cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Loss of benefit in VIM thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for essential tremor (ET): How prevalent is it?

Abstract Ventralis intermedius (Vim) thalamic deep brain stimulation for medication-refractory essential tremor (ET) has been shown to significantly improve severity of limb tremor in several large case series with significant reduction in objective motor scores. A variable proportion of patients experience decline in benefit over time, however, most studies have not been designed to describe the phenomenon of waning benefit in terms that are helpful for patient counseling. In this retrospective single center study, we define waning benefit as a phenomenon that occurs after patients begin to require reprogramming visits to optimize DBS benefit on tremor. We employed a survival analysis with time to escape (TTE) as a quantitative measure of time elapsed between implantation and the need for subsequent reprogramming. In our cohort of ET patients operated on with Vim DBS from 1994 to 2009, among 45 subjects who met inclusion criteria, 73% reported waning benefit at some point during a mean follow-up period of 56 months (range 12–152 months). The mean TTE from implantation date was 18 months (range 3–75 months). We conclude that loss of benefit over time from Vim DBS for ET is more prevalent than previously published estimates have indicated and should be discussed during patient counseling regarding durability of expected benefit. In addition, this data suggests that a disease-based explanation rather than technical factors are more likely to explain the decline in benefit.
An Evaluation of Immediate Outcomes and Fidelity of a Drug Abuse Prevention Program in Continuation High Schools: Project towards No Drug Abuse (TND).

The present study provides an implementation fidelity, process, and immediate outcomes evaluation of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), a drug prevention program targeting continuation high school youth (n = 1426) at risk for drug abuse. A total of 24 schools participated in three randomized conditions: TND Only, TND and motivational interviewing follow-up, and no treatment control. Fidelity was high: across program schools the curriculum was implemented as intended and was received favorably by students. Relative to controls, intervention conditions produced effects on hypothesized mediators, including greater gains in program related knowledge, greater reductions in drug use intentions, and positive changes in motivation. However, few generalizations to attitudes and intentions regarding risky sexual behavior were found. The pattern of results suggests that the experimental manipulations worked as intended.
Paleomagnetics of Ringerike Old Red Sandstone and related rocks, southern Norway: implications for pre-carboniferous separation of Baltica and British terranes

Abstract Paleomagnetic study of two stratigraphic sections of the Upper Silurian-Lower Devonian Ringerike Sandstone, Oslo area, Norway, indicate a straightforward multicomponent NRM for these rocks. A lower temperature magnetization component gives a southwest and up (reversed polarity) in-situ direction, yields a negative fold test (i.e. post-folding) at the 99% confidence level, and is nearly identical to directions obtained from overlying Permo-Carboniferous lavas. A high temperature magnetization component exhibits both normal and reversed polarity directions, passes a fold test at the 95% confidence level, and is supported by a baked contact test which indicates a pre-intrusion age of magnetization. This characteristic high temperature component was successfully isolated in 79 samples, from 19 sites within the Ringerike succession. Results indicate a tilt corrected, characteristic magnetic direction of declination = 26°, inclination = −16°, which is consistent with earlier work. This direction corresponds to a time-integrated paleopole position of 19°N latitude, 164° longitude ( d p = 4.8°, d m = 9.3°). When compared to previous results from rocks of similar age from the British Isles, an approximately 20° latitudinal displacement between Britain and Baltica during Late Silurian-Early Devonian time is suggested.
A semantics for complex objects and approximate answers

Abstract A new definition of complex objects is introduced which provides a denotation for incomplete tuples as well as partially described sets. Set values are “sandwiched” between “complete” and “consistent” descriptions (respectively represented in the Smyth and Hoare powerdomains), allowing the maximal values to be arbitrary subsets of maximal elements in the domain of the space of descriptions. We then restrict our attention to complex objects which are in some sense “natural,” i.e., those which represent “views” of entity-relationship databases, and define rules over these objects. The rules can be used not only as an integrity check on the information in the database, but can be used constructively to infer consistent instances of conclusions and to refine complete instances of the hypothesis. The system is shown to extend the power of datalog (without negation) and the relational algebra (with set difference), and to have an efficient implementation.
A New Suture for Hair Transplantation: Poliglecaprone 25

BACKGROUNDThe most common type of donor closure in hair transplantation is with nonabsorbable, running sutures, usually of nylon or polypropylene. This is accomplished with or without buried absorbable sutures. Another popular method of closure is with stainless steel staples. Each of these methods
Workplace Language Teaching and the Intercultural Construction of Ideologies of Competence

