponding to the portion of the basilar membrane driven at an uncomfortable stimulus level in a normal ear is related to the most uncomfortable spiking number. The intensity discrimination limens are predicted using signal detection theory via the probability mass function (PMF) of the neural response and via experimental simulations. The results show that the uncomfortable level for a pulse-train stimulus increases slightly as noise level increases. Combining this with our previous threshold predictions (Xu and Collins, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng.), we hypothesize that the dynamic range for noise-modulated pulse-train stimuli increases with additive noise. However, since our predictions indicate that intensity discrimination under noise degrades, the overall intensity coding performance does not improve significantly.
Closing the loop between project network simulation research and pedagogy

The introduction of simulation into pedagogy has been demonstrated by researchers to enhance learning outcomes. However, the use of simulation in classroom environments can provide an opportunity to pretest simulation research designs and to identify new potential avenues of theoretical inquiry that can be explored through simulation research. This paper presents the results of five years of experience integrating simulation research on project networks into project management courses. Initial attempts to integrate research-oriented computational simulation models met with limited success. An intermediary set of in-class exercises and a simplified web-based version of the project network simulation were created to expose students to the impact of network structure on adaptation performance. This strengthened comprehension by the students. However, it also led to an iterative expansion of the research from a narrow focus on network relational stability to include designs focused on cultural and linguistic differences, retention loss and opportunistic behavior.