cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On acceleration of the check tautology logic synthesis algorithm using an FPGA-based reconfigurable coprocessor

We summarize our study on implementing tautology checking, a fundamental logic synthesis algorithm, using an FPGA based reconfigurable application specific coprocessor. The use of the tautology checking algorithm is first discussed followed by the specifics of hardware accelerator implementation and interface to application software. We compare our hardware accelerator for the tautology check algorithm with the software implementation of the tautology check algorithm in Espresso II (R. Rudell and A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, 1987). Our experimental results show that our accelerator is capable of achieving a maximum speedup factor of 2.94 and averaging 1.36 on 110 modified industry benchmarks included with the Espresso II package.
Vitamin C and E Intake Is Associated With Increased Paraoxonase Activity

Objective— Paraoxonase (PON1), an esterase physically associated with high density lipoprotein, has been shown to inhibit atherogenic low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein oxidation. PON1 activity appears to be primarily under genetic control with some environmental modification and is a predictor of vascular disease. Vitamins C and E, dietary antioxidants, scavenge free-oxygen radical products that may depress PON1 activity. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between dietary vitamin C and E intake and PON1 activity. Methods and Results— The vitamin C and E intakes of male white subjects (n=189) were estimated by using a standardized food frequency survey. With covariates, vitamin C or E intakes were found to be significant positive predictors of PON1 activity for the hydrolysis of paraoxon and diazoxon with the use of linear regression. Smoking and use of statins were independent predictors of PON1 activity. Conclusions— PON1 activity, which is primarily genotype dependent, varies wi...
Risk factors in the sexual victimization of children

Abstract In response to an anonymous questionnaire survey, 19% of the women and 9% of the men in a population of 796 normal college students said they had been sexually victimized in the course of childhood. The majority of these children were victimized by men within their intimate social network, not strangers. Most children did not tell anyone about the experience. Certain groups of children were at higher risk of victimization than others. More girls from lower-income groups were victimized; also those from socially isolated backgrounds. Girls from stepfather families were five times more vulnerable than the others. If a girl had ever lived without her mother, or if her mother had substantially less education than her father, or if her mother was particularly punitive about sexual matters, a girl was at higher risk for sexual abuse. These risk factors could be combined into a checklist which illustrates their cumulative effect. Over 50% of girls with four or more risk factors suffered a victimization. However, care must be taken not to see in this high vulnerability cause for blaming the victims for their own victimization.
An Historical Review and Perspective on the Impact of Acupuncture on U.S. Medicine and Society.

Abstract Background: It took almost 300 years for Europe and 400 years for the United States to finally appreciate the therapeutic value of acupuncture. Findings from basic medical research that acupuncture stimulation causes release of endorphins, serotonin, enkephalins, and γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA; a major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain), norepinephrine, and dopamine helped to explain the acupuncture effect on a biomedical and pharmacological basis that was acceptable to the Western medical establishment. Context: In the United States, there is significantly increased familiarity with acupuncture and U.S. patients have sought acupuncture treatment to relieve stress-related syndromes, to enhance the immune system, to reduce insomnia, to improve athletic performance, and to address Alzheimer's disease, as well as for cardiac and poststroke therapy. This article briefly reviews the history of acupuncture in the United States and discusses the potential of this modality in the the future. Discu...
Studies on wheat plants using carbon-14-compounds. XVI. Fractionation of a performic acid oxidized protein.

Wheat gliadin-C14 was separated into ammonia-soluble and alkali-soluble fractions. Oxidation of the ammonia-soluble fraction with performic acid rendered the material water soluble and quantitative...
Effects of inertia and directionality on flow and transport in a rough asymmetric fracture

[1] Two-dimensional flow and transport simulations are conducted for a 15-cm-long fracture mapped via X-ray computed tomography. The simulations consider either Navier-Stokes equation (NSE) based flow or Stokes equation (SE) based flow and are run for opposing directions. NSE and SE solutions deviate at larger bulk velocity, and the errors are sensitive to fracture geometry. Transport in all cases is non-Fickian, owing mainly to the presence of a large eddy, and exhibits power law residence time distributions (RTDs). The tailing is more persistent at higher Reynolds numbers (Re), with the exponents of the power law RTDs related to Re via a power function, and becomes asymptotic at higher Re. The late-time portion of the RTD changes with flow direction and is also sensitive to whether the flow is represented by the NSE or the SE. The sensitivity of transport to flow direction and formulation is primarily driven by varying eddy geometry under the different conditions. Our study opens the path to developing robust and mechanistic continuum-scale models of solute transport in fractured geologic media.
Intravenous Busulfan Plus Melphalan Is a Highly Effective, Well-Tolerated Preparative Regimen for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Advanced Lymphoid Malignancies