Drawing on data from a larger ethnographic study of workplace literacy programs serving immigrants in California, this article describes workplace literacy classes at Cableco, a cable manufacturing plant serving the booming electronics industry in California's Silicon Valley. Language classes began at the factory in the mid-1990s to help immigrant employees gain English skills that managers perceived as crucial to promoting smooth work flow and good business. Blending ethnographic, critical discourse analytic and interactional sociolinguistic approaches, the author illustrates how a language lesson called ‘Who Gets Recognition in the United States' reveals underlying assumptions about gender, power, group allegiance, and politeness. These ideologically grounded assumptions were embedded in the lesson as well as in broader workplace language practices shaping managers' and employees' diverging conceptions of competence and their perceptions of one another. The data - a workplace literacy lesson, employees'...
Quench propagation study for full-length RHIC dipole magnets

Quench propagation velocities and conductor hot spot temperatures have been studied during the testing of RHIC superconducting dipole magnets. These studies were facilitated by artificially inducing quenches with spot heaters. The results of these tests are presented here and are compared with adiabatic model calculations. >
Failure of arteriovenous fistula maturation: an unintended consequence of exceeding dialysis outcome quality Initiative guidelines for hemodialysis access.

Abstract Purpose The Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines recommend that arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) be constructed in at least 50% of hemodialysis access procedures. Preoperative duplex ultrasound (US) scanning and venography may increase options for AVF with identification of veins that are not clinically evident. However, maturation of autogenous fistulas created on the basis of findings at duplex US scanning and venography has not been carefully examined. Methods From January 1999 to July 2002, 256 new hemodialysis access procedures were performed in 202 patients in an academic tertiary care center. If physical examination failed to disclose adequate vessels for hemodialysis access, patients underwent duplex US scanning mapping. Venography was performed when no usable vein or only a basilic vein was identified at duplex US scanning. Functional maturation rate and mean maturation time (time from fistula creation to initiation of hemodialysis) were determined. This experience was compared with that in a group of 128 patients in whom 148 hemodialysis access fistulas were created before we implemented liberal use of preoperative duplex US scanning and venography (January 1997–December 1998). Results From January 1999 to July 2002, preoperative duplex US scanning was performed in 68% of patients, and venography in 32% of patients. Autogenous fistula creation rate increased from 61% to 73% in all patients with hemodialysis access fistulas ( P = .15) and from 66% to 83% in patients undergoing a first access procedure ( P P P Conclusion Implementation of preoperative duplex US scanning and venography as a component of a more aggressive protocol to create native fistulas was pivotal in exceeding DOQI guidelines for hemodialysis access. However, this approach resulted in the unintended sequela of decreased fistula maturation rate. Our experience suggests that improved selection criteria based on findings at preoperative imaging are needed to further refine and optimize arteriovenous access surgery.
Myofibroblast Transdifferentiation in Obliterative Bronchiolitis: TGF-β Signaling Through Smad3-Dependent and -Independent Pathways

We have shown that Smad3, an intracellular signal transducer for transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), is required to elicit the full histological manifestations of obliterative airway disease in a tracheal transplant model. This suggests that chronic allograft rejection results in TGF-beta1-induced Smad3 activation that leads to airway obliteration through fibroproliferation and increased matrix deposition. In other systems, these latter events are causally related to the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, but their role in obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) after lung transplantation is unknown. We confirmed the presence of myofibroblasts inside affected airways associated with experimental OB using immunohistochemistry. Studying airway fibroblasts in vitro, we observed increased myofibroblast transdifferentiation in response to TGF-beta1, evidenced by increased alpha-smooth muscle actin mRNA and protein expression. In Smad3-null fibroblasts, TGF-beta1 induction of myofibroblast transdifferentiation was greatly diminished but not abolished, suggesting the presence of Smad3-independent pathways. Further studies revealed that small molecule inhibitors of p38 (SB203580) and MEK/ERK (U1026) further reduced the remaining effect of TGF-beta1 in Smad3-deficient fibroblasts. Together, these studies suggest that in chronic allograft rejection, TGF-beta1 stimulates myofibroblast transdifferentiation through Smad3-dependent and -independent signals, contributing to the excessive matrix deposition that characterizes obliterative bronchiolitis.
A study of the reaction between antimony(III) iodide and amine hydriodides

Abstract Twenty-two compounds were prepared by the reaction of amine hydriodide salts with antimony(III) iodide. The complex compounds were recrystallized, analysed for iodine and antimony content, their melting points and qualitative solubilities were determined. Analytical results indicated four of the compounds had iodine to antimony ratios of 4 to 1; ten of the compounds had iodine to antimony ratios of 5 to 1; three of the compounds had iodine to antimony ratios of 6 to 1; five of the compounds had iodine to antimony ratios of 9 to 2.
“War Through Children’s Eyes” in the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] Collection

