cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of shadow moire technique to board level manufacturing technologies

Shadow moire technique is already well-established as a technique for evaluating component warpage. Improvements to the metrology have increased its usefulness for evaluating various board-level manufacturing technologies. This experiment used the technique for two key board-level applications: i) Bare printed circuit board (PCB) warpage during the lead-free reflow: PCB warpage is becoming more significant due to the higher temperature required for lead-free reflow. This work used shadow moire dynamic reflow simulation to explore the effect of three variables - board thickness, glass transition temperature, and vendors - on board warpage. The test data showed clearly that board thickness is the most significant variable; ii) Assembled board warpage under mechanical preload from thermal solutions and under thermal cycling: One of the heatsink design approaches for desktop motherboards is to apply a preload to the CPU area of a motherboard in order to ensure thermal performance. This approach requires a more careful control of the preload. Board warpage is significant and is identified as a good metrology for preload estimation. Motherboards under three different preloads in the CPU area were measured. Both the global board warpage and the local board warpage around the CPU area were measured for preload correlations. The measured board warpage was correlated to the board preload successfully. In addition to these two issues, other examples are discussed briefly to demonstrate the capability of the board level shadow moire technique. The work proved that the metrology has become an indispensable thermal-mechanical analysis for manufacturing technology evolutions.
Microwave assisted chemical vapor infiltration

The purpose of this program is to develop a new process for the fabrication of ceramic matrix composites by chemical vapor infiltration. This period has been devoted in part to the exploration of material systems suitable for MACVI processing. A number of potential processing schemes are possible using combinations of absorbing and transparent material as composite components. This includes the use of an absorbing preform (nicalon fiber) combined with a transparent matrix (silicon nitride). Composites 5 cm in diameter by 1 cm. thick have been fabricated to densities of 65% theoretical. Processing times for these materials are under 20 hours. Higher densities will require additional microwave power now possible with the new reactor. The most effective MACVI scheme will involve the use of a transparent fiber with an absorbing matrix. The hot spot will be initiated by appropriate treatment of the central region of the preform. To this end alumna fibers with pretreatments to control thermal gradients has been explored. Nextel 610 fibers have been effectively pretreated carbon coating resulting in preferential heating in the interior of the preform. Possible matrix materials include siliconized silicon carbide, doped silicon carbide, alumna and zirconia. A patent for MACVI has been issued 10/19/93.
Single-ended Coding Techniques for Off-chip Interconnects to Commodity Memory

This paper introduces a class of single-ended coding schemes to reduce off-chip interconnect energy consumption. State-of-the-art codes for processor-memory off-chip interfaces require the transmitter and receiver (memory controller and memory) to collaborate using current and previously transmitted values to encode and decode data. Modern embedded systems, however, cannot afford to use such double-ended codes that require specialized memories to participate in the code. In contrast, a single-ended code enables the memory controller to encode data stored in memory and subsequently decode that data when it is retrieved, allowing the use of commodity memories. In this paper, single-ended codes are presented that assign limited-weight codewords using trace-based mapping techniques. Simulation results show that such codes can reduce the energy consumption of an uncoded off-chip interconnect by up to 42.5%
Poly(lactic acid) Toughening with a Better Balance of Properties

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) toughening is often associated with significant modulus and/or strength losses making it unsuitable for many consumer and biomedical applications. The major objective of this research was to toughen PLA without significant loss in modulus and strength and to introduce reactive acid groups using reactive blending of PLA with a combination of polymers. PLA was reactive blended with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) followed by physical blending with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in solution. The modified PLA was extruded into films using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder and characterized using tensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA). This technology resulted in films with a ten-fold increase in toughness compared to neat PLA with little or no decrease in strength and modulus.
Noncollision Singularities: Do Four Bodies Suffice?

A heuristic model is presented for a solution of the planar Newtonian four-body problem which has a noncollision singularity.
Apolipoprotein E ε4 and clinical phenotype in schizophrenia

Vol 350 • December 20/27, 1997 1857 onset schizophrenia may also have earlystage Alzheimer’s disease. Although, we found no between-group differences in age at onset or the time of study, IgataYi and colleagues have reported a lower APOE e4 frequency in young-onset schizophrenics than in the elderly-onset group. The possible relation between clinical phenotype in schizophrenia and APOE e4 deserves further investigation.
Altered spinal arachidonic acid turnover after peripheral nerve injury regulates regional glutamate concentration and neuropathic pain behaviors in rats

