cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of Big Data Analytics Tools for Data Management

Data, at a very large scale, has been accumulating in all aspects of our lives for a long time. Advances in sensor technology, the Internet, social networks, wireless communication, and inexpensive memory have all contributed to an explosion of “Big Data”. Our interconnected world of today and the advent of cyber-physical or system of systems (SoS) are also a key source of data accumulation- be it numerical, image, text or texture, etc. SoS is basically defined as an integration of independently operating, non-homogeneous systems for certain duration to achieve a higher goal than the sum of the parts. Recent efforts have developed a promising approach, called “Data Analytics”, which uses statistical and computational intelligence (CI) tools such as principal component analysis (PCA), clustering, fuzzy logic, neuro-computing, evolutionary computation, Bayesian networks, data mining, pattern recognition, deep learning, etc. to reduce the size of “Big Data” to a manageable size and apply these tools to (a) extract information, (b) build a knowledge base using the derived data, (c) optimize validation of clustered knowledge through evolutionary computing and eventually develop a non-parametric model for the “Big Data”, and (d) Test and verify the model. This chapter attempts to construct a bridge between SoS and Data Analytics to develop reliable models for such systems. Four applications of big data analytics will be presented, i.e. solar, wind, financial and biological data.
High-Temperature Corrosion

This chapter begins by explaining high-temperature corrosion thermodynamics, the Pilling-Bedworth ratio, electrochemical oxidation processes, oxide layer formation, microstructure, and oxidation kinetics. Rate equations and a combination of rate equations are included to show the relationship to oxide layer formation at high temperatures. By the end of the chapter, conventional and recently developed methods for hot corrosion protection and high temperature, vacuum plasma spraying (VPS), high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying, platinum and aluminide coatings, silicon diffusion layers, chemical additions, ion implantation, and preformation of oxide layers are explained. Protective coating case studies, solved and exercise problems are included to illustrate engineered alloy protection of designed for elevated temperature service.
They Invented Money so They Could Have Inflation

100 years ago, a mile was a mile, a dollar was a dollar, and a liter of water weighed a kilo. The 1999 kilo is identical to the 1899 kilo. The 1999 dollar is only a pale shadow of the 1899 dollar and of the 1969 dollar. All the national monies in 1999 measure less than they did in 1989, and they were less valuable in 1988 than in 1978.
Weakly Primary Elements in Multiplicative Lattices

Let L be a multiplicative lattice. We define a proper element p of L to be weakly primary if 0 � ab ≤ p implies a ≤ p or b ≤ √ p. Our objective is to investigate the properties of weakly primary elements in multiplicative lattices.
Enhanced Acrylate Production from 2-Acetoxypropanoic Acid Esters

Reaction conditions and reactor geometry for producing acrylates in high yield from lactic acid-derived 2-acetoxypropanoic acid (APA) esters are presented. An acrylate ester yield of 75% is achieved from methyl and benzyl APA esters at 550 °C in a fixed bed reactor filled with nonporous silica particles, carbon dioxide as a diluent gas, and acetic acid as a co-feed with the APA ester. The yield from methyl and benzyl APA esters is remarkably higher than from ethyl or butyl esters of APA, which have hydrogen atoms on the β-carbon of the ester functional group and thus can undergo alkene elimination, leading to reduced acrylate yield. Under optimum conditions, APA conversion to acrylates is stable over 30 h of continuous operation with little carbon deposition on the contact material.
Band-to-Band Tunneling Diode for Ultralow-Voltage Applications

This paper presents a band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) diode for use in ultralow-voltage (ULV) applications. The BTBT diode is shown to have nearly zero turn-on voltage, because it does not operate using diffusion current like a typical p-n junction diode. A simple analytical model was developed to better understand the BTBT diode and to help optimize the design. Simulations were designed and implemented in Silvaco ATLAS to accurately define the BTBT diode. The current-density versus voltage characteristics from the simulations were found to have large on/off current ratio, demonstrating that the BTBT diode has potential applications for circuits utilizing ULVs.
A Privacy Mechanism for Access Controlled Graph Data

There has been significant interest in the development of anonymization schemes for publishing graph data. However, privacy is a major concern in dealing with graph data. In this paper, an integrated framework for ensuring privacy in the presence of an authorization mechanism is proposed. Access control mechanisms provide additional safeguard against data breaches and ensure that only authorized information is available to end-users based on their assigned roles. The integrated framework highlights a tradeoff between privacy and authorized privileges. To attain a pre-specified privacy level, access privileges might need to be relaxed. For the proposed framework, we formulate the $k$k-anonymous Bi-objective Graph Partitioning ($k$k-BGP) problem and provide its hardness results. Heuristics solutions are developed to solve the constraint problem. The framework provides an anonymous view based on the target class of role-based workloads for graph data. The proposed heuristics are empirically evaluated and a detailed security analysis of the framework in terms of risk associated with re-identification attack is conducted.
Short interpregnancy interval increases the risk of preterm premature rupture of membranes and early delivery.