In 1981, Hoover Institution Press published a collection of testimonies of Polish citizens and their children deported to the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1941. War Through Children’s Eyes contained English translations of compositions, interviews, and testimonies from the Polish Government Collection at the Hoover Institution Archives. In the 1980s efforts were underway in Poland to collect similar personal stories of survivors of Soviet deportations, including children’s testimonies. The result was the creation of the Archiwum Wschodnie [Eastern Archive] and the KARTA Center in Warsaw. The archive, legalized after the fall of Communism in 1990, is a major primary source collection dealing with the history of former Polish eastern territories. The paper discusses parts of the Archiwum Wschodnie collection focusing on the testimonies of children deported to the Soviet Union. The trauma of war and displacement is examined through personal stories and testimonies of deportees.
A systematic approach to intelligent system design—II. Multi-level case study

Abstract A unified framework for intelligent system design has been proposed in terms of six factors, relating to purpose, space, structure, time, process, and efficiency. The utility of this construct is investigated through a multi-level case study involving a knowledge based system for factory design.
A comparison of unimodal and bimodal catalyst deactivation behavior in a model compound system with rapid coke deposition

Abstract The effect of catalyst macroporosity on deactivation rates under conditions of very rapid coke build-up was studied using a model feed in a trickle bed reactor. To accelerate coke formation, severe deactivation conditions were alternated with standard reaction conditions during which the catalyst activity remaining was determined. Hydrogenation and hydrodemetallation model compound reactions were used as measures of catalyst activity. The most macroporous catalysts generally accumulated higher coke loadings; however, they were able to retain their activity for a longer time period under identical conditions, as compared to the completely microporous catalysts.
Keldysh Ginzburg-Landau action of fluctuating superconductors

We derive Ginzburg-Landau action by systematically integrating out electronic degrees of freedom in the framework of the Keldysh nonlinear $\ensuremath{\sigma}$-model of disordered superconductors. The resulting Ginzburg-Landau functional contains a nonlocal $\ensuremath{\Delta}$-dependent contribution to the diffusion constant, which leads, for example, to Maki-Thompson corrections. It also exhibits an anomalous Gor'kov-Eliashberg coupling between $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ and the scalar potential, as well as a peculiar nonlocal nonlinear term. The action is gauge invariant and satisfies the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. It may be employed, e.g., for calculation of higher moments of the current fluctuations.
Potassium hydroxide for peeling potatoes

Evolutionary operations (EVOP) were used to obtain conditions for optimum peeling of potatoes with KOH. With peeling at temperatures near 93 C, 20.6% KOH with an immersion time of 1 min 40 sec resulted in good peeling. Peeling at temperatures near 68 C required a KOH concentration of 25% and immersion times near 6 min. The higher immersion temperatures and higher KOH concentrations allowed shorter immersion times while obtaining adequate peeling of the potatoes.
Skin antibiotics get in the loop.

Epithelial peptides called defensins can kill microbes directly. New data reveal another function for some of these host antibiotics—enhancement of the innate immune response.
Repeated blast exposure alters open field behavior recorded under low illumination

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) can have devastating behavioral consequences. This study was designed to evaluate the behavioral consequences of single or repeated bTBI, as evaluated by an open field (OF) test conducted in near-darkness to avoid confounding effects of illumination and photophobia. Sprague-Dawley rats under isoflurane anesthesia were exposed to a series of 3 sub-lethal blasts into a compressed air-driven blast chamber separated by 2 week intervals (n=11). Sham controls received anesthesia but without blast exposure (n=11). OF tests were performed 1 or 7 days after each blast using a computerized video tracking system in near-darkness to monitor spontaneous activity. Spatial and temporal variables calculated for both blast and sham groups were: Distance moved (cm) and time (s) spent in the center or periphery zones of the field, total distance traveled, speed in center and periphery zones, rearing events and non-linear regressions of distance moved and rearing events on time. Results showed that the sham group expressed the expected decrease (habituation) in total distance walked, and distance walked as well as speed in center and periphery in successive exposures to the OF while the blast group did not, a sign of impaired learning. The blast group also walked more and faster and demonstrated more rearing behavior, both considered OF signs of anxiety. These results indicate that OF outcomes of bTBI in animals have resemblance to alterations observed in human subjects with this condition and might be useful in evaluating the response of behavioral outcomes of bTBI to experimental treatments.
Effect of natural antioxidant concentration on lipid oxidation of ready to eat ground beef links from cattle fed distillers grains in different phases of production

Lipid oxidation occurs most commonly in phospholipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids that will readily undergo free-radical chain reactions resulting in deterioration of the lipid. Lipid oxidation reduces shelf life and decreases overall desirability of the product by increasing the evidence of “warmed over” or “rancid” flavors. The use of plant extracts, such as rosemary or green tea, is becoming increasingly popular in meat processing as a natural antioxidant to increase shelf life of cooked meat products. This becomes particularly beneficial for companies seeking to clean up labels or use “natural” labeling claims for their product. Therefore , the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of natural rosemary and green tea extract in cooked beef from cattle fed distillers grains. Procedure
Impact of the Arts on Individual Contributions to US Civil Society