We investigated the administration of intravenous (i.v.) busulfan (Bu) combined with melphalan (Mel) in patients with advanced lymphoid malignancies undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation. Bu 130 mg/m2 was infused daily for 4 days, either as a fixed dose per body surface area (BSA), or to target an average daily area under the curve of 5000 μmol-min, determined by a test dose of i.v. Bu at 32 mg/m2 given 48 hours prior to the high-dose regimen, followed by a rest day, followed by 2 daily doses of Mel at 70 mg/m2. Stem cells were infused the following day. Eighty patients had i.v. Bu delivered per test dose guidance. The median daily systemic Bu exposure was 4867 μmol-min. One hundred two patients (Hodgkin lymphoma n=49, non-Hodgkin lymphoma n=12, multiple myeloma=41) with a median age of 44 years (range: 19-65 years) were treated. The 2-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 85% and 57%, respectively, for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, 67% and 64%, respectively, for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and 82% and 42%, respectively, for patients with multiple myeloma. The regimen was very well tolerated with treatment-related mortality at 100 days, 1 year, and 2 years of 1%, 3%, and 3%, respectively. Intravenous Bu-Mel was well tolerated. Disease control wa encouraging, and should be explored in larger phase II studies.
Computerized psychological test usage in APA-accredited training programs

Despite the advantages of computerized psychological assessment and the proliferation of assessment software, many psychologists still do not use computerized assessment, and its utilization has not increased during the past decade. Two-hundred-fifty-one APA-accredited training programs in clinical and counseling psychology were surveyed concerning their use of computerized psychological assessment. Directors reported a median of only three computerized tests used in their training programs. Twenty-five percent of the respondents reported no computerized psychological tests in their training programs. The computerized tests most-often used in psychology programs were compared to results of surveys of psychological tests most-often used in clinical practice.
ASSURE: automated design for dependability

Design for dependability has long been an important issue for computer systems. While several dependability analysis tools have been produced, no effort has been made to automate the design for dependability. This paper describes ASSURE, an automated design for dependability advisor, which is part of the MICON system for rapid prototyping of small computer systems. A design for dependability methodology and a formal interface between synthesis and dependability analysis are presented. ASSURE's operation includes dependability analysis, evaluation of dependability enhancement techniques using predictive estimation, and selection of a technique. Different kinds of knowledge used in designing for dependability are identified, including an algorithmic approach for dependability analysis and a knowledge-based approach for suggesting dependability enhancement techniques. Examples of designs produced using ASSURE as a dependability advisor are provided and show an order of magnitude dependability improvement.
Effect of Financial Resources And Credit On Savings Behavior Of Low-Income Families

This study examined the effects of available financial resources, credit use, savings attitudes, methods of saving, and demographic characteristics on the change in low-income families' real savings (change in real net worth) from 1983 to 1986. Multiple regression results indicated that having a higher level of education, having larger families, and expecting financial assistance from friends or relatives in emergency situations increased real savings. In addition, having higher outstanding 1983 noninstallment loan balances increased real savings, while having lower 1983 net worth increased real savings from 1983 to 1986.
Rapid Low-Cost Virtual Human Bootstrapping via the Crowd

Virtual human interactions provide an important avenue for training as emergent opportunities arise. In response to a new training need, we propose a framework to rapidly create experiential learning opportunities in the form of a question--answer chat interaction with virtual humans. This framework takes quickly generated case documents and breaks down the case into small tasks that can be crowdsourced by nonexperts. This framework can serve as a first step to rapidly bootstrapping new virtual humans. We have applied our framework to the task of preparing health care students and professionals to infrequent, but high-stakes, situations such as infectious diseases, cranial nerve disorders, and stroke. Our framework was utilized by medical professionals interested in providing new training experiences to students and colleagues. Over the course of two months, these professionals created seven scenarios on a diverse range of topics that included Ebola, cancer, and neurological disorders. These scenarios were developed for multiple target audiences such as medical students, residents, and fellows. As a first step, each scenario utilized our framework and crowdsourced workers to create an initial corpus over the course of two days. From these seven cases, we selected two to evaluate the quality of the resulting virtual-human corpuses. The two scenarios were compared to preexisting reference scenarios that have been in curricular use for several years. We found a reduction in author time commitment of at least 92p while creating a character that was at least 75p as accurate as its reference counterparts. The commitment reduction and accuracy achieved by our framework represents a first step towards rapid development of a virtual human. Our framework can then be combined with other creation processes for further virtual-human development in order to create a mature virtual human. As part of a virtual-human development process, our framework can help to rapidly develop new scenarios in response to emergent training opportunities.
The Macedonian Question and the Balkan War.

