cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thrombus formation on polytetrafluoroethylene surfaces: the importance of von Willebrand factor

The importance of von Willebrand factor (vWf) in the formation of platelet-fibrin thrombi on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) surfaces was studied in an in vitro system, perfusing non-anticoagulated human blood over ePTFE grafts for 3 min at varying shear rates (100, 500 and 1500/s shear). Platelet (111In) and fibrin (125I) deposition was assessed on ePTFE surfaces in the presence and relative absence of vWf, achieved by use of polyclonal anti-vWf antibody (anti-vWf Ab). A total of 29 perfusions were performed. Increasing shear rate was associated with greater platelet deposition in the presence of vWf (p < 0.001). This shear-dependent rise in platelet deposition was not observed when vWf was blocked by anti-vWf Ab (P < 0.1), confirming the role of vWf in platelet deposition at high shear rates. Fibrin deposition increased with increasing shear rate in the presence of vWf (P < 0.01). Inhibiting vWf abolished the shear-dependent increase in fibrin deposition. These data suggest that vWf plays a critical role in platelet and fibrin thrombus formation on ePTFE surfaces. These effects are particularly important under conditions of high shear rate. These mechanisms may lead to the observed pathologic thrombus formation and platelet-dependent neointimal processes occurring at areas of high shear rate within the anastomotic regions of ePTFE grafts.
LU and Cholesky decomposition on an optical systolic array processor

Direct solutions of matrix-vector equations on an optical systolic array processor are considered. The solutions are discussed and a parallel algorithm for LU matrix decomposition that is very attractive for an optical realization is formulated. It is noted that when direct techniques are used, it is preferable to realize the matrix decomposition on an optical system and to utilize a digital processor for the solution of the simplified resultant matrix-vector problem. One method of realizing LU matrix decomposition on a new frequency-multiplexed optical systolic array matrix-matrix processor is described. A simple method for extending the process of LU decomposition to Cholesky decomposition on the optical processor is discussed.
Deepened extinction of cocaine cues.

Abstract Background A method for reducing the power of drug cues could help in treating drug abuse and addiction. Extinction has been used, with mixed success, in such an effort. Research with non-drug cues has shown that simultaneously presenting (compounding) those cues during extinction can enhance the effectiveness of extinction. The present study investigated whether this procedure could be used to similarly deepen the extinction of cocaine cues. Methods Rats were first trained to self-administer cocaine during tone, click, and light stimuli. Then, these stimuli were subjected to extinction in an initial phase where they were presented individually. In a second extinction phase, one of the auditory stimuli (counterbalanced) was compounded with the light. The other auditory stimulus continued to be presented alone. Rats were then given a week of rest in their homecages prior to testing for spontaneous recovery of cocaine seeking. Results The cue that was compounded with the light during the second phase of extinction training occasioned less spontaneous recovery of cocaine seeking than the cue that was always presented individually during extinction. Increasing the number of compound cue extinction sessions did not produce a greater deepened extinction effect. Conclusions The present study showed that simultaneously presenting already-extinguished cocaine cues during additional extinction training enhanced extinction. This extends the deepened extinction effect from non-drug cues to drug cues and further confirms predictions of error-correction learning theory. Incorporating deepened extinction into extinction-based drug abuse treatments could help to reduce the power of drug cues.
REYE'S SYNDROME: A MODEL AND A HYPOTHESIS

4-Pentenoic acid (P.A.) an analog of hypoglycin, the compound that causes Jamaican vomiting sickness, was given to rats in an attempt to reproduce Reye's syndrome. Twelve rats given a single dose of 200 mg/kg of P.A. intraperitoneally developed hyperventilation, prostration and finally seizures and death. These animals had elevated ammonia (P.A.=162.4 ± 32.9 [S.E.M.] vs control [C]=44.6 ± 3.7 μg/100 ml; p <.01)and, in fasted rats, hypoglycemia (serum glucose P.A.=95.3 ± 14.6 vs C=146.9 ± 6.1 mg/100 ml; p <.01). In long-term experiments 15 rats were given 50 mg/kg of P.A. every 4 hours for 10 doses followed by a single dose of 200 mg/kg. Treated rats had enlarged livers (P.A.=7.49 ± .35 vs C=5.87 ± .16 gm; p <.001) that showed extensive small vacuole fatty degeneration, an elevated SGOT (P.A.=136.1 ± 22.6 vs C=66.4 ± 7.1 IU; p <.02), an elevated BUN (P.A.=29.7 ± 1.0 vs C=16.8 ± .8; p <-001) and normal bilirubin levels. P.A. (1mM) inhibited palmitate oxidation in rat liver slices 47 ± 10%. Evidence indicates the impairment of fatty acid oxidation results in the other metabolic abnormalities caused by P.A. The similarity in clinical and laboratory findings in this animal model, in Jamaican vomiting sickness, and in Reye's syndrome suggests that the pathophysiology, most likely secondary to impaired fatty acid oxidation, may be similar in all three. This model may prove useful for further studies of the pathophysiology and treatment of Reye's syndrome.
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION AND THEORIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS*