Objectives: Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is a major contributor to overall preterm birth (PTB) rates. A short interpregnancy interval (IPI) is a well-known risk factor for PTB. It...
The bereavement experience of adolescents and early young adults with cancer: Peer and parental loss due to death is associated with increased risk of adverse psychological outcomes

Background Adolescents commonly experience loss due to death, and perceived closeness to the deceased can often increase the intensity of bereavement. Adolescents and early young adult (AeYA) oncology patients may recall previous losses or experience new losses, possibly of other children with cancer, while coping with their own increased risk of mortality. The bereavement experiences of AeYA patients are not well described in the literature. Methods and findings This analysis of bereavement sought to describe the prevalence and types of losses, the support following a death, and the impact of loss on AeYAs aged 13–21 years with malignant disease (or a hematologic disorder requiring allogeneic transplant). Participants were receiving active oncologic therapy or had completed therapy within the past 3 years. Participants completed a bereavement questionnaire and inventories on depression, anxiety, and somatization. The cross-sectional study enrolled 153 AeYAs (95% participation), most (88%) of whom had experienced a loss due to death. The most commonly reported losses were of a grandparent (58%) or friend (37%). Peer deaths were predominantly cancer related (66%). Many participants (39%) self-identified a loss as "very significant.” As loss significance increased, AeYAs were more likely to report that it had changed their life “a lot/enormously” (P<0.0001), that they were grieving “slowly or never got over it” (P<0.0001), and that they felt a need for more professional help (P = 0.026). Peer loss was associated with increased risk of adverse psychological outcomes (P = 0.029), as was parental loss (P = 0.018). Conclusions Most AeYAs with serious illness experience the grief process as slow or ongoing. Peer or parental loss was associated with increased risk of negative mental health outcomes. Given the high prevalence of peer loss, screening for bereavement problems is warranted in AeYAs with cancer, and further research on grief and bereavement is needed in AeYAs with serious illness.
Health Problems of Partner Violence Victims: Comparing Help-Seeking Men to a Population-Based Sample

Background National population-based studies show that 40%–50% of physical partner violence victims in a 1-year time period are men. However, studies assessing the health concerns related to partner violence victimization tend to focus on women, and none have assessed the health of male physical partner violence victims who sought help for their victimization. Purpose To understand men’s mental and physical health concerns that may be related to partner violence victimization. Methods In 2012–2013, two samples of men—611 physical partner violence victims who sought help and 1,601 men from a population-based sample—completed online questionnaires on their demographics, various types of partner violence victimization, physical health, mental health, and other risks. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, log binomial models, and robust Poisson models in 2013. Results In comparison to the population-based sample of men, male partner violence victims who sought help had significantly poorer health, particularly with regard to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases, and asthma. These differences remained after controlling for sample differences in demographics, substance use, previous traumatic exposure, and social support. Conclusions Practitioners should assess for health problems among partner violence victims and for partner violence victimization among men presenting with health problems.
A Frameless Imaging Sensor with Asynchronous Pixels: An Architectural Evaluation

The goal of this work is to develop a novel CMOS camera sensor that provides frameless capture, and has significantly higher dynamic range, finer color sensitivity, and lower noise as compared to the current state-of-the-art sensors. The strength of the approach lies not in developing new types of photodetectors or amplifiers, but in the manner in which information is extracted from the pixel sensor, transported to the processing logic, and processed to yield intensity values. At the heart of the sensor is an asynchronous network to transport events from the pixel sensors to the off-grid processing circuitry. The asynchronous nature of pixel communication is the key to achieving frameless image capture.
It’s a boy! Women and decision-making benefits from a son in India

Abstract Son preference is widespread in a number of developing countries despite substantial improvements in education levels and economic development. One potential explanation for the persistence of this phenomenon is that individual household members like the mother derive large non-monetary benefits from giving birth to a son and therefore prefer boys to girls. Qualitative evidence suggests that such benefits exist and may depend on the child’s age. This paper uses large nationally representative datasets from India and tests whether having a son leads to higher decision-making powers for mothers than having a daughter. Since the number and gender composition of children is likely to be non-random for families that want a son, I focus on first-born children for whom the sex ratio of girls relative to boys is normal. The main analysis also focuses on young children of up to six months, which gives parents little time to adjust desired birth-spacing intervals that could be systematically correlated with decision-making powers and child gender. The results show little evidence of consistently large female benefits shortly after birth, and any positive impacts of having a son disappear after the first six months. There are also no large benefits for adult sons. These empirical patterns do not support qualitative evidence suggesting that women benefit from the birth of a son through larger decision-making powers in the household because of increased respect by other household members. The benefits also do not heavily depend on the child’s age, which is not consistent with a channel predicting a better bargaining position for women with adult sons who start taking over the running of the household. Overall, these results extend our understanding of individual-specific incentives for son preference.
Modeling white matter microstructure with fiber ball imaging.