Governments seldom fall in a day or wars break out without some previous “laying of the mines.” When General Savoff, commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian army, was questioned in 1911 before the national assembly on the condition of the military forces, he replied: “Excellent. Ready for any emergency and capable of defeating the Turks.” The Sobranje was pleased, but a smile went around the European capitols. For over a quarter of a century Europe and Turkey lived on in almost complete indifference to the steady growth of the small Balkan states in resources, in economic powers, and in military strength, and with a total disregard of the vital interests of these lesser powers in the settlement of that most vexing of all problems—the Macedonian question. The remarkable development in Germany and Italy along commercial, industrial and political lines in recent times is well known; but the equally astonishing progress of these Balkan nations during the same period has been little noticed by the world at large. And, while Bulgaria, Servia and Greece, in spite of their own personal jealousies and ambitions, made stead and splendid progress in the work of national development and of preparation for the crisis that every year became more imminent, the Ottoman government procrastinated and evaded responsibility.
Thinking with the Body: Conceptual Integration Through Gesture in Multiviewpoint Model Construction

Educational researchers in STEM have recently come to recognize the value of teaching students to construct, critique, revise, and apply models. In this article, we contribute to existing research on students’ model-based reasoning with a fine-grained look at the interaction between two modeling resources: spatial reasoning and the body. How students drift between different gestural viewpoints while still maintaining spatiotemporal continuity in the model — and what implications this has for learning outcomes — are our core concerns in this chapter. Results suggest that gestural acts, in generating complex patterns in space and time, provide a dynamic scaffolding for conceptual development. In the gesture stream, students can both feel the actions of model components and track how those actions relate geographically and temporally to prior and subsequent events in the modeled system.
Modulated orientation-sensitive terahertz spectroscopy

Intramolecular vibrations of large macromolecules reside in the terahertz range. In particular, protein vibrations are closely spaced in frequency, resulting in a nearly continuous vibrational density of states. This density of vibrations interferes with the identification of specific absorption lines and their subsequent association with specific functional motions. This challenge is compounded with the absorption being dominated by the solvent and local relaxational motions. A strategy for removing the isotropic relaxational loss and isolating specific vibrations is to use aligned samples and polarization-sensitive measurements. Here, we demonstrate a technique to rapidly attain the anisotropic resonant absorbance using terahertz time domain spectroscopy and a spinning sample. The technique, modulated orientation-sensitive terahertz spectroscopy (MOSTS), has a nonzero signal only for anisotropic samples, as demonstrated by a comparison between a silicon wafer and a wire grid polarizer. For sucrose and oxalic acid molecular crystals, the MOSTS response is in agreement with modeled results for the intermolecular vibrations. Further, we demonstrate that, even in the presence of a large relaxational background, MOSTS isolates underlying vibrational resonances.
Review of Studies on Vehicle Anti-collision on Bridge Piers

Along with the growth in freeway mileage,the amount and capacity of vehicles,bridges as traffic hinges are facing with a more and more serious risk,namely vehicle collision with pier.To date,the design specifications in many countries,such as China,US,Britain,etc.,have included some provisions addressing vehicle collision with bridge piers.However,the review finds that(1) most of the provisions adopt a simple static design method,without considering the parameters of pier,such as stiffness and ductility;(2) some of the origins of the provisions are rather vague,and others merely use foreign standard for reference,thus the effectiveness of these provisions is doubtable;(3) there is no provision addressing the prerequisite of the anti-collision design of piers in Chinese standard,and so designers should decide by themselves whether or not the collision force should be considered.This negative provision would probably result in a negligent of the collision effect in practice.In view of these,the studies on vehicle anti-collision on bridge piers from the aspects of protective structure around the bridge pier and the pier itself were reviewed.Some major problems and proposals were presented.
Infected cell protein 0 functional domains and their coordination in herpes simplex virus replication.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous human pathogen that establishes latent infection in ganglia neurons. Its unique life cycle requires a balanced “conquer and compromise” strategy to deal with the host anti-viral defenses. One of HSV-1 α (immediate early) gene products, infected cell protein 0 (ICP0), is a multifunctional protein that interacts with and modulates a wide range of cellular defensive pathways. These pathways may locate in different cell compartments, which then migrate or exchange factors upon stimulation, for the purpose of a concerted and effective defense. ICP0 is able to simultaneously attack multiple host pathways by either degrading key restrictive factors or modifying repressive complexes. This is a viral protein that contains an E3 ubiquitin ligase, translocates among different cell compartments and interacts with major defensive complexes. The multiple functional domains of ICP0 can work independently and at the same time coordinate with each other. Dissecting the functional domains of ICP0 and delineating the coordination of these domains will help us understand HSV-1 pathogenicity as well as host defense mechanisms. This article focuses on describing individual ICP0 domains, their biochemical properties and their implication in HSV-1 infection. By putting individual domain functions back into the picture of host anti-viral defense network, this review seeks to elaborate the complex interactions between HSV-1 and its host.
Principles of Therapy in Cirrhosis