AbstractMany studies have emerged in recent years examining the impact of the arts on educational outcomes, physical and mental health outcomes, local economies, and community well-being. Yet considerably less attention has been given to the impact that participation in the arts has on social behaviour that promotes a civil society. This study seeks to remedy this gap in the literature by examining the effect that both audience-based arts participation and direct participation in the arts have on three measures of civil society. We rely on data from the General Social Survey, which offers information on the arts participation behaviour of a random sample of adults living in the USA (n = 1.341). Multivariate analysis is used to estimate the effects of audience-based arts participation as well as personal participation in the arts (creating art) on three dimensions of civil society: Civic engagement, social tolerance, and other-regarding behaviour. We find strong evidence that the arts enhance civil society...
Orientational exchange approach to fluorescence anisotropy decay

Fluorescence depolarization is a powerful technique in resolving dynamics of molecular systems. Data obtained in fluorescence depolarization experiments are highly complex. Mathematical models for analyzing data from depolarization due to rotational motion have been largely based on the rotational diffusion equation. These results have been verified by Monte Carlo simulations. It has been implicitly stated that a 90 degrees jump model between predefined orientations such as presented by G. Weber (1971. J. Chem. Phys. 55:2399–2411) should, for the specific case of fluorescence depolarization, give the same answer as the diffusion equation. Since the highly symmetric cases considered by G. Weber gave the same result as the diffusion equation, it has been desirable to use this method in cases where depolarization arises from both discrete processes and rotational diffusion. We have derived, in a compartmental formalism, the general result for excitation and emission dipoles not necessarily coincident with any of the principal rotational axes of the fluorophore from this exchange model, and have found it to be different from that of the diffusion equation approach. We have also verified this difference with a Monte Carlo simulation of our exchange model. This derivation allows us to define the limits of validity of the 90 degrees exchanges to model rotational diffusion. Also, for systems where movements may be jumps between a few preferred orientations, the actual physical mechanism of depolarization may not be accurately represented by continuous diffusion. The compartmental formalism developed here can be used to easily combine rotational motions with discrete position jumps or other level kinetics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A TWO CRITERIA STATISTICAL MODEL FOR TRANSITION FRACTURE TOUGHNESS

A two criteria model is proposed to explain the nature of the fracture toughness scatter in the transition regime for ferritic steels. In the early part of the transition the model describes the data by a normal statistical distribution. Here the mean of the distribution is constant with specimen size and the variance of the distribution varies inversely with test specimen size. At a higher temperature, in the middle of the transition, the model results in a Weibull distribution in which both the mean and variance of the distribution vary inversely with change in specimen size. For both of these cases the fracture toughness scatterband from one specimen size can be used to predict the scatterband for another specimen size provided that the thickness constraint is not changed
External beam radiotherapy and hyperthermia in the treatment of patients with locally advanced prostate carcinoma

BACKGROUND The current study was conducted to evaluate the combination of external beam radiation therapy and hyperthermia in the treatment of patients with locally advanced prostate carcinoma. METHODS Twenty-six patients were treated on a Phase I/II protocol between June 1990 and April 1993. The median age of the patients was 69 years. Nine patients had well differentiated adenocarcinoma, ten patients had moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, and six patients had poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. All patients had American Urologic Society Stage C2-D1 adenocarcinoma. The median pretreatment prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was 29 ng/mL (range, 6–104 ng/mL). All patients received external beam radiation therapy using a four-field technique. The median radiation dose was 6800 centigrays (cGy) given in 200-cGy fractions. Hyperthermia was administered concurrently with radiation therapy to temperatures of 42.5 °C for 30 minutes using a transrectal ultrasound applicator with 3 thermometry probes, given as either a single treatment (9 patients) or as two treatments (17 patients). Overall survival (OS) and biochemical no evidence of disease (bNED) status were calculated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. A consensus conference definition of PSA failure was used. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. The median follow-up for all patients was 71 months. RESULTS The median time to PSA nadir was 15 months with a median PSA nadir value of 1.0 ng/mL. The median and 5-year OS was 88 months and 73%, respectively, and the median and 5-year bNED survival was 36 months and 35%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed only the pretreatment PSA level (P = 0.03) and the PSA nadir reached (P < 0.01) to be significant predictors of bNED survival. The duration of hyperthermia therapy showed a trend toward significance for OS (P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS The current Phase I/II protocol evaluating the combination of prostate hyperthermia and external beam radiation therapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced prostate carcinoma suggests prostate hyperthermia to be feasible with no apparent significant increased toxicity, although there was no significant improvement in treatment outcome when compared with other studies reported in the literature evaluating external beam radiation therapy with or without androgen suppression. However, further investigation into the duration as well as the temperature of the hyperthermia with a greater number of patients is warranted. Cancer 2000;89:399–403. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
Impact, or The Business of the University