Abstract Fiber ball imaging (FBI) provides a means of calculating the fiber orientation density function (fODF) in white matter from diffusion MRI (dMRI) data obtained over a spherical shell with a b-value of about 4000 s/mm2 or higher. By supplementing this FBI-derived fODF with dMRI data acquired for two lower b-value shells, it is shown that several microstructural parameters may be estimated, including the axonal water fraction (AWF) and the intrinsic intra-axonal diffusivity. This fiber ball white matter (FBWM) modeling method is demonstrated for dMRI data acquired from healthy volunteers, and the results are compared with those of the white matter tract integrity (WMTI) method. Both the AWF and the intra-axonal diffusivity obtained with FBWM are found to be significantly larger than for WMTI, with the FBWM values for the intra-axonal diffusivity being more consistent with recent results obtained using isotropic diffusion weighting. An important practical advantage of FBWM is that the only nonlinear fitting required is the minimization of a cost function with just a single free parameter, which facilitates the implementation of efficient and robust numerical routines.
Differentially expressed microRNAs associated with changes of transcript levels in detoxification pathways and DDT-resistance in the Drosophila melanogaster strain 91-R

Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) resistance among arthropod species is a model for understanding the molecular adaptations in response to insecticide exposures. Previous studies reported that DDT resistance may involve one or multiple detoxification genes, such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), esterases, and ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, or changes in the voltage-sensitive sodium channel. However, the possible involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes associated with DDT resistance in the Drosophila melanogaster strain 91-R remains poorly understood. In this study, the majority of the resulting miRNAs discovered in small RNA libraries from 91-R and the susceptible control strain, 91-C, ranged from 16-25 nt, and contained 163 precursors and 256 mature forms of previously-known miRNAs along with 17 putative novel miRNAs. Quantitative analyses predicted the differential expression of ten miRNAs between 91-R and 91-C, and, based on Gene Ontology and pathway analysis, these ten miRNAs putatively target transcripts encoding proteins involved in detoxification mechanisms. RT-qPCR validated an inverse correlation between levels of differentially-expressed miRNAs and their putatively targeted transcripts, which implies a role of these miRNAs in the differential regulation of detoxification pathways in 91-R compared to 91-C. This study provides evidence associating the differential expression of miRNAs in response to multigenerational DDT selection in Drosophila melanogaster and provides important clues for understanding the possible roles of miRNAs in mediating insecticide resistance traits.
Selective Activation of N,N′-Diacyl Rhodamine Pro-fluorophores Paired with Releasing Enzyme, Porcine Liver Esterase (PLE)

This study reports the synthesis and testing of a family of rhodamine pro-fluorophores and an enzyme capable of converting pro-fluorophores to Rhodamine 110. We prepared a library of simple N,N′-diacyl rhodamines and investigated porcine liver esterase (PLE) as an enzyme to activate rhodamine-based pro-fluorophores. A PLE-expressing cell line generated an increase in fluorescence rapidly upon pro-fluorophore addition demonstrating the rhodamine pro-fluorophores are readily taken up and fluorescent upon PLE-mediated release. Rhodamine pro-fluorophore amides trifluoroacetamide (TFAm) and proponamide (PAm) appeared to be the best substrates using a cell-based assay using PLE expressing HEK293. Our pro-fluorophore series showed diffusion into live cells and resisted endogenous hydrolysis. The use of our engineered cell line containing the exogenous enzyme PLE demonstrated the rigorousness of amide masking when compared to cells not containing PLE. This simple and selective pro-fluorophore rhodamine pair with PLE offers the potential to be used in vitro and in vivo fluorescence based assays.
The Role of Arachidonic Acid in Cellular Brain Edema

Cerebral edema is defined as an increase in brain volume due to an increase in its water and sodium content. Based on neuropathological and experimental observations, brain edema has been divided into three major categories (Klatzo, 1967: Fishman, 1975, 1980, 1981: Fishman and Chan, 1980): 1) Vasogenic edema indicates increased permeability in capillary endothelial cells associated with an expanded extracellular volume. 2) Cellular (cytotoxic) edema indicates the increase in intracellular volume of brain cells associated with a decreased extracellular volume. 3) Interstitial or hydrocephalic edema indicates the increase in brain water that characterizes obstructive hydrocephalus.
Philosophical Taxonomy as a Philosophical Issue

The history of thought about the shape of philosophy is itself a profitable subject for philosophical contemplation, partly because this history illuminates the development of the philosophical enterprise, and partly because it conveys some instructive lessons about its nature.
Classical Entropy of a Coherent Spin State: A Local Minimum

The classical entropy of a coherent state of an N-spin system, which is N/(N + 1), was conjectured by Lieb to be the minimum. To prove it was our original motive. But we can only prove that this entropy is a local minimum. An arbitrary N-spin state is represented by N points on the surface of the unit sphere. For a coherent state, these N points condense into a single point. This is the basis for the proof. It is also conjectured here that the maximum entropy is attained when the N points form a possible regular polyhedron.
Brain damage in social drinkers? Reasons for caution.

