cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Output-based Adaptive and Higher-Order Method for a Rotor in Hover

A high-order discontinuous Galerkin finite element discretization and output-based adaptation scheme for the compressible Euler equations are presented and applied to an isolated rotor in hover. A simplex cut-cell mesh generation technique is used to support robust and autonomous creation of higher-order meshes. The calculations are performed using a parallel implementation of the DG discretization and the results are compared to experimental data. As accurate simulation of rotorcraft wakes and blade-vortex interactions continues to be a challenge, the output-based adaptation scheme is used with thrust as the output of interest to refine the mesh. The result is a solution with less than three million degrees of freedom that is capable of preserving a rotor tip vortex for three and a half revolutions.
DL: A data layout transformation system for heterogeneous computing

For many-core architectures like the GPUs, efficient off-chip memory access is crucial to high performance; the applications are often limited by off-chip memory bandwidth. Transforming data layout is an effective way to reshape the access patterns to improve off-chip memory access behavior, but several challenges had limited the use of automated data layout transformation systems on GPUs, namely how to efficiently handle arrays of aggregates, and transparently marshal data between layouts required by different performance sensitive kernels and legacy host code. While GPUs have higher memory bandwidth and are natural candidates for marshaling data between layouts, the relatively constrained GPU memory capacity, compared to that of the CPU, implies that not only the temporal cost of marshaling but also the spatial overhead must be considered for any practical layout transformation systems. This paper presents DL, a practical GPU data layout transformation system that addresses these problems: first, a novel approach to laying out array of aggregate types across GPU and CPU architectures is proposed to further improve memory parallelism and kernel performance beyond what is achieved by human programmers using discrete arrays today. Our proposed new layout can be derived in situ from the traditional Array of Structure, Structure of Arrays, and adjacent Discrete Arrays layouts used by programmers. Second, DL has a run-time library implemented in OpenCL that transparently and efficiently converts, or marshals, data to accommodate application components that have different data layout requirements. We present insights that lead to the design of this highly efficient run-time marshaling library. In particular, the in situ transformation implemented in the library is comparable or faster than optimized traditional out-of-place transformations while avoiding doubling the GPU DRAM usage. Third, we show experimental results that the new layout approach leads to substantial performance improvement at the applications level even when all marshaling cost is taken into account.
Effect of Mica Reinforcement on the Flexural Strength and Microhardness of Polymethyl Methacrylate Denture Resin

Purpose: Conventional denture base polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is low in strength, soft, and brittle on impact. Improvements in the mechanical properties of denture base materials have been sought by adding different reinforcing phases to the PMMA matrix. The purpose of this work was to study the effects of mica reinforcement on the mechanical properties, flexural strength, and microhardness of PMMA denture base resin. Materials and Methods: Wet ground muscovite mica and Lucitone 199 original shade denture base resin were used. Two micas were tested: W200 and P66 with average particle sizes (d50) of 131 μm and 30 μm, respectively. The mica was silane treated in a solution of 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, ethanol, and water, and then dried. The specimens were fabricated using the denture base resin manufacturer's instructions with a powder : liquid ratio of 21 g/10 ml and a mixing time of 30 seconds. Five treatment groups were produced with differing amounts of mica added to the PMMA denture base resin: (A) control group with 0 vol% mica, (B) 10 vol% W200 mica, (C) 20 vol% W200 mica, (D) 10 vol% P66 mica, (E) 20 vol% P66 mica. The mica replaced equal volumes of the PMMA powder component to minimize changes in viscosity. The three-point bending flexural strength specimens were 70 × 11 × 3 mm3. Seven specimens were prepared for each treatment group. The hardness specimens were prepared from the ends of the three-point bend specimens after they were broken (N = 7). After deflasking, the specimens were polished with 600 grit silicon carbide paper to achieve smooth surfaces. A standard three-point bending jig with a span length of 50 mm was attached to an Instron universal testing machine. The specimens were placed on the jig, and loading was carried out using a 1 mm/min crosshead speed until failure. Microhardness was measured using a Clark microhardness tester with a Knoop indenter. The load was set to 200 g and the dwell time to 15 seconds. ANOVA and Tukey tests were used for statistical analyses (Alpha = 0.05). Results: The flexural strength of the control group was between 77% and 94% higher than all the mica-containing groups (p≤ 0.05). No significant differences were found within the four mica groups. Microhardnesses of the 20% mica groups (both fine and coarse) were 33% and 26% higher than the control (p≤ 0.05). The 10% mica groups had higher hardness than the control group, but the increase was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Mica additions to denture PMMA reduced flexural strength; however, with the specimens containing highest mica concentrations (20%), microhardness significantly increased.
Synthesis and characterization of a biodegradable elastomer featuring a dual crosslinking mechanism