After a period of decline in the discipline, the social disorganization model of Shaw and McKay is again beginning to appear in the literature. This paper examines five criticisms of the perspective and discusses recent attempts to address those issues and problems that are still in need of resolution.
Physiologically inspired pattern recognition for electronic noses

The electronic noise is a natural match for physiologically motivated chemical data analysis. Both the olfactory system and the electronic nose consist of an array of chemical sensing elements and a pattern recognition system. Physiologically motivated approaches to automated chemical analysis with electronic noses are discussed in this paper. Also, applications of electronic noses to environmental sensing, food processing, and medicine are referenced. The quantity and complexity of the data collected by sensor arrays can make conventional chemical analysis of data in an automated fashion difficult. One approach to odor or volatile compound identification is to build an array of sensors, where each sensor in the array is designed to respond to a specific chemical. With this approach, the number of unique sensors must be at least as great as the number of chemicals being monitored. It is both expensive and difficult to build highly selective chemical sensors. An alternative approach is to use sensors that have a broader response and rely on advanced information processing to discriminate between different chemicals. This latter approach was inspired by biological olfactory systems and is the approach incorporated in electronic noses to reduce the requirements on both the number and the selectivity of the sensors.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Characterization of Population Weighted-Symmetry and Related Results

Abstract The concept of population weighted-symmetry (a generalization of population symmetry) is discussed and a characterization of weighted-symmetry provided. For the special case of population symmetry, this characterization yields a strong converse to the well-known result: if the distribution of a continuous random variable X is symmetric about θ, then Z= |X – θ| and the indicator function for the event {X ≥ θ} are stochastically independent. Implications and possible applications of the general weighted-symmetry results are considered.
Emulsion Separation Index: From Laboratory to Field Case Studies

Quantifying oil-water or emulsion separation has always been difficult. This is due, in part, to the numerous factors controlling oil-water separation. This paper describes a new method developed at Saudi Aramco for the quantification of oil-water separation process. It is designated as ESI or Emulsion Separation Index and it was developed to measure emulsion stability. This index has been used to select and screen demulsifiers and to quantify the effect of various factors that affect oil-water separation including temperature, shear, asphaltene content, watercut, demulsifier dosage and mixing different crudes. Its use has eliminated some of the `art-work associated with demulsifier selection and diagnosing emulsion treatment problems. This paper also describes three field case studies where the ESI was used to select the best demulsifier, diagnose, and ultimately solve emulsion related problems during oil production. The first field study is from the largest onshore oil field in the world. The emulsions from this field were being stabilized by inorganic scales and organic asphaltenes. The paper describes how the ESI was used to diagnose and resolve the problem. The second field study is from the second largest offshore field in the world. Here extremely tight emulsions were forming and plugging the separation equipment offshore. These emulsions contained 70-90% water and were very viscous. Their deposition in the separation equipment was resolved by using recommended demulsifiers and performing ESI tests in the field. The demulsifier dosage was also optimized using these tests. The third field case study is from another large offshore field that produces from seven different reservoirs. The properties of the crudes from the seven reservoirs vary significantly. These properties provide an interesting case of operational problems in oil-water separation including increased incidents of arcing/shorting in the separator, tripping of equipment and increased demulsifier consumption. The factors affecting oil-water separation were quantified using ESI. The results show a strong correlation of asphaltene content in the crude oil with ESI or emulsion tightness. Recommendations were made for reducing and optimizing demulsifier dosage by adding chemical additives. Many lessons learnt in these field studies are applicable to any crude oil treating facilities.
Ventricular tachycardia arising from the aortomitral continuity in structural heart disease: characteristics and therapeutic considerations for an anatomically challenging area of origin.

Background— The aortomitral continuity (AMC) has been described as a site of origin for ventricular tachycardias (VT) in structurally normal hearts. There is a paucity of data on the contribution o...
Head Start's National Reporting System: a work in progress.

Head Start is the nation's largest school-readiness program for young children considered at risk of poor academic outcomes. Since opening in 1965, the program has served >22 million children and their families. The majority of participants are 3- and 4-year-olds, and almost all live below the federal poverty level. Head Start delivers comprehensive services to meet the needs of the “whole child”: physical and mental health, preschool education, social and emotional growth opportunities, social services for children and families, and parental and community involvement. A research-and-evaluation component was part of the design of the program, making it a national laboratory for planning and testing a variety of early childhood services. Over the decades, thousands of studies on Head Start and other comprehensive programs have established that early intervention does boost school readiness, although investigations of long-term effects are relatively sparse. Certainly a major deterrent to productive evaluation is the range of Head Start's objectives and the historical lack of appropriate assessment tools. The problem was addressed most recently by the Head Start Program Performance Measures Initiative.1 Specific goals were identified in the areas of health, social and emotional development, cognition, and family involvement. Measures then were …
The perception of identity in simultaneously presented complex visual displays.