Most of our knowledge about the effects of alcohol on the CNS of humans has been derived from three basic experimental paradigms. In the first of these, the transient effects of alcohol ingestion are investigated by examining changes in information-processing ability during an episode of acute intoxication. In the second, less-commonly used paradigm, the immediate aftereffects of intoxication are determined by recording behavioral and electrophysiological changes during withdrawal from alcohol. In the third paradigm, the chronic sequelae of long-term alcohol use are assessed by examining neuropsychological and neuroradiological indices of brain damage in alcoholics who have been detoxified for several weeks. Each paradigm focuses on states that would appear to have very different biological properties (e.g., neuropsychological changes may be completely reversible in one, but not in another; evidence of cerebral atrophy may often be found in one, but not in another). Nevertheless, there are also many behavioral similarities between these states. For example, both the intoxicated college student and the detoxified chronic alcoholic use similar, inefficient strategies on verbal learning tasks and make similar types of errors.1 Perhaps because of those common features, many writers now assume that any time an individual’s score on a neuropsychological test is found to be correlated with some measure of alcohol use, that person must necesssarily have incurred measurable cerebral damage that is cumulative, most likely irreversible, and proportional to the total amount of alcohol consumed over his lifetime.
Biomarkers of drug-induced acute kidney injury: a regulatory perspective

Biomarkers are one of the drug development tools that are being developed through collaborative efforts among multiple stakeholder communities to enhance the drug development process. Biomarkers of acute drug-induced renal injury as used in drug development are more commonly referred to as renal safety biomarkers, the focus of this manuscript. Areas covered: This manuscript provides an overview of the history and evolution of the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Biomarker Qualification Program. In addition, a regulatory perspective on the potential for renal safety biomarkers to accelerate medical and pharmaceutical research is presented. The first qualification submissions (acute kidney injury biomarkers) are discussed, including how the FDA review process affected the evolution of the biomarker qualification process and the future of biomarker discovery, development, and use. This manuscript also discusses a new repository for data on novel translational safety biomarkers from drug development programs. Expert opinion: In addition to the qualification of novel biomarkers, a key achievement of the first submission for qualification was the bringing together of multiple stakeholder communities to optimize the process. Early qualification reviews provided valuable lessons that informed an overarching approach of how to develop a biomarker for regulatory use.
Muscle metabolic reprogramming underlies the resistance of liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP)-null mice to high-fat feeding-induced decline in exercise capacity.

Liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP) binds long-chain fatty acids with high affinity and is abundantly expressed in the liver and small intestine. Although LFABP is thought to function in intracellular lipid trafficking, studies of LFABP-null (LFABP−/−) mice have also indicated a role in regulating systemic energy homeostasis. We and others have reported that LFABP−/− mice become more obese than wildtype (WT) mice upon high-fat feeding. Here, we show that despite increased body weight and fat mass, LFABP−/− mice are protected from a high-fat feeding–induced decline in exercise capacity, displaying an approximate doubling of running distance compared with WT mice. To understand this surprising exercise phenotype, we focused on metabolic alterations in the skeletal muscle due to LFABP ablation. Compared with WT mice, resting skeletal muscle of LFABP−/− mice had higher glycogen and intramuscular triglyceride levels as well as an increased fatty acid oxidation rate and greater mitochondrial enzyme activities, suggesting higher substrate availability and substrate utilization capacity. Dynamic changes in the respiratory exchange ratio during exercise indicated that LFABP−/− mice use more carbohydrate in the beginning of an exercise period and then switch to using lipids preferentially in the later stage. Consistently, LFABP−/− mice exhibited a greater decrease in muscle glycogen stores during exercise and elevated circulating free fatty acid levels postexercise. We conclude that, because LFABP is not expressed in muscle, its ablation appears to promote interorgan signaling that alters muscle substrate levels and metabolism, thereby contributing to the prevention of high-fat feeding–induced skeletal muscle impairment.
Coating foods with powders.