it to say that the Thatcher government undertook to professionalize the university in a way that had not been obvious prior to Thatcher's term as prime minister, purportedly to bring educational practices into line with the demand to train students in higher education institutions in a man- ner appropriate for a modern economy. In the sweep of this "reform," university teaching personnel were to be transformed into producers of results, both as pedagogues and as researchers, in ways that were to be measured by contemporary management practices and frameworks. Whatever other effects this transformation might have had, one thing is certain: it brought into the stark light of day the uncomfortable relation- ship between the university and the modern Western market society in which it exists. If the debate about impact and how to measure it quickly became a cause celebre for academics worldwide, it was clearly because relations between the university and the society at large were anything but comfortable in the second half of the twentieth century and in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The impact measurement culture that exists within the university system in the United States—and I will argue that there is indeed such a culture—has not had a crystallizing moment of the sort provoked by the Thatcher initiative and its eventual codification in the form of the new- est version of the REF. It has been developing in a more insidious and decentralized fashion, quite typical of the distributed federalism that is a characteristic governance mode of the United States. The recent fiasco that played out in June 2012 at the University of Virginia brought the market forces pressuring American universities into unusually clear focus, how- ever. The board of visitors of the university (the equivalent of a board of trustees in many American universities) forced the university president, Dr. Teresa Sullivan, chosen by the same board a mere two years earlier, to resign, only to reverse the decision and to reinstate her two weeks later
Sex, Society, and Association: A Cross-national Examination of Status Construction Theory

Status construction theory (SCT) has established a set of sufficient conditions for the formation of status characteristics that define informal hierarchies. However, while it has proven successful...
The SNS linac wire scanner system

The linac wire scanner system for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge, TN, calls for 5 units in the medium energy beam transport (MEET), 5 in the drift tube linac (DTL), 8 in the coupled cavity linac (CCL), and 13 in the high energy beam transport (HEBT). The actuators are a custom design fabricated by Huntington Mechanical Laboratories. Four different strokes are required to cover the above areas. The electronics are designed and fabricated by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). In this paper we will discuss the design of the actuators and the electronics, positioning accuracy tests of the actuators, and also show results from beam measurements taken during the MEET commissioning at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Opacified hemithorax with ipsilateral mediastinal shift after transthoracic needle biopsy.

A 75-year-old woman underwent transthoracic CT-guided cutting-needle biopsy of a 5 5-cm mass of the superior segment of the left lower lobe and had an episode of recent hemoptysis. She had been ill for 3 months with dyspnea, cough, and intermittent sputum production. Chest radiographs revealed a persistent left lower lobe alveolar opacification believed to be pneumonia; however, the patient had no improvement with two courses of oral antibiotics. She had severe COPD and was receiving home oxygen at 2 L/min, with baseline dyspnea with minimal exertion. Immediately following the CT-guided biopsy of the lung mass, she expectorated a large volume (approximately 500 mL) of bright red blood, and CT imaging revealed a pneumothorax. The pneumothorax was evacuated with a 12F chest tube placed under CT guidance. The patient remained hypoxic with an oxygen saturation of 85% on partial nonrebreather oxygen mask, and so was then intubated, with improvement in her arterial oxygen saturation to 90% but on fraction of inspired oxygen of 1.0. Suctioning through the endotracheal tube returned scant amounts of bloody secretions over the next several hours. After stabilization, she was transferred to an ICU. In the midst of the transport, her arterial oxygen saturation declined to 65%, followed soon thereafter by cardiac arrest. She was pulseless and had absent breath sounds over her entire left hemithorax. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated. Cardiac monitoring revealed electromechanical dissociation. The patient was administered epinephrine, 1 mg IV, and a 32F left-sided chest tube was placed emergently. The chest tube immediately drained 50 mL of blood, but no rush of air or air leak in the chest tube was appreciated, and subsequently the tube showed no respiratory variation. She had a return of spontaneous circulation shortly thereafter, with a total arrest time of 4 min. She was neurologically intact and following commands 30 min later. A chest radiograph was obtained (Fig 1).
INTRACELLULAR M PROTEIN OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCUS

Abstract Fox, Eugene N. (University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.). Intracellular M protein of group A Streptococcus. J. Bacteriol. 85:536–540. 1963.—A heat-labile M protein antigen in protoplasts of a type 14 strain of group A Streptococcus has been demonstrated in a soluble form in the cytoplasm, and also bound to the protoplasmic membrane. When trypsinized whole cells (from which the M protein on the cell wall had been digested) or protoplasts were extracted with hot HCl, no M protein antigen was detected, although the antigen was routinely extracted from the cell walls of normal streptococci by the hot acid procedure. Various serological techniques, including the use of fluorescein-labeled type-specific antisera, were employed to demonstrate the M antigen in association with the membrane from osmotically lysed protoplasts.
A Loss and Queuing-Delay Controller for Router Buffer Management