Two experiments were conducted in order to examine the information processing in a visual matching task, using digit sequences of varying complexity as the stimuli. Traditionally, reaction times for “same” judgments do not fit into a single-process self-terminating feature testing model, while those for “different” judgments do. Bamber (1969) proposed a two-stage model to account for the data, and the results of these experiments support this type of model. Strong evidence implying that Bamber’s “identity reporter” has a limited capacity in terms of stimulus complexity was also found. This complexity seems to be deemed by stimulus discriminability and the number of “chunks” of information rather than by “bits” of information being transmitted (Miller, 1956).
Three-dimensional flow field downstream of an embedded stator in a multistage axial flow compressor: Part 2: Deterministic stress and heat flux distribution and average-passage equation system:

The results from the area traverse measurements of the unsteady velocity and total temperature downstream of the second stator of a three-stage axial flow compressor have been correlated to derive various deterministic stress and heat flux terms. These terms are consistent with those arising from the average-passage equation system of Adamczyk. The deterministic periodic stress and heat flux terms were found to be larger than the aperiodic terms for both the normal and the shear components. Consequently the terms involving the aperiodic components in the average-passage equations could be neglected for stator exit and rotor inlet flow modelling. The deterministic periodic normal and shear stresses were seen to be most significant in the stator wakes away from the end-wall regions. The most significant shear stress correlation was between the axial and the tangential velocity components. Since the correlations involving the radial component were small, it is postulated that the dominant mechanism for mixing (in the radial direction) is due to the steady deterministic radial velocity. All three components of deterministic heat flux were found to be significant in this flow field, especially in the wakes. The dominant terms in the average-passage equation system away from the end walls were due to the tangential gradient compared with the radial gradient terms and both the terms were found to be of equal importance in the hub and casing end-wall regions.
Walking intensity for postmenopausal bone mineral preservation and accrual.

Introduction: Mechanical stresses on the bone are an important aspect of physical activity that promotes bone preservation and increases in bone mass. Exercise intensities leading to bone preservation and accrual have not been adequately defined for humans in general, and postmenopausal women in particular. Materials and methods: To quantify parameters of effective walking intensity for preservation and accrual of bone mineral, healthy postmenopausal women engaged in 30 weeks of supervised walking, 4.8 km per day, 4 days a week at intensities of 102% or 123% of the ventilatory threshold (VT) equivalent to 67% and 86% of maximal effort (VO2 max). Subjects were matched by age, body mass, hormone replacement status (HRT) and VT. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) determined by DXA (n=25) and bone formation markers osteocalcin (OC), and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bALP) (n=43), were measured at the outset and at 15-week intervals. Peak vertical forces at corresponding intensities were measured (n=9) on a force plate. Results: aBMD of legs and whole body, but not of other sites, and lean mass of legs, but not of arms, increased after 15 weeks of high intensity, compared to moderate losses for low intensity training. Leg and total body aBMD was preserved and slightly increased with loads greater than 872.3 newtons (N) with a walking intensity above 115% of VTor 74% of VO2 max, speeds above 6.14 km/h, and heart rates above 82.3% of agespecific maximum. OC and bALP did not correlate with training-induced changes in aBMD. Conclusions: At exercise intensities above 115% of VTor 74% of VO2 max, and walking speeds above 6.14 km/h, mechanical loading of 872.3 N or 1.22 times body weight is sufficient for increases in leg muscle mass and preservation of BMD in postmenopausal women.
Surface wave suppression properties of Perforated Artificial Impedance Surfaces

Surface wave suppression properties of Perforated Artificial Impedance Surfaces (PAIS) are investigated. It is shown that, by a proper choice of perforation geometry, surface wave propagation can be suppressed without the need of vias. This significantly decreases fabrication costs. It is also possible to overlap the surface wave suppression and reflection phase bands of the PAIS. Due to the rotational asymmetry of the structure, surface wave suppression is achieved in only one direction.
Enhanced laminin binding by α-dystroglycan after enzymatic deglycosylation

Carbohydrate modifications are clearly important to the function of α-dystroglycan but their composition and structure remain poorly understood. In the present study, we describe experiments aimed at identifying the α-dystroglycan oligosaccharides important for its binding to laminin-1 and carbohydrate-dependent mAbs (monoclonal antibodies) IIH6 and VIA41. We digested highly purified skeletal muscle α-dystroglycan with an array of linkage-specific endo- and exoglycosidases, which were verified for action on α-dystroglycan by loss/gain of reactivity for lectins with defined glyco-epitopes. Notably, digestion with a combination of Arthrobacter ureafaciens sialidase, β(1-4)galactosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase substantially degraded SiaAα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-2Man glycans on highly purified α-dystroglycan that nonetheless exhibited enhanced IIH6, VIA41 and laminin-1 binding activity. Additional results indicate that α-dystroglycan is probably modified with other anionic sugars besides sialic acid and suggest that rare α-linked GlcNAc moieties may block its complete deglycosylation with currently available enzymes.
Children's Television Selections: A Study of Indicators of Same-Race Preferences