Spinal glutamate transporters (GT) have been implicated in the mechanisms of neuropathic pain; however, how spinal GT uptake activity is regulated remains unclear. Here we show that alteration of spinal arachidonic acid (AA) turnover after peripheral nerve injury regulated regional GT uptake activity and glutamate homeostasis. Chronic constriction nerve injury (CCI) in rats significantly reduced spinal GT uptake activity ((3)H-glutamate uptake) with an associated increase in extracellular AA and glutamate concentration from spinal microdialysates on postoperative day 8. AACOCF3 (a cytosolic phospholipase A2 inhibitor, 30mug) given intrathecally twice a day for postoperative day 1-7 reversed this CCI-induced spinal AA production, prevented the reduced spinal GT uptake activity and increased extracellular glutamate concentration. Conversely, alteration of spinal AA metabolism by diclofenac (a cyclooxygenase 1/2 inhibitor, 200mug) further reduced spinal GT uptake activity and increased extracellular glutamate concentration in CCI rats. GT uptake activity was also attenuated when AA (10 or 100nM) was directly added into spinal samples of naive rats in an in vitro(3)H-glutamate uptake assay, indicating a direct inhibitory effect of AA on GT uptake activity. Consistent with these findings, AACOCF3 reduced the development of both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, whereas diclofenac exacerbated thermal hyperalgesia, in CCI rats. Thus, spinal AA turnover may serve as a regulator in CCI-induced changes in regional GT uptake activity, glutamate homeostasis, and neuropathic pain behaviors. These data suggest that regulating spinal AA turnover may be a useful approach to improving the clinical management of neuropathic pain.
An Enterprise Electronic Contract Management System using Dual XML and Secure PDF Documents

As most current electronic contract management systems work well for only a few but not all processes in a contract lifecycle because of their inabilities to handle electronic documents in more than one file format simultaneously. In this paper, we present an efficient and automated enterprise electronic contract management system using both XML and secure PDF documents. The advantages of such dual file formats are to provide the best capabilities and functionalities for contract creation, negotiation, execution and data mining. The structured XML document allows an easy and flexible way to create, negotiate, revise and finalize a contract while the PDF document permits adding signature as watermark on a secure signed contract. A novel conversion method to convert between these two file formats is also described.
Climate change, biofuels, and global food security

There is a new urgency to improve the accuracy of predicting climate change impact on crop yields because the balance between food supply and demand is shifting abruptly from surplus to deficit. This reversal is being driven by a rapid rise in petroleum prices and, in response, a massive global expansion of biofuel production from maize, oilseed, and sugar crops. Soon the price of these commodities will be determined by their value as feedstock for biofuel rather than their importance as human food or livestock feed [1]. The expectation that petroleum prices will remain high and supportive government policies in several major crop producing countries are providing strong momentum for continued expansion of biofuel production capacity and the associated pressures on global food supply.
Religious and non-religious components in substance abuse treatment: A comparative analysis of faith-based and secular interventions:

SummaryRecently, faith-based organizations have become increasingly welcomed as government partners in providing services for chronic social problems. In many countries including the United States policies permit social service and healthcare providers that utilize religious practices to be eligible for public funding. The government’s support of faith-based programs has provided increased capacity and gives clients more choice in providers. However, providers and policy makers have limited knowledge about the nature and treatment regimen of faith-based interventions. This qualitative study examined 28 faith-based and 27 secular substance abuse treatment programs in the United States using grounded theory methods to develop models of religious influences.FindingsThe comparison yielded major differences. Secular programs allow religious practices but consider them voluntary components. Faith-based programs adopt one of the two strategies. Some selectively introduce religious practices but separate them fro...
Containing and Resisting Masculinity: Narratives of Renegotiation Among Resilient Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Male childhood sexual abuse survivors face the same social pressures as other men to live up to the tenets of masculinity. However, they contend with a disjuncture between cultural definitions of manhood and the discordant experience of sexual victimization. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 resilient men varying in age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. The authors analyzed the men’s narratives concerning male role socialization for toughness, stoicism, and aggressive sexuality, as well as the impact of childhood sexual abuse. Results indicate that in their paths toward recovery, the participants repeatedly described both containing and resisting traditional masculine roles and made conscious choices not to become perpetrators. The importance of raising awareness about masculinity myths in clinical interventions is discussed.
A universal combinatorial design of antibody framework to graft distinct CDR sequences: A bioinformatics approach

Antibody (Ab) humanization is crucial to generate clinically relevant biologics from hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study, we integrated antibody structural information from the Protein Data Bank with known back-to-mouse mutational data to build a universal consensus of framework positions (10 heavy and 7 light) critical for the preservation of the functional conformation of the Complimentarity Determining Region of antibodies. On the basis of FR consensus, we describe here a universal combinatorial library suitable for humanizing exogenous antibodies by CDR-grafting. The six CDRs of the murine anti-human EGFR Fab M225 were grafted onto a distinct (low FR sequence similarity to M225) human FR sequence that incorporates at the 17 FR consensus positions the permutations of the naturally observed amino acid diversities. Ten clones were selected from the combinatorial library expressing phage-displayed humanized M225 Fabs. Surprisingly, 2 of the 10 clones were found to bind EGFR with stronger affinity than M225. Cell-based assays demonstrated that the 10 selected clones retained epitope specificity by blocking EGFR phosphorylation and thus hindering cellular proliferation. Our results suggest that there is a universal and structurally rigid near-CDR set of FR positions that cooperatively support the binding conformation of CDRs.
INTERACTIONS OF AN INSECTICIDE WITH COMPETITION AND POND DRYING IN AMPHIBIAN COMMUNITIES