Active queue management (AQM) in routers has been proposed as a solution to some of the scalability issues associated with TCPs pure end-to-end approach to congestion control. However, beyond congestion control, controlling queues in routers is important because unstable router queues can cause poor application performance. Existing AQM schemes explicitly try to control router queues by probabilistically dropping (or marking) packets. We argue that while controlling router queues is important, this control needs to be tempered by a consideration of the overall lossrate at the router. Solely attempting to control queue length can induce loss-rates that have as negative an effect on application and network performance as the large queues that existing AQM schemes were trying to avoid. Thus controlling queue length without regard to loss-rate can be counterproductive. In this work we demonstrate that by jointly controlling queue length and loss-rate, both network and application performance are improved. We present a novel AQM design that attempts to simultaneously optimize queue length and loss-rate. Our algorithm, called loss and queuing delay control (LQD), is a control theoretic scheme that explicitly treats loss-rate as a control parameter. LQD is shown to provide stable control analytically and is evaluated empirically by comparing its performance against other control theoretic AQM designs (PI and REM). The results of evaluation in a laboratory testbed under realistic traffic mixes and loads show that LQD results in lower overall loss rates and that applications see lower average queue lengths than with PI or REM.
Charter Schools and Student Compositions of Traditional Public Schools

One of the most contentious urban education policy issues in the United States today is the expansion of charter schools and its repercussions. Does the expansion of charter schools affect the racial and socioeconomic composition of traditional public schools in the United States? This study provides empirical evidence on this question by relying on a panel design that uses school-level data from two states that have experimented with charter schools for more than 15 years: Ohio and Texas. Using county-level, spatial, and enrollment-based measures of charter exposure, the changes from pre- to postcharter-legislation stages in the student compositions of public schools that do and do not face competition from charters are examined. The results suggest that charter school presence contributes to aggregate-level changes in the share of nonHispanic White and free-lunch-eligible students in traditional public schools in both states in different ways.
iClay: digitizing cuneiform

Advances in digital technology for the graphic and textual representation of manuscripts have not, until recently, been applied to the world's oldest manuscripts, cuneiform tablets. This is due in large part both to the three-dimensional nature of cuneiform tablets and to the complexity of the cuneiform script system. The Digital Hammurabi Project and the Initiative for Cuneiform Encoding announce success in encoding Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform in Unicode while also demonstrating advances in 3D scanning and visualization of cuneiform tablets, showcased by iClay, a cross-platform, Internet-deployable, Java applet that allows for the viewing and manipulation of 2D+ images of cuneiform tablets.
STUDIES ON HYPERSENSITIVITY OF HUMAN TISSUES IN VITRO I. TUBERCULIN HYPERSENSITIVITY

A new simple method of evaluating specific cytotoxicity to tuberculoprotein in the study of tuberculin hypersensitivity in vitro by comparing cell populations is presented. Utilizing this technic it was possible to reproduce Rich's results (1, 2) using human tissues of reticuloendothelial origin. The demonstration of the specific cytotoxic phenomenon in tuberculin-sensitive human tissues indicates that the principle elaborated by Rich (2) of specific changes in the individual fixed tissue cells in tuberculin hypersensitivity, possibly related to cellular antibodies, applies to human subjects as well as to the animals heretofore studied. Preliminary observations suggest that macrophages from donors with clinically active tuberculosis are more sensitive to tuberculoprotein than macrophages from tuberculin-positive donors without clinically active disease. Macrophages from tuberculin-positive donors appeared to be more sensitive to tuberculoprotein than fibroblasts derived from the same tissue. An inhibition of cell proliferation was seen when both cell types were exposed to PPD. In addition macrophages responded to tuberculoprotein with gross morphological changes and eventual cytolysis.
Using Ada in non-CS majors

2. INTRODUCTION All students attending the U.S. Air Force Academy (called USAFA hereafter) are required to take an introductory course in computer science. For the past two years, Ada 95 has been the programming language taught in that course [2]. In addition, Ada has been the “language of choice” in the computer science curriculum for several years; in some computer science courses, Ada has been used for 6 years. It appears to be fairly common for computer science professors to consider and adopt Ada as their desired programming language [3]. We have been unable to discover in the literature, however, indications that other academic disciplines are also selecting Ada for use in their curricula.
Characterization of a ranavirus inhibitor of the antiviral protein kinase PKR.