Abstract: Foods are coated with powders to improve flavor, color, and produce other desirable quality changes. The most common powder applied to foods is salt, though sweet and savory seasoning blends are also popular, as well as functional ingredients. Powder properties such as size, shape, flowability, density and solubility affect the powder coating process. The major types of equipment including screw fed tubes, scarf-plate feeders, roll dispensers, conveyor belts, tumble drums and electrostatic coating are discussed. Common problems, such as surging and clogging during coating, dustiness, adhesion and shelf life are also discussed.
Exploring Transferability in Deep Neural Networks with Functional Data Analysis and Spatial Statistics

Recent advances in machine learning have brought with them considerable attention in applying such methods to complex prediction problems. However, in extremely large datas-paces, a single neural network covering that space may not be effective, and generating large numbers of deep neural networks is not feasible. In this paper, we analyze deep networks trained from stacked autoencoders in a spatio-temporal application area to determine the extent to which knowledge can be transferred to similar regions. Our analysis applies methods from functional data analysis and spatial statistics to identify such correlation. We apply this work in the context of numerical weather prediction in analyzing large-scale data from Hurricane Sandy. Results of our analysis indicate high likelihood that spatial correlation can be exploited if it can be identified prior to training.
The development of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) competencies in OT: a modified delphi study

Date Presented 04/04/19 Practitioner understanding and use of evidence-based practice (EBP) is critical for quality, cost-effective OT services. This study used a modified Delphi method with two rounds of online questionnaires to develop a set of EBP competencies for OTs. The final list of competencies represented nine domains and encompassed a wide range of knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to OT practice. Primary Author and Speaker: Christine Myers Additional Authors and Speakers: Samantha DeMaria, Jamie Pomeranz
An Account of Immune Senescence in the Clinical Pathophysiology of COVID-19 Infection in Aging

Worldwide COVID-19 infection poses an enormous risk to public health and an alarming global socioeconomic burden. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with underlying health conditions as well as on the elderly population is extensive and effective strategies are needed to understand the mechanism behind it. Cellular senescence defines as an irreversible cell cycle arrest due to DNA damage leading to accumulation of senescent cells in the elderly population and may result in worsening of COVID-19 mediated increased mortality. However, whether this variation in senescence levels, in different aged populations, translation to COVID-19 infection is unknown. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been recently identified to be responsible for inducing pathogenic signals, although a clear understanding of how the host receptor interacts with SARS-CoV-2 protein and mediates the immune responses is not clear. In this review, we address the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and the cellular senescence responding immune response to pathogenic SARS-CoV-2. We provide a prospective summary of what to expect and how to brace the possible immunological strategy to protect against COVID-19 infection. The review majorly explores an underline mechanism of how senescent cells trigger a hyperimmune inflammatory response and cause high mortality in aging people could serve as a potential aid to alleviate the treatment for elderly battling COVID-19 infection.
Theorizing Social Media: A Formalization of the Multilevel Model of Meme Diffusion 2.0 (M 3 D 2.0 )

The capabilities of researching social dynamics as big data have significantly outpaced the formulation of theory to account for the processes being discovered. This essay extends a formative conceptualization of social media communication as meme diffusion into a propositional model, animated largely by evolutionary and attention economy explanatory metaphors. The result is an integrative model formalized in 18 propositions, indicating that multiple system factors influence the generation and attrition of social media messages. The system levels include features of the meme itself, its medium, its source, its social network and societal context, the interference or facilitation of geospatial, technical and significant societal events. As such, memes diffuse sometimes because of the information value of events (evememic), viral meme cycles (entymemic), or some combination of these processes (polymemic). The model integrates extensive cross-disciplinary research and manifold theoretical influences in the interest of demonstrating a process of theory construction in the context of social media and new media.
Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) as a Novel Target for Cancer Treatment.

The polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) can methylate at lysine 27 of histone H3 at the trimethylation level (H3K27me3). This leads to gene silencing and is known to be dysregulated in many cancers. PRC2 is made up of three core subunits: EZH2, SUZ12, and EED. EED is essential for the regulation of PRC2 function by the binding to H3K27me3. Targeting the allosteric site within EED offers new strategies to disrupt the PRC2 activity. In this mini review, we summarize some of the recent developments in small molecules that target EED and its interaction with other core proteins in the PRC2 complex.
Summary of Workshop: Potentially Harmful Effects of Human Milk Upon the Recipient Infant

The presentations in this section addressed some of the potentially harmful effects of human milk upon the recipient infant. These included: transmission of viral infection via milk; transmission of drugs via milk; deposition in developing tissues of the trans-fatty acids present in most milks; sensitization of the infant secondary to transfer of foreign antigens via milk; vitamin K deficiency and hemorrhagic disease of the newborn secondary to the low vitamin K content of human milk.
Relationale Abbildung multidimensionaler Strukturen und Operatoren

Nachdem im vorangegangen Kapitel die Modellierung multidimensionaler Phanomene im Vordergrund gestanden hat, liegt der Schwerpunkt dieses Kapitels in der Beschreibung der relationalen Abbildung multidimensionaler Strukturen und Operatoren. Diese Abbildung wird sowohl auf Modellebene als auch durch die Beschreibung diverser Erweiterungen auf Ebene der Anfragesprache, also auserhalb des darunterliegenden Datenmodells, aufgearbeitet. Es wird sich zeigen, das das relationale Datenmodell, welches sich gerade durch seine Armut an Darstellungs- und Ausdrucksmitteln auszeichnet, unter Verwendung eines adaquaten relationalen Datenschemas als Implementierungsmodell multidimensionaler Strukturen geeignet ist.
Race to Cuba: Gerald Horne’s Race to Revolution