Since progression of certain types of cirrhosis can be prevented by withdrawal of the offending agent or administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, optimal therapy depends on accurate diagnosis of the specific cause. Anticipation and appropriate treatement of complications will allow a more favorable prognosis.
A theoretical investigation of the slip systems of Ta2C

Abstract Tantalum carbides show a wide range of interesting properties including plasticity at elevated temperatures. In a companion paper, the plastic deformation of high-temperature polycrystalline Ta2C was examined using transmission electron microscopy. Here, we investigate the different potential slip systems in α-Ta2C using density functional theory to compute generalized stacking fault (GSF) energy curves. The GSF curves show that the preferred slip system is the basal plane. The results further show that slip occurs preferentially between the Ta–Ta layers, or between metal–metal bonds. GSF energy curves for the basal, prismatic and pyramidal planes show a hierarchy of preferred slip systems and pyramidal slip is likely enabled by the high temperature and the need for additional slip systems caused by the general deformation. These results are not only useful in understanding deformation in α-Ta2C but can be used to understand plasticity in general transition metal hemicarbides.
Phospho-SFKs (Y416) As a Potential Predictive Marker for Dasatinib Therapy in B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia,

Abstract Abstract 3727 The Src family of protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) plays an important role in regulating multiple signaling networks including B-cell receptors (BCR) mediated pathways and abnormal SFK kinase activation promotes B lymphoma cell survival. Dasatinib is an oral BCR/ABL1 and SKF inhibitor useful in the treatment of imatinib-resistant CML and Ph+ALL. Given its broad inhibitory activity, dasatinib may be useful in the treatment of other hematologic malignancies and having a biologic predictor of response would be helpful in rational selection of this targeted therapeutic. We hypothesized this agent could have therapeutic potential against lymphoma patients with p-SFK (Y416) expression. Constitutive p-SFK (Y416) expression (indicating active SFK signaling) was detected in both B-lymphoma cell lines and a subset of primary lymphoma tissues including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), Burkitt lymphoma and small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL). Dasatinib induced apoptosis of B-lymphoma Raji cells correlated with high level expression of constitutive p-SFK (Y416) and dasatinib rapidly reduced the global level of tyrosine phosphorylations including p-SFK (Y416) in Raji cells. 19 of 28 lymphoma cases (67.9%) were positive for p-SFK (Y416) by Western blot analysis. Dasatinib displayed in vitro dose-dependent (10–200 nM) killing activity against 17 of those 19 p-SFK (Y416) cases (89.5%). In contrast, only 2 of 9 p-SFK (Y416) negative cases (22.2%) had response to dasatinib exposure. Thus presence of p-SFK (Y416) was associated with in vitro response to dasatinib (p We conclude that p-SFK (Y416) may be a useful predictive marker of response to dasatinib. Potential uses include pharmacodynamic monitoring or integral biomarker for selecting appropriate patients with B-cell malignancies for clinical trials. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Bureaucracy—The Carcinoma of the Federal Judiciary

The independence of the federal judiciary is being eroded by bureaucratization. Over the past few years, we have evolved from a system of United States Commissioners to a system of United States Magistrates. Hailed as critical to an overworked judiciary, magistrates preside over discovery and make critical decisions of federal litigation. Assuming for the moment that judges did need help, the critical question is whether the price of a new mini-federal court ought to be paid for this assistance. Are we not in fact delegating judicial duty? What is the effect of this upon the vital role of the Article III judge? Create a bureau and it grows and feeds on itself, constantly pressing for a greater share of the potential power of government with all its trappings. Magistrates now demand more space, more staff, and more duties. Judges and others are not sufficiently concerned that the inevitable push will be for greater and greater delegation and sharing of non-delegable and non-shareable Article III duties. It is a concern that the Article III judge, an institutional lynch pin of government, will be devitalized.
Searching for Nitrogen-Fixing Microorganisms: An Original, Relevant, and Successful Early Research Experience

A five-week research project was designed as part of a summer internship for high school students, and could also be used with educators or in introductory undergraduate research courses. This is a guided-inquiry-based project, framed within the significant issue of supplementing fertilizer use in agriculture with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. This experience exposes students to how scientists are studying real-world problems; it teaches them basic research techniques, and promotes inquiry-based learning in a real research environment. It also fills a current gap in K-12 education that lacks enough microbiology emphasis. Research interns collect soil samples from various fields and use culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques to test whether there are nitrogen-fixing microorganisms that can be isolated and identified in each soil sample. Students work in a research laboratory making nitrogen-free media; culturing, isolating, and identifying microorganisms; extracting soil DNA; and amplifying the 16S rRNA and nifH genes. We administer a pre-test and a post-test, and students present their research both in a short talk and with a poster. By hosting high school students in a research laboratory and immersing them in laboratory science, we hope to inspire them to pursue a STEM-related career.
Comparative protein profiles of the Ambrosia plants