Amphibian populations are often imbedded in agricultural landscapes. Therefore the potential for contamination of their habitat is considerable. Our study examined the effects of an insecticide (carbaryl, a neurotoxin), on larval amphibian communities experiencing natural stresses of competition for resources, predation, and pond drying. In a set of experimental ponds, tadpoles of three anuran species (southern leopard frog [Rana sphenocephala], plains leopard frog [R. blairi], and the Woodhouse's toad [Bufo woodhousii]) were added to 1000-L ponds containing leaf litter, plankton, two newts (Notophthalmus viridescens), and four overwintered green frog (R. clamitans) tadpoles. We manipulated the overall tadpole density (low or high), pond hydroperiod (constant or drying), and chemical exposure (0, 3.5, 5.0, or 7.0 mg/L carbaryl) of the ponds. We measured mass, time, and survival to metamorphosis to determine treatment effects. Carbaryl positively affected Woodhouse's toad survival, although it had a neglig...
Quantitative studies of stimulus coding in first-order vibrissa afferents of rats. 1. Receptive field properties and threshold distributions.

We examined stimulus-response relationships of vibrissa-activated mechanosensory neurons of the rat's fifth (trigeminal) ganglion. Single-unit activity was recorded with tungsten microelectrodes. The vibrissae were deflected with a variety of parametrically controlled stimulus waveforms.We found that the receptive field of each vibrissa-activated neuron consisted of a single vibrissa. Few, if any, unambiguous examples of spontaneous activity were observed in these neurons. Even if true spontaneous activity was present, its observed incidence was low, as were the measured discharge rates.Thresholds of individual neurons were usually quite discrete; often a 1-2% increase in pulse magnitude (angular displacement) above a level to which the neuron did not respond caused it to discharge on every trial. The distribution of thresholds for the sample was continuous with a median of about 1° and a range of over three orders of magnitude. The most sensitive neurons responded to deflections of less than 0.1°. Many n...
A project to increase educator cultural competence in mentoring at-risk nursing students

The purpose of this pilot project was to enhance faculty cultural competency in mentoring diverse students. The project was based upon Dr. Campinha-Bacote's Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services model. A pretest–posttest design measured educator cultural competency in mentoring using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals for Mentoring (IAPCC-M). Fisher's analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in educator cultural competency with a two-tailed P value of 0.0011.
Boeing (D): No Nerds, No Birds Employee Rights

This series of six cases (labeled A through F, UVA-E-0233 through UVA-E-0238) presents the various dilemmas that arose in the spring of 2001 when engineers at the Seattle-based Boeing Company, unhappy with management decisions, contemplated and undertook a strike, the first "white-collar" work stoppage in the history of American business.
Synthesis and characterization of a series of Group 4 phenoxy-thiol derivatives

Abstract A series of Group 4 phenoxy-thiols were developed from the reaction products of a series of metal tert-butoxides ([M(OBut)4]) with four equivalents of 4-mercaptophenol (H-4MP). The products were found by single crystal X-ray diffraction to adopt the general structure [(HOBut)(4MP)3M(μ-4MP)]2 [where M = Ti (1), Zr (2), Hf (3)] from toluene and [(py)2M(4MP)] where M = Ti (4), Zr (5) and [(py)(4MP)3Hf(μ-4MP)]2 (6) from pyridine (py). Varying the [Ti(OR)4] precursors (OR = iso-propoxide (OPri) or neo-pentoxide (ONep)) in toluene led to [(HOR)(4MP)3Ti(μ-4MP)]2 (OR = OPri (7), ONep (8)), which were structurally similar to 1. Lower stoichiometric reactions in toluene led to partial substitution by the 4MP ligands yielding [H][Ti(μ-4MP)(4MP)(ONep)3]2 (9). Independent of the stoichiometry, all of the Ti derivatives were found to be red in color, whereas the heavier congeners were colorless. Attempts to understand this phenomenon led to investigation with a series of varied –SH substituted phenols. From the reaction of H-2MP and H-3MP (2-mercaptophenol and 3-mercaptophenol, respectively), the isolated products had identical arrangements: [(ONep)2(2MP)Ti(μ,η2-2MP)]2 (10) and [(HOR)(3MP)M(μ-3MP)]2 (M/OR = Ti/ONep (11); Zr/OBut (12)) with a similar red color. Based on the simulated and observed UV–Vis spectra, it was reasoned that the color was generated due to a ligand-to-metal charge transfer for Ti that was not available for the larger congeners.
Understanding the Ensemble Kalman Filter