Among the strengths of Gerald Horne’s Race to Revolution: The United States and Cuba During Slavery and Jim Crow is its timing; it arrives at the moment of the first real movement in US–Cuban diplomatic relations since the imposition of the blockade in 1962, and at the beginnings of what some are calling the third major US civil rights movement, in the wake of the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. With his exigent, inventive research and his engaging, accessible voice, Horne argues that the arrival in Cuba of Made-in-the-USA Jim Crow at the end of the nineteenth century helped spark the organized fury and resistance that led to the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959. The book was published in 2014, and Horne couldn’t have known during the writing that he was resting his fingers on the vital pulses of uprising and cross-Straits connection that August 9 and December 17 would bring into the open; but his historian’s sense of the incipient power in the patterns of the past has served him well here, and is a gift to his readers, whether seasoned observers studying familiar events in light of new information, or young activists looking for bridges of solidarity, where US policies like the blockade have attempted to wash them away. If the blockade has tried to insist that the USA and Cuba are not connected, this book provides ample evidence to the contrary: in its portrait of pre-revolutionary Cuba as an outpost of UScontrolled race-based counterrevolution, and in its many descriptions of radical Black solidarity between the two nations.
IMPROVING MAINTAINABILITY OF PRODUCTS THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF A COMPREHENSIVE DfX METHODOLOGY

This paper presents a systematic methodology to enhance the maintenance operation of products and systems. This is accomplished through the adoption of Design for X (DfX) principles as well as the use of MTM systems. As the reader is aware, maintenance is often a necessary evil that is responsible for equipment downtime. However, lack of regular maintenance often results in serious equipment failure and resulting catastrophic consequences. The methodology presented in this paper deals with product design for maintenance. It also addresses the human factors associated with the maintenance operation. The authors have made a conscious effort to incorporate this factor into the methodology, given the labor intensive nature of virtually all maintenance operations. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part presents a very brief overview of some maintenance related concepts given limited space availability. The second part of the paper presents the aforementioned methodology. A real life case study is also used to corroborate the practical utility of the methodology.
Addition of gentamicin to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) contrast medium towards reducing the frequency of septic complications of ERCP.

OBJECTIVE: Bacteremia and sepsis are serious complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and occur in between 0.5 and 3% of cases. Patients with obstructed bile ducts are at highest risk of developing septic complications. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the addition of gentamicin to the ERCP contrast medium prevents or reduces the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro. METHODS: Artificial bile ducts were fashioned out of dialysis tubing and suspended in flasks containing brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. The tubing contained BHI broth alone, with or without contrast medium or with contrast medium plus gentamicin. The artificial ducts were inoculated with gentamicin-sensitive or gentamicin-resistant P. aeruginosa and quantitative cultures were performed. RESULTS: The contrast medium alone was bacteriostatic to both sensitive and resistant P. aeruginosa isolates. The addition of gentamicin to the contrast medium eliminated the sensitive strain after 2 h and resulted in a reduction in the number of gentamicin-resistant P. aeruginosa after 4 h. Incubation of the resistant isolate in the presence of contrast and gentamicin for an additional 4 h led to a further reduction in viable bacteria but did not completely eliminate the organisms. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of gentamicin in the contrast medium injected into the biliary system as an ancillary method to prevent post-ERCP sepsis.
Expression of P27kip and Other Cell Cycle Regulators in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors and Neurofibromas: The Emerging Role of P27kip in Malignant Transformation of Neurofibromas

There is little information regarding the status of cell cycle regulators in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) and neurofibromas (NFs). In this study, we investigated patterns of expression of p53 and pRB, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) p21 and p27, as well as cyclins D1 and E, in a cohort of 35 well-characterized MPNSTs and 16 NFs. These phenotypes were correlated with proliferative index, as assessed by Ki-67, as well as clinicopathological parameters of poor outcome. p53 nuclear overexpression was found in 10 of 35 (29%) MPNSTs, and it was lacking in NFs (P = 0.02). There were no differences in the patterns of expression of pRB, cyclin D1, and p21 between MPNSTs and NFs. However, p27 nuclear expression was present in most NFs, but it was absent in the majority of MPNSTs, which displayed cytoplasmic staining (P < 0.001). Nuclear cyclin E expression was more pronounced in MPNSTs than in NFs. We observed inverse patterns of expression for nuclear p27 and nuclear cyclin E expression. The staining profiles of cytoplasmic p27 and nuclear cyclin E expression were found to be statistically associated (P = 0.01). High Ki-67 expression was found in 20 of 34 (59%) MPNSTs but was absent in NFs (P < 0.001). Furthermore, detection of cytoplasmic p27 expression was found to be a prognostic factor for poor survival in MPNSTs (P = 0.03, relative risk = 2.4).
Injection into Supersonic Boundary Layers