The same-race hypothesis of identification and modeling was examined with respect to children's television preferences. Subjects were 80 children, equally represented by two grades (third and sixth), two sexes, and two races (Black and White), who were presented with two television programs differing by race of central characters. Children chose either same-race or opposite-race programs and characters for viewing. As predicted, children chose same-race programs significantly more often. No grade or sex effects were found. The results show that children prefer to watch same-race characters and models, implying that same-race individuals may command more attention from children and serve as effective models for them. Results of this study and its implications concerning the limited number of minority characters available in the media are discussed.
Ultrastructure of Acrasis rosea, a Cellular Slime Mold, During Development

SYNOPSIS. An ultrastructural study of the myxamoebae of Acrasis rosea in the vegetative, aggregative and culminative stages was made. An intracytoplasmic system of microfibrillar bundles develops as the cells enter the aggregative stage and commence the morphogenetic sequence leading to the construction of a fruiting body. The fibrillar bundles disappear in the cells of the mature fruiting body. No relevant ultrastructural differences were observed between spores, stalk cells and microcysts. Each of these cells is surrounded by a single-layered coat of fibrillar material that is oriented parallel to the cell surface. Tubular structures were observed between the plasma membrane and the cell coat. The tubules may be layered along the cell periphery or they may be recessed in pockets formed by the plasma membrane. They resemble lomasomes typical of fungal cells. The myxamoebae of A. rosea clearly differ from the Dictyostelium-type myxamoebae in mitochondrial structure, the presence of lamellate structures in the nucleolus and the absence of prespore vacuoles.
Mapping speech signals to musical scores through prosodic extraction

Detached from its semantic content, a speech signal can be interpreted as a musical structure, containing rhythm, intonation, timbre and pitch. The musical components of speech can be extracted through algorithmic prosodic analysis to be mapped into musical notation. In this paper, we present a system that extracts pitch and rhythm from an utterance for mapping into a musical score.
Determining the drivers' acceptance of EFTCD in highway work zones

Traffic safety is a major concern in the temporary one-lane, two-way highway work zones due to the increasing of construction and maintenance operations. To prevent rear-end crashes and to mitigate the severity of these crashes caused by the inattentive driving, the utilization of the Emergency Flasher Traffic Control Device (EFTCD) was under consideration by government agencies, in addition to existing temporary traffic control devices installed in the one-lane, two-way highway work zones. The EFTCD was a newly proposed traffic warning device implemented through the use of vehicles' hazard warning flashers. The primary objective of the research project was to investigate the drivers' acceptance of the proposed EFTCD by measuring the mean speed changes of vehicles with and without EFTCD and by evaluating the drivers' opinions of the EFTCD using the survey method. Field experimental results revealed that the EFTCD effectively reduced the mean vehicle speeds in the upstream of two work zones. A slow speed is more likely to reduce the severity of a crash in work zones. In addition, survey results indicated that 60% of the drivers thought the EFTCD signified a need for speed reduction and 82% of drivers recommended the implementation of the EFTCD in one-lane, two-way work zones. These results provide the necessary scientific justifications for the government agencies to decide if the EFTCD should be implemented in the one-lane, two-way highway work zones to prevent rear-end crashes and to mitigate the severity of these crashes.
Composite tissue-engineered materials

Biological tissues are complex composites containing collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans. In order to develop tissue-engineered analogs, each of these three components can be fabricated in vitro using conventional tissue culture technologies, and then assembled in the appropriate configuration. This paper summarizes recent efforts towards that end.
Branching design of the bronchial tree based on a diameter-flow relationship

Kitaoka, Hiroko, and Bela Suki. Branching design of the bronchial tree based on a diameter-flow relationship.J. Appl. Physiol. 82(3): 968–976, 1997.—We propose a method for designing the bronchial ...
The Interdisciplinary Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic

The CKD clinic has emerged as an interdisciplinary care (IDC) model that encompasses patient education, medical management of CKD complications and progression risk factors and quality improvement. The CKD clinic team may include physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists and social workers. Team structure and clinic goals should be tailored to local practice needs. Common goals include CKD education, RRT planning and treatment of complications of CKD based on national/international guidelines. Data suggest that CKD clinics improve CKD and RRT education and lead to greater rates of home dialysis and permanent access placement. Long-term studies are needed to determine if CKD clinics provide a beneficial effect on preserving kidney function. Financing CKD clinics remains problematic as many insurers do not pay for IDC services. The long-term viability of the CKD clinic model may ultimately depend on demonstrating effectiveness and a reduction in overall patient care costs.
Biomechanical and biochemical outcomes of porcine temporomandibular joint disc deformation