Ragweed pollen is primarily responsible for the hay fever allergies of sufferers throughout the world. A proteome study of three ragweed plants (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Ambrosia trifida, and Ambrosia psilostachya) was undertaken to document and compare their protein profiles. Proteins extracted from the pollen of the three plants were subjected to one dimensional electrophoresis followed by tandem liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Peptide sequence mapping permitted discovery of proteins not previously reported for all three plants and 45% of the identified proteins were shared by all three of them. Application of stringent criteria revealed not only a majority of known allergens for short ragweed but also allergens not previously reported for the other two plants. Additionally, potentially allergy inducing enolases are reported for the three plants. These results suggest that all three ragweed plants could contribute to the allergy malady.
Computer-assisted surgery: The use of stored intraoperative images for accurate restoration of femoral length and rotational alignment after fracture

Most femoral fractures are now managed with minimally invasive internal fixation. In the absence of formal exposure of the fracture lines, these procedures make heavy use of C-arm fluoroscopy to allow both fracture reduction and placement of implants, at the expense of measurable radiation exposure to both patient and surgeon. Although this technology has been commercially available for over a decade, it has not yet been widely accepted by the Orthopaedic community.
Mobile reading as social and embodied practice

AbstractLiteracy, and particularly reading, is critical to success in schooling and full participation in contemporary societies. As one of the primary skills needed to develop proficiency in a language, the study of reading in additional languages has attracted significant research attention. Focusing on behaviourally visible and locally occasioned literacy events, this paper reports on an analysis of how public interactional practices for out-loud reading by small groups of English language learners facilitate the routinisation of interactional practices. The learners are participants in a mobile augmented reality (AR) activity that involves walking around a university campus in order to complete five serial tasks. Data come from video recordings of the game playing of eight groups (16 h of data) and their associated transcripts, analysed according to the principles of ethnomethodological conversation analysis. Results show that written texts that are part of the activity are given local meaning via var...
Nano-scale Experimental Investigation of In-situ Wettability and Spontaneous Imbibition in Ultra-tight Reservoir Rocks

Abstract We investigated spontaneous imbibition behavior, three-dimensional fluid occupancy maps, and in-situ wettability at the nano scale in five ultra-tight and shale reservoir rock samples. For this purpose, we developed a novel technique by integrating a custom-built in-situ miniature fluid-injection module with a non-destructive high-resolution X-ray imaging system. Small cylindrical core samples (15–60 µm in diameter) were prepared from reservoir rocks using Focused-Ion Beam (FIB) milling technique. The pore network inside the samples were first characterized using ultra-high resolution three-dimensional images obtained at initial state by X-ray nano-tomography (Nano-CT) and FIB-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) techniques at the nano scale. The petrophysical parameters, including porosity, permeability, pore-size distribution, and organic content were computed for each sample using image analysis. We then performed series of imbibition experiments using brine, oil, and surfactant solutions on each core sample. We observed that both oil and brine phases spontaneously imbibe into the pore network of the rock samples at various quantities. We also, for the first time, examined fluid distribution in individual pores and found a complex wettability behavior at the pore scale in the reservoir rock samples. Three pore types were identified with water-wet, oil-wet, and fractionally-wet behaviors. This work opens a new path to developing an improved understanding of the pore-level physics involved in multi-phase flow and transport not only in tight rock samples but also in other nanoporous material used in different science and engineering applications.
Impact of Delayed Chest Closure on Surgical Site Infection After Lung Transplantation.

Background Delayed chest closure is an increasingly used approach in the management of bleeding and hemodynamic instability after lung transplantation. We sought to evaluate the impact of delayed chest closure on surgical site infection. Methods We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study and included adult patients who received a lung transplant at our center between January 1, 2010, and July 31, 2014. We defined surgical site infection as a thoracotomy incision wound or pleural space infection. Follow-up was complete through 6 months after transplantation. We used logistic regression models to examine the impact of delayed chest closure on surgical site infection and to identify other potential risk factors. Results During the study period, 67 of the 232 transplant procedures (29%) required delayed chest closure, and surgical site infection developed in 22 recipients (9%). Among the patients with surgical site infection, 18 experienced a wound infection, and 8 experienced a pleural space infection; 4 experienced concomitant wound and pleural space infection. Among the 67 who underwent delayed chest closure, 13 patients (19%) experienced a surgical site infection compared with 9 of the 165 patients (5%) who underwent primary closure ( p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, delayed chest closure was an independent risk factor for surgical site infection. Conclusions Although delayed chest closure may have an important role in the immediate management of recipients of a lung transplant, it is an independent risk factor for surgical site infection, and this is associated with increased morbidity.
Operationalizing Compassionate Leadership Behavior