ABSTRACTThe ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a computational technique for approximate inference in state-space models. In typical applications, the state vectors are large spatial fields that are observed sequentially over time. The EnKF approximates the Kalman filter by representing the distribution of the state with an ensemble of draws from that distribution. The ensemble members are updated based on newly available data by shifting instead of reweighting, which allows the EnKF to avoid the degeneracy problems of reweighting-based algorithms. Taken together, the ensemble representation and shifting-based updates make the EnKF computationally feasible even for extremely high-dimensional state spaces. The EnKF is successfully used in data-assimilation applications with tens of millions of dimensions. While it implicitly assumes a linear Gaussian state-space model, it has also turned out to be remarkably robust to deviations from these assumptions in many applications. Despite its successes, the EnKF is ...
Research and the Clinical Dietitian: Some Perceptions of the Research Process, Potential Barriers to Participation, and Routes to Skill Enrichment

Abstract The profession of dietetics is rooted in research, and while the philosophical commitment to participating in research has been a part of the profession since its inception, the reality is that clinical dietitians do not often participate in research. Six focus group sessions were held with clinical dietitians in Tennessee (n=35) and 3 sessions were held at the 1998 ADA Annual Meeting (n=18) in order to address this issue. All sessions were facilitated using a structured question format, where similar issues were addressed at each of the 9 separate sessions. Attendees recognized the importance that research findings play in their practice, but barriers to participation were widely realized. Several attendees indicated that they had ideas or questions that would merit research. However, lack of time to pursue such interests was a common concern. Further, low comfort levels with initiating and conducting research were problematic. While many attendees had participated in research projects as a part of their educational and professional preparation for dietetics, these experiences were not generally viewed as applicable to the clinical arena in which they now work. Lastly, seeing clinical dietetics as separate from research dietetics was a primary topic of discussion. Dietitians' perceived needs in order to facilitate involvement in the research process included collaborating with an academic dietitian, thereby fostering a mentoring relationship. Further, having a clinical manager that is supportive of dietetics staff in their efforts to participate in research with other health care professionals was also key. The realities of time and money constraints were pervasive, and while gaining administrative support was seen as a key to surmounting this barrier, few attendees had had success with this strategy. These focus groups provided a snapshot of clinical dietitians' views of their place in the research process. Given that changes in the healthcare environment are going to require increased involvement in the research process by those members of the profession that actively engage in patient care, these findings offer valuable insight into promising ways to address potential barriers.
Party Committee Targeting and the Evolution of Competition in US House Elections

AbstractThis paper examines the effects of the increased role of party organizations in the recruitment and funding of congressional candidates in the US House post-1994. The recent uncertainty over which party will gain majority control of the House has transformed the role of party organizations in House campaigns. Despite the new resources devoted to each competitive seat in the House we find minimal changes in the overall competitiveness of US House elections. Additionally, the vast majority of potentially competitive seats do not draw a high quality challenger. Our results suggest that if parties recruited more quality candidates in the full range of these conceivably winnable seats this effort could produce more competitive seats or more seat turnover in the House.
Phenomenological look at the experiences of Filipina correspondence or Internet brides

1. Donna Lynne L. Demanarig[1][1][⇑][2] 2. Javieska Acosta[1][1] 1. 1Gateway Community College, New Haven, CT, USA 1. Donna Lynne L. Demanarig, Gateway Community College, 20 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. Email: ddemanarig{at}gwcc.commnet.edu; ddemanar{at}bridgeport.edu Studies on women’s experiences as correspondence or Internet brides that were conducted used survey instruments, interviews, and other tests created and normed on U.S. populations. This study specifically examined the experiences of Filipina women who have utilized an international dating agency or other venues to meet their husbands. It attempted to phenomenologically extract the essence of this population’s experiences as correspondence or Internet brides. Phenomenological analysis was conducted on the experiences of seven Filipina correspondence or Internet brides. Forty-four categories were determined and collapsed into eight broad themes: connection with the Filipino culture while acculturating to U.S. culture, negotiating the self, importance of family, correspondence experiences, connecting with her husband, resilience, betrayal, and the importance of one’s socioeconomic status . The women’s experiences were comparable with the previous literature, including the dichotomy with gender roles, the need to maintain harmony in their marital relationships, and maintaining a sense of independence. [1]: #aff-1 [2]: #corresp-1
A Method for Reducing Noise and Complexity in Yield Analysis for Manufacturing Process Workflows