Abstract Objective The structure–function relationship in the healthy temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc has been well established, however the changes in dysfunctional joints has yet to be systematically evaluated. Due to the poor understanding of the etiology of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) this study evaluated naturally occurring degenerative remodeling in aged female porcine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) discs in order to gain insight into the progression and effects on possible treatment strategies of TMDs. Design Surface and regional biomechanical and biochemical properties of discal tissues were determined in grossly deformed (≥Wilkes Stage 3) and morphologically normal (≤Wilkes Stage 2) TMJ discs. Results Compared to normal disc structure the deformed discs lacked a smooth biconcave shape and characteristic ECM organization. Reduction in tensile biomechanical integrity and increased compressive stiffness and cellularity was found in deformed discs. Regionally, the posterior and intermediate zones of the disc were most frequently affected along with the inferior surface. Conclusions The frequency of degeneration observed on the inferior surface of the disc (predominantly posterior), suggests that a disruption in the disc-condyle relationship likely contributes to the progression of joint dysfunction more than the temporodiscal relationship. As such, the inferior joint space may be an important consideration in early clinical diagnosis and treatment of TMDs, as it is overlooked in techniques performed in the upper joint space, including arthroscopy and arthrocentesis. Furthermore, permanent damage to the disc mechanical properties would limit the ability to successfully reposition deformed discs, highlighting the importance of emerging therapies such as tissue engineering.
Review of News: The Politics of Illusion

W. Lance Bennett. 2007. News: The Politics of Illusion. (7th ed.) New York: Pearson Longman. ISBN: 9780321421616. First published in 1983, now in its seventh edition, Lance Bennett's News is an end...
Foreword: From LatCrit to LatCrit 2.0 -- Institutionalizing a Movement and Cultivating Next-Generation Scholarship

This essay is the foreword to the LatCrit 2013 symposium. It charts the evolution of the LatCrit movement into an institution and documents efforts at cultivating outsider jurisprudence; it also introduces the essays of in symposium.
Using eye-tracking to examine how embedding risk corrective statements improves cigarette risk beliefs: Implications for tobacco regulatory policy.

Abstract Background Tobacco companies have deliberately used explicit and implicit misleading information in marketing campaigns. The aim of the current study was to experimentally investigate whether the editing of explicit and implicit content of a print advertisement improves smokers’ risk beliefs and smokers’ knowledge of explicit and implicit information. Methods Using a 2(explicit/implicit) × 2(accurate/misleading) between-subject design, 203 smokers were randomly assigned to one of four advertisement conditions. The manipulation of graphic content was examined as an implicit factor to convey product harm. The inclusion of a text corrective in the body of the ad was defined as the manipulated explicit factor. Participants’ eye movements and risk beliefs/recall were measured during and after ad exposure, respectively. Results Results indicate that exposure to a text corrective decreases false beliefs about the product (p Conclusions Embedding a corrective statement in the body of the ad is an effective strategy to convey health information to consumers, which can be mandated under the Tobacco Control Act. Eye-tracking results objectively demonstrate that text-only warnings are not viewed by smokers, thus minimizing their effectiveness for conveying risk information.
A Process Analysis of High Efficiency Teaching

High efficiency teaching can fully excite human intellect and achieve deep participating in it,seek advanced cognitive objectives,take an cadets' aim at recent developing area of cadets. The high efficiency teaching of the world class university and advanced military schools usually includes ten links. By contrast,our military schools have the teaching structures with fatal faultiness. Our teaching process has very low efficiency and can not foster the outstanding talents. In order to solve difficult problems of talents deficiency downright, we must recostruct our military schools teaching structures according to "principles of nuclear reactor for ideology and wisdom" of high efficiency teaching.
Status of Standard Disposal of Dog-wound Among Residents in Chengdu,2010

Objective To explore the status of rabbies knowledge and dog-wound standard disposal among residents in Chengdu,and provide scientific evidence to the melioration of rabbies control plan.Method Stratified cluster sampling survey was adopted towards 20 districts and counties in Chengdu.Results A total of 8167 residents were recruited,in which 2.93% were bitten by dogs during the last year,and rate of rural area(3.31%) was high than that of urban(2.50%)(χ2=235.96,P0.05).A proportion of 61.28% of the total cases were the second level exposure,and 64.83% cases went to clinic to deal with their wounds,among which 95.93% were vaccinated.Conclusion The rural population is comparatively vulnerable;thus,it is necessary to carry out health education among the population to enhance their awareness on rabbies.
Fast illegal vehicles detection methods based on robust color difference histogram