The experience of compassion has garnered increased interest in the management community in recent years. Despite interest, little work has moved from concept to empirical testing More, almost no w...
Checklists and Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

> Checklists seem to provide protection against such failures. They remind us of the minimum necessary steps and make them explicit. They not only offer the possibility of verification but also instill a kind of discipline of higher performance. > > —Atul Gawande1 Unless research is properly reported, the work of investigators, subjects, and editors is ultimately wasted. And yet the ongoing problem of poor scientific reporting of research continues to be documented almost on a monthly basis,2,3 and this fact remains a major source of concern for the scientific community and public. Indeed, poor scientific reporting is thought to be a critical factor in the current crisis of irreproducibility described across multiple disciplines.4 In the medical fields, this problem has been long known and insufficiently tackled.5 A recent blog post by Doug Altman recalled a Lancet article from the 1970s that reported assignment of a cohort to treatments as being “more or less randomly allocated”.6 This clearly confusing and unhelpful phrase triggered Dr Altman’s crusading interest in improving the rigor of scientific reporting, such as his role in establishing the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) Network. This network collects and supplies researchers with >300 guidelines and extensions like the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials), PRISMA, STROBE, and RECORD.7 All were designed to improve scientific reporting across study designs ranging from clinical trials to secondary data analyses …
Group diversity's influence on sport teams and organizations: a meta-analytic examination and identification of key moderators

ABSTRACTResearch question: The purpose of this study was to examine how group diversity was associated with subsequent outcomes, and whether these associations varied by the type of diversity, setting, sport role, or type of outcome.Research method: The authors implemented a meta-analytic technique to examine the influence of group diversity on a variety of outcomes.Results and findings: Results showed that overall group diversity has a positive effect on group outcomes (rc = .05; z-value = 4.53, p < .001; 95% CI: .03, .07). Sport role (administrator or coaches and players or exercisers), setting type (college athletics, professional sports, or non-profit sports), outcome type (organizational effectiveness, affective outcomes, or team performance) all served to moderate the relationship between team diversity and subsequent outcomes.Implications: The study found group diversity has positive effects on group effectiveness, though the effects are small. The findings are nevertheless instructive because they...
Measuring and Modeling Morphology: How Dendrites Take Shape

Neuronal processes grow under a variety of constraints, both immediate and evolutionary. Their pattern of growth provides insight into their function. This chapter begins by reviewing morphological metrics used in analyses and computational models. Molecular mechanisms underlying growth and plasticity are then discussed, followed by several types of modeling approaches. Computer simulation of morphology can be used to describe and reproduce the statistics of neuronal types or to evaluate growth and functional hypotheses. For instance, models in which branching is probabilistically determined by diameter produce realistic virtual dendrites of most neuronal types, though more complicated statistical models are required for other types. Virtual dendrites grown under environmental and/or functional constraints are also discussed, offering a broad perspective on dendritic morphology.
Pupil dilation using a standard cataract surgery regimen alone or with atropine 1.0% pretreatment: prospective comparative evaluation.

METHODS: In this prospective unmasked study, the baseline pupil size in eyes of volunteers was measured. Pupil size was then measured 30 minutes after instillation of the institution’s standard dilation regimen for cataract surgery, which included phenylephrine 2.5%, tropicamide 1.0%, and cyclopentolate 1.0%. Several days later, the subjects returned for repeat measurements after pretreating the study eye(s) with atropine 1.0% 3 times a day the day previously and once on the morning of repeat dilation and measurements. Pupil size was again measured after administration of the standard regimen. RESULTS:Thestudyincluded 72eyesof54patients. Apairedttestshowedastatisticallysignificant difference in mean pupil dilation between the standardregimen alone and thestandard regimen with atropine 1.0% pretreatment. The mean pupil dilation was 7.3 mm G 1.2 (SD) with the standard regimen alone and 6.9 G 1.2 mm with the standard regimen with atropine pretreatment; the difference was statistically significant (P<.001). CONCLUSION:The addition of atropine 1.0% 1 day before administration of astandard preoperative dilating regimen for cataract surgery resulted in a smaller dilated pupil diameter than administration of the standard set of preoperative mydriatic agents alone.
Development and Implementation of the Home Asthma Telemonitoring (HAT) System to Facilitate Asthma Self-Care