A method for injection of gas into the boundary layer on a slender body in supersonic flow while minimizing perturbation to the mean flow is examined. Injection of gas is equivalent to a sudden increase in the displacement thickness of the boundary layer, which produces an oblique shock that propagates into the inviscid region of the flow. It is found that modification of the geometry of the body can compensate for the increased displacement thickness created by injection and minimize the production of oblique waves. However, the resulting near-wall injection layer is observed to be unstable and a turbulent boundary layer develops downstream of the injection region. The instability of the flow is examined experimentally using high-speed schlieren visualization and numerically using linear stability analysis of velocity profiles from a compressible Navier–Stokes computation. At the present postshock Mach number of about 3.8, both first- and second-mode instabilities are active, though computations predict that the first mode is primarily responsible for transition downstream of the injector.
Membrane localization and topology of a viral assembly protein.

Abstract The gene I protein (pI) of the filamentous bacteriophage f1 is required for the assembly of this virus. Antibodies specific to either the amino or carboxyl terminus of this protein were used to determine the location and topology of the gene I protein in f1-infected bacteria. pI is anchored in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli cells via a 20-amino-acid hydrophobic stretch, with its carboxyl-terminal 75 residues located in the periplasm and its amino-terminal 253 amino acids residing in the cytoplasm. By using the carboxyl-terminal pI antibody, a smaller protein, pI*, is also detected in f1-infected cells at a ratio of one to two molecules per molecule of pI. Analysis of proteins produced from a gene I amber mutant plasmid or bacteriophage suggests that pI* is most likely the result of an in-frame internal translational initiation event at methionine 241 of the 348-amino-acid pI. pI* is shown to be an integral inner membrane protein inserted in the same orientation as pI. The relation of the cellular locations of pI and pI* to some of the proposed functions of pI is discussed.
MECHANISM OF THE CATALYTIC GASIFICATION AND REACTIVITY OF GRAPHITE

Graphite is being used as a carbon source for gasification to insure that hydrogen or hydrogen in hydrocarbons is derived from water. Relatively low temperatures (500–800K) are used to favor the equilibrium C+2H2O →CH4 +CO2 which is almost thermally neutral. In the presence of alkali hydroxide C2-C6 hydrocarbons are formed in addition to H2, CH4 and CO2. Formation of hydrocarbons is a stoichiometric reaction proceeding on the crystal edges to form a phenolate and hydrocarbons, e.g. 5C+4KOH 4COK+CH4. Surface spectroscopy has confirmed the presence of phenolate, which can be decomposed over metal oxide to make the reaction truly catalytic: \(44C0K\xrightarrow{{Me0x}}2{K_2}0 + 2C + 2C0\); 2K2O+2H2O→4KOH. In the presence of both KOH and metal oxide the major products are CO2 and H2 with traces of CH4 and CO. The 2:1 ratio of H2/CO2 appears due to either or both watergas shift and Boudouart reaction. The mechanisms will be illustrated by electron microscopy and XPS measurements.
Lower respiratory tract infections: prevention using vaccines

In summary, vaccines are available to prevent two of the most common and most deadly causes of lower respiratory tract infections: pneumococcal disease and influenza. Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine prevents pneumococcal bacteremia; influenza vaccines prevent influenza as well as several complications of influenza. Despite all that is known about how well these vaccines work, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines are underused markedly, especially among some minority groups that are affected dis-proportionately by disease. Coverage also remains low among health care workers, although providing influenza vaccine to health care workers saves lives among patients. Tools such as standing orders can help clinicians increase vaccine coverage in their patient populations. While research for new and improved vaccines to prevent lower respiratory tract infections continues,focusing on simple measures for increasing vaccine use can help prevent morbidity and mortality now.
Review of the effect of alloy composition on the growth rates of scales formed during oxidation of gamma titanium aluminide alloys

One of the important properties in the development of gamma titanium aluminides for high-temperature applications is oxidation resistance. The scales formed during the oxidation of titanium aluminides are generally complex and the specific scale morphology can be strongly influenced by relatively small amounts of alloying additions. This paper includes a compilation of reported oxidation rates for a wide variety of titanium aluminide alloys. This compilation provides a basis for evaluating the variation in oxidation rates among similar alloys as well as reviewing the effect of various alloying additions on the oxidation behavior of gamma titanium aluminum alloys.
Explaining organizational responses to workplace aggression

Although scholarship in the area of workplace aggression is beginning to flourish, the varied definitions, assumptions, and methodologies used to describe workplace aggression compound the challeng...
Purification and characterization of dicoumarol-induced prothrombins. III. Alumina pH 4.6 atypical (2-Gla) variant.