As traditional intelligent traffic detection systems have poor real-time capability and can be easily influenced by illumination variations, which leads to a problem in identifying vehicles peccancy and capturing the image about them. A robust and fast vehicles peccancy detection and tracking method is proposed based on color difference histogram algorithm and Kalman filter. Background fuzzy matching method is used to select initial background images. Color difference histogram algorithm which is robust to environmental change is used to detect moving targets. Kalman filter is used to track and predict the mass centroid of the moving targets in order to detect the same target in the predictive zone. The trajectory of the mass center is used to identify them and capture them. The experimental results through the detection of the actual roadway scene under different environments demonstrate that the proposed method can identify vehicles peccancy fast and accurately.
Boosting Localized Classifiers in Heterogeneous Databases.

Combining multiple global models (e.g. back-propagation based neural networks) is an effective technique for improving classification accuracy. This technique reduces variance by manipulating the distribution of the training data. In many large scale data analysis problems involving heterogeneous databases with attribute instability, standard boosting methods can be improved by coalescing multiple classifiers. Each classifier uses different germane attribute information that is identified through the attribute selection process. We propose a new technique of boosting localized classifiers when heterogeneous data sets contain more homogeneous data distributions. Instead of a single global classifier for each boosting round, we have localized classifiers responsible for each homogeneous region. The number of regions is identified through a clustering algorithm performed at each boosting iteration. A new boosting method applied to real life spatial data and synthetic spatial data shows improvements in prediction accuracy when unstable driving attributes and heterogeneity are present in the data. In addition, boosting localized experts significantly reduces the number of iterations needed for achieving the maximal prediction accuracy.
Expression of gastric and colonic H(+)-K(+)-ATPase in the rat kidney.

Enzymatic and microperfusion studies have indicated that an ATP-dependent H+/K+ exchange process is present in the collecting duct of the mammalian kidney. Immunochemical staining has also provided evidence for expression of a gastric-type H(+)-K+ adenosine triphosphatase (H(+)-K(+)-ATPase). Rat kidney mRNA was probed with use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the presence of an H(+)-K(+)-ATPase. cDNA made with mRNA isolated from the kidneys of rats maintained on a low-K diet was used as template in PCR reactions with primers encompassing the cDNA sequence of the alpha-subunit of the gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase and the 5' and 3' ends of the colonic H(+)-K(+)-ATPase. The resulting products, 300–700 bp in size, hybridized with probes directed against either the gastric or colonic sequences of the H(+)-K(+)-ATPase. Sequencing of the individual PCR products showed identity with the appropriate regions of the alpha-subunits of the gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase and colonic H(+)-K(+)-ATPase. These data...
Elastase/LPS-Exposed Mice Exhibit Impaired Innate Immune Responses to Bacterial Challenge: Role of Scavenger Receptor A

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an important bacterial pathogen associated with lower respiratory tract colonization and with acute exacerbations and disease progression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Why the immune system fails to eliminate NTHi and the exact contribution of the organism to COPD progression are not well understood, in part because we lack an animal model that mimics all aspects of COPD. For this study, we used an established murine model that exhibits typical features of COPD. Elastase/LPS-exposed mice infected with NTHi showed persistence of bacteria up to 5 days after infection, whereas mice exposed to elastase, LPS, or PBS cleared all bacteria by 3 days. Elastase/LPS-exposed mice also showed sustained lung neutrophilic inflammation, goblet cell metaplasia, airway hyperresponsiveness, and progression of emphysema at 15 days after infection. Alveolar macrophages isolated from elastase/LPS-exposed mice showed impaired bacterial phagocytosis, reduced expression of MARCO and of mannose receptor, and absent expression of scavenger receptor-A (SR-A). Neutralization of SR-A significantly decreased phagocytosis of NTHi by normal alveolar macrophages. Our results suggest that elastase/LPS-exposed mice show impaired bacterial clearance and sustained lung inflammation. Lack of SR-A expression may, in part, be responsible for impaired phagocytosis of bacteria by alveolar macrophages of elastase/LPS-exposed mice. These data validate the suitability of elastase/LPS model for investigating NTHi pathogenesis and progression of disease in COPD.
The effect of burrow loss on mate choice in the Leach's storm-petrel

On montre experimentalement que la fidelite au meme partenaire au cours des saisons successives de reproduction chez Oceanodroma leucorhoa est largement ou totalement dependante de la fidelite au site de nidification. (Little Duck Island, Maine)
The Impact of High-Profile Sexual Abuse Cases in the Media on a Pediatric Emergency Department