In this paper, we present an approach to analyze a process workflow for the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits in order to identify the source(s) of yield loss. Specifically, we address computational challenges using Bayesian analysis to isolate key process steps affecting the global yield loss of a given workflow. Bayesian inference algorithms incur a heavy computational penalty when applied to large graphs with repetitions, un-modeled interactions, and reentrants, all of which are commonly found in semiconductor manufacturing workflows. We are able to improve the performance of the diagnostic inference process by “folding” and “clustering” nodes, where possible, to simplify the analysis. We also include the effect of un-modeled interactions called latent effects by using a memory efficient auxiliary relaxation. Finally, we present a method to strategically reverse the simplifications, when necessary, so that the accuracy of the inference result is not compromised. The analysis process is shown to be effective at identifying the root cause of global yield discrepancies in a semiconductor manufacturing workflow. We also show that auxiliary relaxation improves the convergence properties of the inference algorithm and reduces the net uncertainty and noise in the final result.
Discussion on the drinking cycle of barrelled drinking water and the interval time in drinking water dispensers disinfection

Objective: To know the drinking cycle of barrelled drinking water and the interval time in drinking water dispensers disinfection,and to provide the guidance and suggestion for the consumers.Methods: The barrelled drinking water in use and 10 sterilized drinking water dispensers were taken as experimental subjects to detect changes of drinking water,hot water outlet,cold water outlet and inner container of drinking water dispensers in different time periods.Results: It was safe that the barrelled drinking water was used in 5 days,and it was risk of health and safety after using days,all of aerobic plate count were unqualified after using 10 days.Microbiological examination results showed that aerobic plate count had the most significant changes when drinking water dispensers were disinfected in 5 months,the inner container was the most vulnerable to pollution among three places,which was found bacterial pollutions in half a month,pollutions of moulds and yeasts in a month.Conclusion: In order to avoid second contamination and ensure health for drinking,it is suggested that the barrelled drinking water should be used within 7 days and try to drink hot water after 3 days.Drinking water dispensers should be cleaned and disinfected every month,it is best that they are cleaned and disinfected every half a month in summer.
Rates, trends, and short-term outcomes of colorectal resections for endometriosis: An ACS-NSQIP review

Abstract Background There is a paucity of literature regarding rates, trends, and outcomes of women with endometriosis undergoing elective colorectal resections in the United States. It was been suggested that endometriosis requiring colorectal resection is well suited for minimally invasive surgery. Materials and methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) database was searched from 2005 to 2014 for all elective colorectal resections performed for endometriosis. The proportion of resections was compared over time using a Cochran-Armitage test for trend. Univariate comparisons were made between patients with laparoscopic vs open resections. Results A total of 101,686 women underwent elective colorectal resections, of which 268 (0.26%) were performed for endometriosis. The proportion of endometriosis as the indication for resection increased over time (R 2 = 0.77). Mean age was 42.9 ± 8.4 years with 72.8% non-Hispanic white. Median body mass index was 25.8 [interquartile range: 23.0, 31.5]. Overall, patients were healthy (82.8% American Society of Anesthesiologists classification I or II). Median length of stay was 4 [3, 6] days and 14.2% suffered any complication, with 9.0% having a minor complication and 7.1% having a major complication. There were no 30-day mortalities. The majority of cases (97.4%) were performed by a general/colorectal surgeon and the remainder by gynecologists. Forty-five (16.8%) underwent concurrent hysterectomy. Comparing open (n = 124) to laparoscopic approaches (n = 144) revealed no differences other than a longer length of stay (5 vs 4 days, p Conclusions Endometriosis is a rare but increasing indication for elective colorectal resection at participating hospitals. The short-term outcomes after colorectal resection in this young and healthy population are acceptable and our data suggests that minimally invasive surgery should be considered in these patients.
Effect of perilymphatic fistulas on evoked otoacoustic emissions in the guinea pig.

Round window perilymphatic fistulas were surgically created in 20 guinea pigs. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) at 2fl - f2 were recorded prior to and immediately following laceration of the round window. The stimuli were equal level sinusoids (f1 < f2) with f2 ranging from 2 to 10 kHz, a fixed f2:f1 ratio of 1.25, and stimulus levels (L2 = L1) ranging from 20 to 80 dB SPL. After an 18-day survival period, emission measurements were repeated, and fluorescein was infused into the cerebrospinal fluid to verify patency or closure of the fistula. Nine animals demonstrated patent fistulas, whereas 11 had closed fistulas. There was a statistically significant reduction in DPOAE amplitude after an acute fistula across all stimulus levels (p < .001). At 18 days the DPOAE amplitudes in animals with healed fistulas could not be differentiated from controls, whereas DPOAE amplitudes in animals with patent fistulas were statistically different from controls (p < .05). The results suggest that evoked otoacoustic emissions may be useful in detecting perilymphatic fistulas.
EIN2-dependent regulation of acetylation of histone H3K14 and non-canonical histone H3K23 in ethylene signalling