Abstract Dicoumarolized bovine plasma containing 15% normal biological and 100% normal immunological activity, when treated consecutively with barium citrate and barium oxalate, removed 40% of the plasma prothrombin. The remaining antigen was removed by alumina Cγ gel with approximately three-fifths of the antigenic material precipitating at 50 to 67% ammonium sulfate saturation. The “alumina” variant which was highly purified from this fraction showed a single component by several physicochemical criteria of purity and contained 2 γ-carboxyglutamyl residues (Gla's). Its antigenic activity was comparable to that of normal prothrombin. In the presence of Echis carinatus (EC) venom, its thrombin-generating capacity equalled that of normal; however, by bioassay it approximated only 18% of that of normal prothrombin. Under physiological conditions, the alumina (2-Gla) variant activated in 9 hr ( vs 3 hr for 5-Gla, 1.5 hr for 7-Gla, and 7 min for 10-Gla (normal) prothrombin). Mobility by disc-gel electrophoresis was somewhat slower and pH (pH 4.8 or 4.82) by electrofocusing was somewhat greater in comparison with our other prothrombins. By agar gel electrophoresis, alumina prothrombin moved between the α 1 and α 2 macroglobulins, with its mobility seemingly unaffected by calcium ions. Further, we observed that this variant bound no calcium ions by the ultrafiltration technique.
The NEO confirmation page

Abstract The use of a facility in the World Wide Web for the confirmation of candidate near-earth objects (NEOs) is described. This facility allows users to derive topocentric ephemerides of objects recorded on only a single night. The facility is operated by the Minor Planet Center, which subsequently distributes more detailed information by e-mail to its subscribers if and when an object is confirmed as an NEO.
Simulation of large scale networks II: large-scale network simulations with GTNetS

When designing a network simulation environment intended specifically for modeling large-scale topologies, a number of issues must be addressed by the simulator designer. Memory requirements for network simulation engines can grow quadratically with the size of the simulated topology and can easily exceed available memory on modern workstations. The number of outstanding simulation events grows linearly with the number of packets in flight being modeled, and can lead to performance bottlenecks when managing a sorted event list of millions of events. Tracking the results of the simulation using a packet-level log file can result in excessive usage of disk space. We discuss the design of the Georgia Tech Network Simulator (GTNetS) with emphasis on how GTNetS addresses these issues. We give results from performance experiments showing the reduction in memory and event list size as a result of our design decisions.
The effect of laser parameters on the zone of thermal injury produced by laser ablation of biological tissue.

A thermal model to predict the effect of laser parameters on the zone of thermal injury produced by laser ablation of biological tissue is presented. The model suggests that the Peclet number based on the optical penetration depth of laser radiation is the key parameter in determining the resulting zone of thermal injury. We show that the zone of thermal injury is minimized for Peclet numbers greater than one since the transport of energy via conduction beyond the ablation front is minimized. We also show that for Peclet numbers less than one, larger zones of thermal damage are unavoidable regardless of the laser pulse duration. The predictions of the model are compared with data available in the literature. Deviations between the model predictions and published data are discussed and the potential effects of the model assumptions, optical scattering, pyrolysis, temporal pulse shape, pulse duration, irradiance and pulse repetition rate are explored.
From Hybrids to Tourists: Children of Immigrants in Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake

Lahiri's The Namesake is an example of the contemporary immigrant narrative, which does not place the idea of an "American Dream" at the center of the story, but rather positions the immigrant ethnic family within a community of cosmopolitan travelers. Examining the experience of upper-class South Asian immigration through the eyes of American-born children, Lahiri's novel contains moments and tropes that resemble those of the travel narrative genre, particularly in its detached tone and digressive, pluralist narration.
Evaluation and clinical management of previous endodontic therapy

Endodontic recall studies and clinical experience have resulted in more universal criteria for acceptable and unacceptable endodontic treatment. Before the initiation of restorative treatment on teeth previously treated endodontically, the prosthodontist should evaluate the quality of endodontic treatment to assure that it will provide a risk-free, permanent, solid foundation for the future restorative work. Lack of symptoms alone does not indicate success of endodontic treatment. Radiographic evaluation is also not sufficient. The prosthodontist should use a thorough and combined evaluation of the endodontic history, radiographic evaluation, and tooth and tissue examination, as well as physically assess the treatment of all canals and their seals. As a rule, endodontics of questionable quality should be retreated by way of the canal. The removal of defective restorations is done to facilitate the retreatment effort and assure the soundness of tooth structure. Following retreatment, the tooth is restored and healing of the patient is followed up. Surgical endodontics is avoided unless retreatment is first attempted or the quality of previous root canal therapy is acceptable or the canal obstructed.
Cost‐effectiveness of increased telephone contact for patients with osteoarthritis: A randomized, controlled trial

Objective. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of telephone intervention for patients with osteoarthritis. Methods. Randomized, controlled trial. Results. The intervention did not significantly increase health care costs. The annual costs for a 1-unit improvement in physical functioning and in pain, as measured by the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales, were $70.86 and $31.00, respectively. Conclusion. Telephone contact is a potentially cost-effective intervention in osteoarthritis.