ABSTRACTHigh-profile media cases of sexual abuse may encourage disclosures of abuse from victims of unrelated assaults and also influence parental concerns, leading to increased emergency department visits. In the region of the study authors’ institution, there are two recent high-profile sexual abuse cases with media coverage: Earl Bradley, a Delaware pediatrician, and Jerry Sandusky, a Pennsylvania college football coach. This is a retrospective cohort study of children evaluated for sexual abuse at a pediatric emergency department. Patients were classified as either presenting during a media period or non-media period. The media periods were one-month periods immediately following breaking news reports, when the cases were highly publicized in the media. The non-media periods were the 12-month periods directly preceding the first reports. The median number of emergency department visits per month during a non-media period was 9 visits (interquartile range 6–10). There were 11 visits in the month follow...
En la casa, la cama y la calle: estrategias mediáticas feministas para el compromiso social

Using a Contracorriente exam, a project of the Nicaraguan feminist organization Puntos de encuentro, I have explored the role that feminist media can play in combination with support networks in multiplying dialogue opportunities and the promotion of women’s rights. The article tries to answer the following questions: How does feminist media take advantage of the power and knowledge base of transnational networks of support to represent and debate the impacts of globalization on the lives of women? What type of media and mediation can they access to discuss complex issues such as abortion, incest or rape with the general public? How does the creative process happen to transform a TV program in a catalyst to imagine the change and a platform for sharing solutions?
The Use of Sales Management Role Playing Exercises

(1991). The Use of Sales Management Role Playing Exercises. Marketing Education Review: Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 46-55.
Translational biomarkers: from discovery and development to clinical practice

The refinement of disease taxonomy utilizing molecular phenotypes has led to significant improvements in the precision of disease diagnosis and customization of treatment options. This has also spurred efforts to identify novel biomarkers to understand the impact of therapeutically altering the underlying molecular network on disease course, and to support decision-making in drug discovery and development. However, gaps in knowledge regarding disease heterogeneity, combined with the inadequacies of surrogate disease model systems, make it challenging to demonstrate the unequivocal association of molecular and physiological biomarkers to disease pathology. This article will discuss the current landscape in biomarker research and highlight strategies being adopted to increase the likelihood of transitioning biomarkers from discovery to medical practice to enable more objective decision making, and to improve health outcome.
Numerical study on the Welander oscillatory natural circulation problem using high-order numerical methods

Abstract In this paper, high-order numerical methods are investigated in a system analysis-like code. The classical Welander oscillatory natural circulation problem, which resembles a simplified example for many types of natural circulation loops widely seen in nuclear reactor systems, was chosen to illustrate the applicability of such methods in system analysis codes, and to demonstrate the advantages of such methods over the low-order methods widely used in existing system analysis codes. As originally studied by Welander, the fluid motion in a differentially heated fluid loop can exhibit stable, weakly unstable, and strongly unstable modes. A theoretical stability map has also been originally derived from the stability analysis. Numerical results obtained in this paper show very good agreement with Welander's theoretical derivations. For stable cases, numerical results from both the high-order and low-order numerical methods agree well with the non-dimensional flow rate that were analytically derived. The high-order numerical methods give much less numerical errors compared to those using low-order numerical methods. For stability analysis, the high-order numerical methods perfectly predicted the stability map even with coarse mesh and large time step, while the low-order numerical methods failed to do so unless very fine mesh and time step are used. The result obtained in this paper is a strong evidence for the benefits of using high-order numerical methods over the low-order ones, when they are applied to simulate natural circulation phenomenon that has already gained increasing interests in many existing and advanced nuclear reactor designs.
Molecular Rectification Tuned by Through-Space Gating Effect

Inspired by transistors and electron transfer in proteins, we designed a group of pyridinoparacyclophane based diodes to study the through-space electronic gating effect on molecular rectification. It was shown that an edge-on gate effectively tunes the rectification ratio of a diode via through-space interaction. Higher rectification ratio was obtained for more electron-rich gating groups. The transition voltage spectroscopy showed that the forward transition voltage is correlated to the Hammett parameter of the gating group. Combining theoretical calculation and experimental data, we proposed that the change in rectification was induced by a shift in HOMO level both spatially and energetically. This design principle based on through-space edge-on gate is demonstrated on molecular wires, switches, and now diodes, showing the potential of molecular design in increasing the complexity of single-molecule electronic devices.
Computational Analysis of Airfoil Merging and its Effect on Performance of Lift Based Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

In regions of low wind speed, overcoming the starting torque of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) becomes a challenge aspect. In order to overcome this adversity, careful selection of airfoils for the turbine blades becomes a priority. This paper tries to address the issue utilizing an approach wherein by observing the effect of merging two airfoils. Two airfoils which are of varying camber and thickness are merged and their aerodynamic characteristics are evaluated using the software XFOIL 6.96. For a variation in angle of attack from 0 to 90°, aerodynamic analysis is done in order to observe the behavior of one quarter of the entire VAWT cycle. An objective function is developed so as to observe the maximum possible torque generated by these airfoils at Reynolds number varying from 15,000–120,000. Due to change in the value of CL observed at Low Reynolds Number using commercial CFD softwares, multiple objective functions are utilized to observe the behavior over a range of Reynolds number. An experimental co-relation between the cut-in velocity and the lift-coefficient of the airfoils is developed in order to predict the cut-in velocity of the interpolated airfoils. The airfoils used for this paper are NACA 0012, NACA 0018, FX 66 S196, Clark Y (smooth), PT 40, SD 7032, A 18, SD 7080, SG 6043 and SG 6040.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Convex Methods in Sensor Placement