Ethylene gas is essential for many developmental processes and stress responses in plants. EIN2 plays a key role in ethylene signalling but its function remains enigmatic. Here, we show that ethylene specifically elevates acetylation of histone H3K14 and the non-canonical acetylation of H3K23 in etiolated seedlings. The up-regulation of these two histone marks positively correlates with ethylene-regulated transcription activation, and the elevation requires EIN2. Both EIN2 and EIN3 interact with a SANT domain protein named EIN2 nuclear associated protein 1 (ENAP1), overexpression of which results in elevation of histone acetylation and enhanced ethylene-inducible gene expression in an EIN2-dependent manner. On the basis of these findings we propose a model where, in the presence of ethylene, the EIN2 C terminus contributes to downstream signalling via the elevation of acetylation at H3K14 and H3K23. ENAP1 may potentially mediate ethylene-induced histone acetylation via its interactions with EIN2 C terminus.
Abstract 315: Caspase-1 Activation is Critical for Endothelial Cell Activation, Monocyte Recruitment, and Early Atherogenesis

Activation of caspase-1(Casp-1), an inflammatory protease in a protein complex termed inflammasome, has been demonstrated to play an essential role in sensing environmental and metabolic danger signals and initiating inflammation. Our goal of this study is to examine a novel hypothesis that Casp-1 activation in endothelial cells (ECs) plays a critical role in promoting EC activation and accelerating early atherogenesis. We first found that hyperlipidemia induced casp-1 expression and activation in mouse aorta along with atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-/- mice with high fat (HF) diet feeding. By generating the ApoE-/-/Casp-1-/- mice, we then found that the deficiency of Casp-1 in ApoE-/- background significantly attenuated early atherosclerotic lesion formation in mouse aortic sinus (42% reduction comparing to that ApoE-/- mice (n=9)) when fed with a HF diet for 3 weeks. Mechanistically, we found that the ApoE-/-/Casp-1-/- mice had significantly less CD11b+/F4/80- monocytes (0.2% vs 0.4% in ApoE-/- mice(n=10)) and CD11b+/F4/80+ macrophages (0.9% vs 1.8% in ApoE-/- mice) infiltration into mouse aorta after 3-week HF diet. Moreover, we found that there were less cytokine and chemokine expressions in the aorta of ApoE-/-/Casp-1-/- mice in comparison to that of ApoE-/- mice. Furthermore, the deficiency of Casp-1 attenuated hyperlipidemia-induced EC activation by inhibiting adhesion molecules including intercellular adhesion molecule 1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and E-selectin up-regulation both in mouse aorta and primary mouse aortic ECs. In in vitro experiments, we found that oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and two oxLDL active components, lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid, induced Casp-1 activation through Reactive Oxygen Species pathway in human aortic ECs (HAECs). Finally, Casp-1 inhibitors attenuated oxLDL-induced monocyte adhesion to HAECs. Collectively, our data have demonstrated that Casp-1/inflammasome in ECs can sense hyperlipidemia and become activated, which drive EC activation and monocyte recruitment into aorta and promote early atherogenesis.
The Ambidextrous Lawyer: Conflict of Interest and the Medieval Legal Profession