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) suggests using asthma action plans for patient self-care. Recent studies reported that many asthma patients had difficulties in following action plans on a daily basis and had low compliance to medication regimens. The goal of our study was to design and evaluate the Home Asthma Telemonitoring (HAT) system aimed to help asthma patients to follow their self-care plans according to the NAEPP recommendations. Our study resulted in the development of the system which provided patients with continuous individualized help in the daily routine of asthma self-care and notified heath care providers if certain clinical conditions occurred. This allowed early recognition of potentially dangerous situations and timely intervention. The evaluation of the HAT system underwent several stages. First we showed, that the HAT system provides reliable reciprocal exchange of all relevant information between a physician and asthma patient in home settings. Further evaluation demonstrated that lung function test results collected during home asthma telemonitoring are comparable to those collected under the supervision of trained professionals, and Internet-based home asthma telemonitoring can be successfully implemented in a group of patients without previous computer experience. Preliminary results of an on-going HAT evaluation showed higher patient compliance to asthma action plans in comparison to the compliance reported for patients in standard care. The clinical impact of HAT on asthma outcomes is being currently evaluated in a randomized clinical trial funded by NIH. HAT has a potential for improving clinical outcomes and quality of life in the studied patient population and may be a model for monitoring and self-management of patients with other chronic health conditions.
Tunable Bandgap GaInAsP Solar Cells With 18.7% Photoconversion Efficiency Synthesized by Low-Cost and High-Growth Rate Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

As market-dominant Si solar cell technology approaches its practical efficiency limit of 27.1%, a key challenge for the photovoltaic industry is to search for a low-cost ∼1.7 eV top cell that can enable cost-competitive tandems with solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency exceeding 30%. III-V semiconductors offer tunable bandgap and unparalleled efficiencies for tandem devices. However, their high manufacturing cost has been the biggest impediment for market entry. Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) has recently reemerged as a promising low-cost alternative to incumbent metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for III-V solar cells. Here, we show the first demonstration of ∼1.7 eV GaInAsP solar cells that achieve nearly 19% photoconversion efficiency synthesized by HVPE. The unprecedented growth rate of ∼42 μm/h achieved via HVPE (∼10× faster than conventional MOCVD) allowed the device layers to be deposited in less than seven minutes. Nearly abrupt and chemically distinct heterointerfaces were attained in spite of high-growth rates, which are known to exacerbate phase separation in GaInAsP alloys. Demonstration of ideality factor of $n= {\text{1}}$ at max power point highlight the advancements in growth optimization and device design. The results presented here highlight a promising path toward tunable bandgap, high-growth rate, low-cost, and high-efficiency GaInAsP devices for direct solar-to-electricity and solar-to-hydrogen conversion.
Transient transmission oscillations in doped and undoped lithium niobate induced by near-infrared femtosecond pulses

Transient transmission oscillations in X-cut and Z-cut congruent, iron-doped, and magnesium-doped lithium niobate samples were measured using 50 fs, 800 nm, 0.5 nJ pulses from a self-mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser in an optical pump–probe system. Several Raman-active oscillation modes excited by these pulses were observed as changes in the transmitted probe intensity versus time delay between the pump and probe pulses. The samples were rotated to determine how the incident polarization of the pump pulses affects the mode excitations. The observed Raman-active oscillations correspond to previously reported symmetry modes measured with traditional, continuous-wave, Raman spectroscopy using the same scattering geometry. In addition, a polariton mode and other, previously unreported, lower-frequency modes were observed in each of the samples. The transmission intensity data for each sample were fit successfully to a superposition of sinusoidal functions with exponentially decaying amplitudes.
Algorithms and algebraic solutions of decay chain differential equations for stable and unstable nuclide fractionation

Abstract Radioactive decay processes, such as alpha decay, produce decay chains where the mass numbers of nuclides decrease as larger nuclides expel energetic particles to form smaller nuclides. Under these conditions, the coefficient matrix that describes the differential rate expressions for radioactive decay can be made lower triangular. With this special structure, formulating an algebraic solution to the decay chains can be done by first formulating the eigenvectors that make up the coefficient matrix, which can then be solved using forward substitution for a lower triangular matrix. This work details the derivation of algebraic solutions for decay chains of any number of stable and unstable nuclides with any number of branching based on this eigenvector analysis. A prototype computational code was developed to validate and compare this methodology against a number of other methods for solving similar systems. A two-phase sorting algorithm yielding the lower triangular matrix structure was established to apply the developed algebraic solutions for decay chains involving beta-emitting radionuclides transformed into daughter nuclides without change in their mass number. The methodologies produced in this work provide an efficient way to estimate nuclide fractions from natural decay processes.
Introduction: Gender, the New Woman, and the Monster