Abstract The goal of this work it is to reformulate a conceptually meaningful optimal sensor placement problem (as outlined by Bagajewicz, 1997). This reformulation converts the original mixed integer nonlinear program (MINLP) with dimensions dependent upon the value of the integer decision variables into a mixed integer convex program (MICP) with fixed matrix dimensions. This reformulation allows for the problem to be solved globally and efficiently using standard interior point and branch and bound search algorithms. Additionally, the traditional sensor placement problem, based on static process conditions, is extended to linear dynamic processes.
The Evolution of Psychological Testing at the Austen Riggs Center: A Theoretical Analysis.

Theoretical perspectives on personality and the development of psychopathology have shifted markedly over the last 7 decades. However, it remains unclear how those changes affect mental health prac...
Elastic properties of dilute palladium-hydrogen solid solutions

Abstract A thin-line pulse-echo technique has been used to measure the variation of the Young's modulus of super-pure palladium as a function of temperature and hydrogen concentration. The resulting measurements have been analyzed so as to yield approximate information relating to the change to be expected in the partial thermodynamic functions of the system due to the lattice relaxation at constant pressure.
Targeting B Cell Signaling in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

In recent years, a revolution in the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has centered on the targeting of the B cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway. Our improved understanding of the biology of cell signaling in CLL and the development of oral kinase inhibitors directed at the BCR pathway has led to the approval of two new agents and has the potential to radically change the treatment of CLL in both the relapsed/refractory and upfront settings. In this review, we will describe the underlying biology of the BCR signaling pathway. We will discuss the landmark clinical trials resulting in the approval of the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib and the PI3Kδ inhibitor idelalisib. We will highlight ongoing trials that are evaluating the use of combinations of these agents with standard chemotherapy. We will evaluate some of the emerging data regarding toxicity, potential off-target effects, and mechanisms of resistance to BCR signaling pathway blockade. Finally, we will highlight some of the next-generation BCR pathway inhibitors currently in development.
Risk Assessment and Management in Metal-Contaminated Sites

How clean is clean? How clean is clean enough? These are indications of the changing cleanup paradigm being faced by the scientific community, policymakers, and industry. A decade or so ago policymakers believed that cleanup activities should use background (or baseline) values of contaminants in soils as an index of a successful cleanup (e.g., in the case of soil washing/flushing or excavation). Today, the cost and even the best available remedial technologies may not be able to achieve such rather wishful levels without destroying the integrity of the contaminated site. This has led to the current cleanup questions: How clean is clean enough? In other words, how much risk reduction is acceptable without reaching the background level? Or can standards be tailored to specific land use?
Effects of comb age on honey bee colony growth and brood survivorship

SUMMARYThis research examined the effects of comb age on honey bee colony growth and brood survivorship. Experimental old combs were of an unknown age, but were dark and heavy as typical of combs one or more years old. New combs were produced just prior to the beginning of the experiment and had never had brood previously reared in them. Either old or new combs were installed into each of 21–24 nucleus colonies each year over a three-year period. On average, colonies with new comb produced a greater area (cm2) of brood, a greater area (cm2) of sealed brood, and a higher weight of individual young bees (mg). Brood survivorship was the only variable significantly higher in old comb.
The impact of the recession on food insecurity among households who were low income: findings from the 2005 - 2014 national health and nutrition examination surveys

This article aims to investigate the impact of recession on food insecurity among households who are low income. Guided by family stress theory, this article uses data from the National Health and ...
Morphogenesis in Insect Tissue Culture

Publisher Summary The widespread utilization of organ cultures in insects has demonstrated the advantages of the special properties of imaginal discs for the study of morphogenesis. Investigations of imaginal discs from both the Diptera and Lepidoptera show that these primordia are ideally suited for successful maintenance in vitro that retain their ability to respond to hormones during the culture period and that they can form virtually the entire array of pupal and adult structures under appropriate culture conditions. Certainly, imaginal discs cultured in vitro will continue to be important in the study of ecdysteroid-induced morphogenesis. Establishment of a cell line derived from imaginal discs provides an opportunity for examining the morphological and biochemical effects of hormones on cell lines originating from a specific tissue rather than embryos. It would be instructive to determine the localization of ecdysteroid receptors in the imaginal disc cell lines, in view of the difference in cellular localization reported for such receptors in intact imaginal discs versus embryonic cell lines.