Background Ranaviruses (family Iridoviridae) are important pathogens of lower vertebrates. However, little is known about how they circumvent the immune response of their hosts. Many ranaviruses contain a predicted protein, designated vIF2α, which shows homology with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α. In analogy to distantly related proteins found in poxviruses vIF2α might act as an inhibitor of the antiviral protein kinase PKR.
Distinct Modes of Regulation of Transcription of Hepatitis B Virus by the Nuclear Receptors HNF4α and COUP-TF1

To study the effects of the nuclear receptors (NRs) HNF4α and COUP-TF1 on the life cycle of hepatitis B virus (HBV), the human hepatoma cell line Huh7 was transiently cotransfected with plasmids containing the HBV genome and encoding these two NRs. Overexpression of HNF4α and COUP-TF1 led to a 9-fold increase and a 7- to 10-fold decrease, respectively, in viral DNA synthesis. These two NRs also exhibited distinct modes of regulation of viral transcription. Overexpression of HNF4α led to a more-than-10-fold increase in synthesis of the pregenomic RNA but to only a 2- to 3-fold increase in synthesis of the pre-C and S RNAs. Moreover, the NR response element within the pre-C promoter, NRRE preC, played the major role in activation of pregenomic RNA synthesis by HNF4α. On the other hand, overexpression of COUP-TF1 led to an over-10-fold repression of synthesis of both pre-C and pregenomic RNAs mediated through either NRRE preC or NRRE enhI . HNF4α and COUP-TF1 antagonized each other9s effects on synthesis of pregenomic RNA and viral DNA when they were co-overexpressed. A naturally occurring HBV variant which allows for binding by HNF4α but not COUP-TF1 in its NRRE preC exhibited significantly higher levels of synthesis of pregenomic RNA and viral DNA than wild-type HBV in coexpression experiments. Last, deletion analysis revealed that non-NRRE sequences located within both the C and pre-S1 regions are also essential for maximum activation of the pregenomic promoter by HNF4α but not for repression by COUP-TF1. Thus, HNF4α and COUP-TF1 function through different mechanisms to regulate expression of the HBV genes.
Distinct roles of ATR and DNA-PKcs in triggering DNA damage responses in ATM-deficient cells

The cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks involves direct activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and indirect activation of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR) in an ATM/Mre11/cell-cycle-dependent manner. Here, we report that the crucial checkpoint signalling proteins—p53, structural maintainance of chromosomes 1 (SMC1), p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1), checkpoint kinase (Chk)1 and Chk2—are phosphorylated rapidly by ATR in an ATM/Mre11/cell-cycle-independent manner, albeit at low levels. We observed the sequential recruitment of replication protein A (RPA) and ATR to the sites of DNA damage in ATM-deficient cells, which provides a mechanistic basis for the observed phosphorylations. The recruitment of ATR and consequent phosphorylations do not require Mre11 but are dependent on Exo1. We show that these low levels of phosphorylation are biologically important, as ATM-deficient cells enforce an early G2/M checkpoint that is ATR-dependent. ATR is also essential for the late G2 accumulation that is peculiar to irradiated ATM-deficient cells. Interestingly, phosphorylation of KRAB associated protein 1 (KAP-1), a protein involved in chromatin remodelling, is mediated by DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) in a spatio-temporal manner in addition to ATM. We posit that ATM substrates involved in cell-cycle checkpoint signalling can be minimally phosphorylated independently by ATR, while a small subset of proteins involved in chromatin remodelling are phosphorylated by DNA-PKcs in addition to ATM.
A heuristic algorithm to solve the single-facility location routing problem on Riemannian surfaces

Location routing problem (LRP) in supply chain management is integration of the vehicle routing (VRP) and facility location problems (FLP). To the best of our knowledge, the known solutions obtained for the LRP in the literature are only obtained for the Euclidean space. Solving LRP on Riemannian manifold surface (RMS) is a more realistic approach than using Euclidean surfaces because of the curved structure of the pathways on Earth with changing local RMS curvatures. The shortest path distances on Earth’s surface can be determined by calculating geodesic distances in local neighborhoods. The special case of the LRP on RMS is the traditional LRP in the Euclidean space when the curvature of the RMS is zero. In this work, we introduce a new LRP to be solved on (RMS) and find a heuristic algorithmic solution to this LRP. In particular, we formulate the LRP for a single facility on RMS; a generalization of the surface and distance assumptions for the traditional single facility LRP. In addition, a heuristic algorithm is formulated to solve the proposed LRP on RMS with the corresponding computational results displayed for a particular scenario. The numerical results corresponding to the theoretical results introduced in this work are incomparable with the ones known in the literature for the traditional LRP because of the change in the surface and distance assumptions.
Thin-BOX Poly-Si Thin-Film Transistors for CMOS-Compatible Analog Operations