My book considers the way that the figure of the monster contributes to the debate about the New Woman and gender at the British fin de siecle. The figure of the monster contributes three conclusions to this discussion. (1) The figure of the monster reveals that there was a conflict in culture in Britain at the fin de siecle between British subjects who held traditional values (conservatives) and those who exhibited progressive viewpoints (New Liberals, radicals, and socialists). (2) The figure of the monster collapses social categories and boundaries that traditionalists held dear, like race and colonialism (native-ness versus foreignness), gender and the New Woman, homo/sexuality, and discourses on poverty. (3) The figure of the monster shows that the New Woman and gender are also indeterminate and liminal subjects. Friendships between women can be queer. The British populous viewed the New Woman as either a monstrous figure (a threat to family, nation, and Empire) or a laudable figure (a role model for New Women and women to emulate). The foreign and perverse violence of the monster shows that conflict was embedded in colonialism, the New Woman, sexuality, and poverty at century’s end. Finally, the figure of the monster demands that New Women who were racially and ethnically “Other,” or different from the white English norm, should be incorporated into British society not banished to its limits.
Reduction of reverse solute flux induced solute buildup in the feed solution of forward osmosis

Forward osmosis (FO) has shown advancement towards recovery of useful water from various waste streams. A major issue that arises is the accumulation of salts due to reverse solute flux (RSF) from a draw solution into a feed solution that can result in several negative effects such as decreased water flux and inhibition of biological activities. This paper aims to provide a concise discussion and analysis of methods that can help to alleviate the effects of solute buildup. New parameters, solute removal/recovery rate (SRR) and removal/recovery ratio (ReR), are proposed to help better define the performance of reducing solute buildup and employed in case studies to evaluate selected reduction methods. Solute removal can be accomplished by physical separation, chemical precipitation, and biological removal. Recovery of solutes, one step beyond removal, is discussed and demonstrated by using bioelectrochemical systems and electrodialysis as examples. This work has highlighted the concerns associated with solute buildup and will encourage further exploration of effective tools to mitigate solute buildup for improved performance of FO-based water/wastewater systems.
Norepinephrine metabolite DOPEGAL activates AEP and pathological Tau aggregation in locus coeruleus

Aberrant Tau inclusions in the locus coeruleus (LC) are the earliest detectable Alzheimer's disease-like (AD-like) neuropathology in the human brain. However, why LC neurons are selectively vulnerable to developing early Tau pathology and degenerating later in disease and whether the LC might seed the stereotypical spread of Tau pathology to the rest of the brain remain unclear. Here, we show that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde, which is produced exclusively in noradrenergic neurons by monoamine oxidase A metabolism of norepinephrine, activated asparagine endopeptidase that cleaved Tau at residue N368 into aggregation- and propagation-prone forms, thus leading to LC degeneration and the spread of Tau pathology. Activation of asparagine endopeptidase-cleaved Tau aggregation in vitro and in intact cells was triggered by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde, resulting in LC neurotoxicity and propagation of pathology to the forebrain. Thus, our findings reveal that norepinephrine metabolism and Tau cleavage represent the specific molecular mechanism underlying the selective vulnerability of LC neurons in AD.
Adaptive Coding and Modulation for Robust Optical Access Networks

We introduce adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) to direct-detection passive optical networks (PONs) operating beyond 10 Gb/s per wavelength to allow each user to transmit at the highest possible bit rate and improve network reliability. Current fixed-rate PONs must allocate significant power margin to ensure reliable long-term operation over channels that vary over time and between users. Introducing adaptive-rate transceivers with ACM is a promising low-cost solution to increasing the overall capacity of optical access networks. The proposed ACM scheme uses two-, three-, or four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (2-, 3-, or 4-PAM) at a fixed symbol rate with direct detection and low-density parity check (LDPC) codes derived from a mother code by shortening and puncturing, decoded using fixed-initialization normalized min-sum decoding. The scheme supports received optical powers spanning a 10-dB range at bit rates of 20–54 Gb/s. In a PON with 64 users transmitting at a symbol rate of 30 Gbaud and a maximum transmission distance of 25 km, the ACM scheme demonstrates more than 3 dB improvement in overall optical power budget. For a fixed margin, ACM can increase throughput up to 60% compared to fixed-rate transmission, from 25 Gb/s to 39.7 Gb/s, or from 37.5 Gb/s to over 50 Gb/s, depending on the received optical power.
The human NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase NDUFS5 (15kDa) subunit: cDNA cloning, chromosomal localization, tissue distribution and the absence of mutations in isolated complex I-deficient patients

We have cloned the cDNA of the NDUFS5 subunit (15 kDa) of the human mitochondrial respiratory chain complex NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I). The open reading frame consists of 321 base-pairs, coding for 106 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 12.5 kDa. There is an 81.0% identity with the bovine equivalent on cDNA level and 74.5% identity on amino acid basis. PCR analysis of rodent–human somatic cell hybrids revealed that the human NDUFS5 gene maps to chromosome 1. The NDUFS5 mRNA is expressed ubiquitously in human tissues, with a relative higher expression in human heart, skeletal muscle, liver, kidney and fetal heart. A mutation detection study of twenty isolated enzymatic complex I-deficient patients revealed no mutations, nor polymorphisms.