In the medieval era, ambidexterity, the medieval term for conflict of interest, appeared in two primary contexts: lawyer discipline and the civil liability of lawyers to victims of their misconduct. This paper studies ambidexterity, a common form of medieval lawyer misconduct, in these two contexts. The paper examines the medieval regulation of ambidexterity by analyzing the different types of conflicts, the specific loyalty duties and their rationales, and the sanctions applied. Finally, the analysis identifies the ways in which medieval conflict of interest regulation is both similar to and dissimilar from its modern treatment. The paper identifies about 75 cases, arising primarily from 1278-1400, which were classified for discussion into five categories: switching sides in the same litigation (classic ambidexterity), adversity to a former client, adversity to a client on an unrelated matter, simultaneous representation of multiple plaintiffs or defendants, and conflicts with a lawyer's personal interest. The paper concludes that these judicially developed loyalty norms were strongest and most commonly and strictly applied to classic ambidexterity, but that loyalty duties were also owed to former clients. In both categories, protection of confidentiality played an important role. Loyalty norms also arose with regard to adversity to client on an unrelated matter, but differently as it was created consensually through contractual retainers, not by judicial or regulatory fiat. Implementation of these norms occurred in lawyers' suits for arrearages in the annuities owed by clients. Potential conflicts of interest, simultaneous representation of multiple parties, were not treated as problematic and no loyalty norms arose in such cases. Nor were conflicts with a lawyer's personal interest considered a significant problem. Finally, although the medieval cases revealed interesting similarities with modern conflict of interest regulation, the differences were more pronounced. The medieval conduct was more egregious, the loyalty duties narrower, and the remedies more limited although more punitive. The paper then considers the civil liability of lawyers to victims of ambidexterity. This portion of the paper begins with a preliminary survey of the evolution of the civil liability of lawyers. The discussion then moves to an analysis of about 30 cases involving civil liability. The paper concludes, based on this subset of cases involving ambidexterity, that the civil liability of lawyers evolved apart from the development of negligence based liability and that the civil liability of lawyers was more limited in several respects than its modern counterpart. The paper concludes with some general conclusions regarding the medieval treatment of ambidexterity and by suggesting further areas of useful research.
What Is the Future of Cell-Based Therapy for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Although therapy for cardiovascular disease has led to consistent annual declines in mortality, myocardial infarction still represents an irreversible injury to the myocardium leading to the substrate for heart failure and sudden cardiac death.1 Indeed, the extent of scar resulting from myocardial infarction is an important predictor of mortality.2 Even with timely coronary intervention, infarct size is a significant problem likely exacerbated by ischemia/reperfusion injury.3 Supported by preclinical studies, cell-based therapy has emerged as an attractive treatment for minimizing/reversing the effects of myocardial infarction in patients.4,5 Article, see p 324 Stem cell (SC) mobilization from the bone marrow to acutely injured tissue significantly enhancing wound healing was first observed in a mouse skin wound model.6 Large animal models demonstrated that SC therapy produces significant improvements in acute myocardial infarction (AMI),7,8 leading to clinical trials for SC therapy in patients with AMI and heart failure. Bone marrow–derived SC therapy for AMI is safe. Unfortunately, the hypoxic post-AMI environment is hostile to cardiomyocytes and migrating or introduced SCs, and this proapoptotic milieu may be the limiting factor clinically. However, a recent meta-analysis reported that patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who received bone marrow–derived SCs exhibited improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and reduced infarct size and remodeling (Table).9 View this table: Table 1. Randomized Control Trials Evaluating CD34+ Bone Marrow–Derived Stem Cell Therapy for Acute Myocardial Infarction Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow–derived mononuclear cells expressing both hematopoietic SC and endothelial cell markers. The prototypical EPC, selected on the basis of CD34 expression (CD34+), promotes neovascularization and regeneration.13 The neovascular effects were demonstrated in a Phase I/II trial, where CD34+ EPCs administered to patients with refractory angina pectoris, decreased the frequency of events, and increased exercise tolerance as compared to placebo-treated patients. …
Factors associated with complementary medicine use in pediatric musculoskeletal conditions: Results from a national survey

Abstract Objectives Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common in children, but its use has only been investigated in children with musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) to a limited extent. We aimed to characterize factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions. Methods Within the 2012 National Health Interview Survey dataset (including its child CAM supplement), we examined factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions and performed an analysis examining the perceived usefulness of CAM therapies for MSK conditions. Results Overall, there were 10,218 children in the dataset. 28.0% of children with MSK conditions used CAM, compared to 8.8% of children without MSK conditions. Gender (p=0.003), region (p=0.001), race (p=0.001), parental CAM use (p Conclusions Several factors, particularly parental education and parental CAM use, were associated with CAM use, and self-reported improvement rates were high. Interventional trials are needed to determine the efficacy of specific CAM therapies for treating different MSK conditions in children.
Blogging and Tweeting about Teaching: Teachers’ Perceptions of Informal Online Professional Networks

The genre of Fantastic literature deals with intersections of the natural and supernatural worlds. The fantastic experience is one of doubt, felt both by reader and protagonists as they attempt to reconcile a possible supernatural occurrence with the rules of the natural world. Cocteau’s Les Enfants Terribles, examines the fantastic’s role in the divide between childhood and adulthood, in which the fantastic and the natural worlds become the spheres of childhood and adulthood, respectively. Creative play allows children to fully experience the fantastic. However, the fantastic, like childhood, is fleeting and attempts to maintain it result in ostracism; the fantastic violates the accepted norms of the natural adult world. This research broadened the scope of research on the fantastic as a genre. Theories of the fantastic have been applied to literary texts written in the late 18th and 19th century, but have not been previously applied to modern texts, which go beyond the conventional fantastic experiences detailed in the works of Tzvetan Todorov and Rosemary Jackson. Todorov’s definition of the fantastic classifies fantastic experiences themselves as brief, while Jackson’s list of recurrent fantastic themes are best suited to works written before the establishment of the prevailing scientific paradigm. Modern literary perspective is rooted in psychological explanations for what was previously classified as fantastic. In modern literature, the fantastic’s place as the divide between the “marvelous” and the “uncanny” is unsustainable and must be redefined so that modern fantastic experiences may occupy the spaces between freewheeling creativity and abnormal psychology.
Chronic orchialgia: epidemiology, diagnosis and evaluation.