This paper presents device models and optimization methodology for reducing short-channel effects in low-temperature polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors (LTPS TFTs), which are suitable for standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible analog operations. We analyze channel-length modulation to determine appropriate channel length having a single grain boundary in the channel fabricated using excimer laser-annealed crystallization under low-temperature constraint. Furthermore, buried-oxide-induced barrier lowering (BIBL) is investigated in poly-Si TFTs. BIBL makes the effective channel length shorter, resulting in difficulty to use LTPS TFTs for analog applications due to small output resistance rout. We show that, with scaling of the buried-oxide (BOX) thickness Tbox and an appropriate channel length, rout and the normalized transconductance gm/Id (with Tbox = 10 nm) can be improved by 103% and 8%, respectively, compared with thicker BOX (Tbox = 50 nm). In addition, due to the decrease in leakage currents, the Ion/Ioff ratio of the thin-BOX device can be three times larger than that of the thicker BOX device. Based on the process-constrained optimized device, we designed a 417-μW 65-dB folded-cascode operational amplifier with 2-V supply for CMOS-compatible operations.
Behavioral and Ecological Adaptations to Water Economy in Two Plethodontid Salamanders, Ensatina eschscholtzii and Batrachoseps attenuatus

Amphibians in general, and plethodontid salamanders in particular, are highly susceptible to cutaneous water loss. We compared behavior, habitat use, and physiology of Batrachoseps attenuatus (Eschscholtz) and Ensatina eschscholtzii (Gray) in Humboldt County, California, to identify adaptations of water economy. Both species lost more body water in a dry environment than in a wet one. In the field, sites with salamanders had higher relative humidity than sites without salamanders. In behavioral experiments, both species used water-conserving postures; they positioned themselves deep in leaf litter in dry environments while remaining on the surface of leaf litter in wet environments. The slender morphology of B. attenuatus may aid in habitat partitioning by plethodontid salamanders; in the field we found B. attenuatus closer to the surface of the leaf litter than E. eschscholtzii. The evolution of a slender body shape appears to be unconstrained by microclimates typically encountered by this species.
Measuring the effectiveness of a "decision matrix" for missile retargeting decisions

The U.S. Navy recently developed a version of the Tomahawk Missile that can be retargeted while in flight. This new version, called the Tactical Tomahawk Missile, requires en route monitoring, control, and oversight by human operators. Previous research led to the design, implementation, and testing of a graphical multiuser interface system for human supervisory control of a missile "strike" (multiple missile fired together to various targets). The purpose of this study was to test the merits of a decision matrix as a high-level decision making aid, to validate previous findings about how missile load affects performance. Forty-two University of Virginia students participated as subjects. Missile level varied between 8, 12, and 16 missile, and interface type varied between having the decision matrix or not. The results confirmed that the decision matrix is a useful tool, but they failed to verify previous missile loading estimates
Demographics, socio-behavioral factors, and drug use patterns: What matters in spontaneous HCV clearance?†

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), an emerging bloodborne pathogen, causes chronic liver disease frequently except in about 10-20% of infections which undergo spontaneous resolution. Investigating factors that influence viral clearance is essential to understand the natural history of this infection and establishing novel strategies for prevention and treatment. HCV clearance was estimated in a unique cohort of 1260 HIV and HBV negative current drug users enrolled for a hepatitis B vaccination study. It was defined as the inability to detect viral RNA using a PCR method in presence of serum anti-HCV antibody EIA. Associated demographic and socio-behavioral factors including drug use patterns were identified from the enrolled subjects using multivariate regression analysis. 33.3 % (420/1260) of drug users were found positive for anti-HCV antibodies and 14.8% (62/420) of these individuals achieved viral clearance (negative PCR test). Race or ethnicity of the participants was the only significant factor associated with HCV clearance. Hispanics (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.3-8.5, p = 0.01) and Caucasians (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.6, p = 0.003) had significantly higher odds of clearing the virus compared to African Americans when adjusted for age and gender. None of the socio-behavioral factors including alcohol intake and drug use patterns were significant determinants of HCV clearance. Racial or ethnic differences in HCV clearance were observed in this study suggesting an important role of host genetic susceptibility factors in determining the clinical course of this disease. Further research is needed to examine these genetic associations of host-virus relationships.
Item Specification in the Development of a Diagnostic Gambling Instrument: A Focus Group Approach

Pathological Gambling Disorder (PGD) is internationally prevalent and contributes to significant disruption and impairment in a gambler’s life. For accurate diagnosis and treatment planning, clinicians require standardized criteria as in commonly used DSM and ICD-10 taxonomies, which are conceptually clear, valid, and culturally appropriate. We aimed to describe clinical issues, other than DSM criteria, that may be potentially clinically meaningful to PGD assessment and treatment planning. Participants from St. Louis, Missouri, USA, who self-identified as problem or pathological gamblers or who had a friend or relative with a gambling problem, as well as clinicians with addictions and PGD diagnostic expertise, participated in one of ten focus groups as part of a larger psychometric study aimed at developing and refining a structured, diagnostic gambling assessment tool, the Gambling Assessment Module (GAM©). A content-driven immersion-crystallization qualitative approach yielded insight into gambling behaviors, terminology, and diagnostic issues. While complementary to existing diagnostic taxonomies, these findings provide additional item specification for in-depth clinical assessment.