Chronic orchialgia is a vexing condition defined as chronic or intermittent scrotal pain lasting at least three months that significantly interferes with daily activities. There are currently no guidelines regarding the diagnosis and management of this condition despite it being the cause of 2.5–4.8% of urologic clinic visits. Men often present with chronic orchialgia in their mid to late 30s, although the condition can present at any age. A broad differential diagnosis of chronic orchialgia includes epididymitis, testicular torsion, tumors, obstruction, varicocele, epididymal cysts, hydrocele, iatrogenic injury following vasectomy or hernia repair, and referred pain from a variety of sources including mid-ureteral stone, indirect inguinal hernia, aortic or common iliac artery aneurysms, lower back disorders, interstitial cystitis, and nerve entrapment due to perineural fibrosis; approximately 25–50% of chronic orchialgia is idiopathic in nature. In such cases, it is reasonable to consider psychological and psychosocial factors that may be contributing to chronic pain. Invasive testing is not recommended in the work-up of chronic orchialgia.
Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions among Children with Chronic and Complex Diseases

Objective To evaluate ambulatory-care sensitive (ACS) hospitalizations for children with noncomplex chronic diseases (NC-CD) and children with medical complexity (CMC), and identify associations with ambulatory care characteristics. Although ACS hospitalizations are potentially preventable in general populations, the specific ambulatory care predictors and influence of medical complexity on them is poorly understood. Study design Retrospective cohort study of NC-CD and CMC hospitalizations at a children's hospital during 2007-2014, excluding labor/delivery and children over 21 years. Pediatric medical complexity algorithm identified NC-CD or CMC. ACS hospitalizations were identified using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality indicator definitions. Demographic and ambulatory care characteristics were compared between ACS and non-ACS hospitalizations with logistic regression clustered by patient. Measures of ambulatory care during 2 years before admission were explored with 20% random sample of general pediatrics discharges. Results Among 4035 children with NC-CD, 14.6% of 4926 hospitalizations were ACS hospitalizations. Among 5084 CMC, 5.3% of 14 390 discharges were ACS hospitalizations. Among NC-CD discharges, ACS hospitalizations were more likely with no prior-year outpatient visits (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7) and less likely with timely well checks (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9) and phone encounters in the month before admission (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-1.0). Among CMC discharges, the only association observed was with provider continuity (OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1- 1.0). Conclusions Provider continuity may be associated with fewer CMC ACS hospitalizations, however, measures of ambulatory care were more consistently associated with ACS hospitalizations for NC-CD. CMC may need more precise ACS hospitalization definitions.
Children's Situational Competence: Two Studies

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses acquisition of the set of skills necessary to generate effective communicative behavior seems dependent upon processes of socialization by which the developing child learns to master conversational skills first in the family and later in the classroom. If situational competence is seen as dependent upon the socialization process, it becomes crucial to examine the ecological environment surrounding that process as it occurs in an agency of socialization. The importance of studying situational competence in the natural setting of the classroom has to do with the outcomes attached by their classroom teachers to children's performance of the range of social skills that constitute this competence. The importance of the speech situation or milieu to children's social behavior including their conversational behavior is beginning to be apparent to investigators.
Improving La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 − δ cathode performance by infiltration of a Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 − δ coating

Abstract La x Sr 1 − x Co y Fe 1 − y O 3 − δ (LSCF) represents one of the state-of-the-art cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) due primarily to its high ionic and electronic conductivity. In this study, a one-step infiltration process has been developed to deposit, on the surface of a porous LSCF cathode, a thin film (50–100 nm) of Sm 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 − δ (SSC), which is catalytically more active for oxygen reduction. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the SSC coating has dramatically reduced the polarization resistance of the cathode, achieving area-specific resistances of 0.036 Ω cm 2 and 0.688 Ω cm 2 at 750 °C and 550 °C, respectively. It has also maintained the stability of LSCF cathodes. In particular, the peak power densities are increased by ~ 22% upon the infiltration of SSC onto the porous LSCF cathodes of our best performing cells. These results demonstrate that a conductive backbone (e.g., LSCF) coated with a catalytic film (e.g., SSC) is an attractive approach to achieving an active and stable SOFC cathode for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells.
yFS: a journaling file system design for handling large data sets with reduced seeking

In recent years, disk seek times have not improved commensurately with CPU performance, memory system performance, and disk transfer rates. Furthermore, many modern applications are making increasing use of large files. Traditional file system designs are limited in how they address these two trends. We present the design of a file system called yFS that consciously reduces disk seeking and handles large files efficiently. yFS does this by using extent-based allocations in conjunction with three different disk inode formats geared towards small, medium, and large files. Directory traversals are made efficient by using the B*-tree structure. yFS also uses lightweight asynchronous journaling to handle metadata changes. We have implemented yFS on FreeBSD and evaluated it using a variety of benchmarks. Our experimental evaluations show that yFS performs considerably better than the Fast File System (FFS) with Soft Updates on FreeBSD. The performance gains are in the range from 20% to 82%.