The need for advanced materials in emerging technologies such as tissue engineering has prompted increased research to produce novel biodegradable polymers elastic in nature and mechanically compliant with the host tissue. We have developed a soft biodegradable elastomeric platform biomaterial created from citric acid, maleic anhydride, and 1,8-octanediol, poly(octamethylene maleate (anhydride) citrate) (POMaC), which is able to closely mimic the mechanical properties of a wide range of soft biological tissues. POMaC features a dual crosslinking mechanism, which allows for the option of the crosslinking POMaC using UV irradiation and/or polycondensation to fit the needs of the intended application. The material properties, degradation profiles, and functionalities of POMaC thermoset networks can all be tuned through the monomer ratios and the dual crosslinking mechanism. POMaC polymers displayed an initial modulus between 0.03 and 1.54 MPa, and elongation at break between 48% and 534% strain. In vitro and in vivo evaluation using cell culture and subcutaneous implantation, respectively, confirmed cell and tissue biocompatibility. POMaC biodegradable polymers can also be combined with MEMS technology to fabricate soft and elastic 3D microchanneled scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The introduction of POMaC will expand the choices of available biodegradable polymeric elastomers. The dual crosslinking mechanism for biodegradable elastomer design should contribute to biomaterials science.
Negative regulation of JNK signaling by the tumor suppressor CYLD.

CYLD is a tumor suppressor that is mutated in familial cylindromatosis, an autosomal dominant predisposition to multiple tumors of the skin appendages. Recent studies suggest that transfected CYLD has deubiquitinating enzyme activity and inhibits the activation of transcription factor NF-κB. However, the role of endogenous CYLD in regulating cell signaling remains poorly defined. Here we report a critical role for CYLD in negatively regulating the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). CYLD knockdown by RNA interference results in hyper-activation of JNK by diverse immune stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, lipopolysaccharide, and an agonistic anti-CD40 antibody. The JNK-inhibitory function of CYLD appears to be specific for immune receptors because the CYLD knockdown has no significant effect on stress-induced JNK activation. Consistently, CYLD negatively regulates the activation of MKK7, an upstream kinase known to mediate JNK activation by immune stimuli. We further demonstrate that CYLD also negatively regulates IκB kinase, although this function of CYLD is seen in a receptor-dependent manner. These findings identify the JNK signaling pathway as a major downstream target of CYLD and suggest a receptor-dependent role of CYLD in regulating the IκB kinase pathway.
The Relationship Between Perception of Vocal Effort and Relative Fundamental Frequency During Voicing Offset and Onset

Purpose In this study, the authors aimed to determine the relationship between relative fundamental frequency (RFF) and listener perception of vocal effort in individuals with varying degrees of vocal hyperfunction. Method Thirty women diagnosed with voice disorders commonly associated with vocal hyperfunction and 10 healthy women provided speech samples that were used to obtain parameters of RFF. Twelve listeners judged the speech samples for overall severity and vocal effort (VE) using rating scales. Results Significant but relatively weak negative correlations were found between perceptual measures and offset RFF parameters. Although offset RFF was increased in healthy participants relative to speakers with voice disorders, no differences were seen in RFF as a function of severity of VE in individuals with voice disorders. Conclusions Although a statistically significant correlation between offset RFF and VE was found, examination of data as a function of both VE and health status indicated that RFF mo...
Color realism and color science.

The target article is an attempt to make some progress on the problem of color realism. Are objects colored? And what is the nature of the color properties? We defend the view that physical objects (for instance, tomatoes, radishes, and rubies) are colored, and that colors are physical properties, specifically, types of reflectance. This is probably a minority opinion, at least among color scientists. Textbooks frequently claim that physical objects are not colored, and that the colors are "subjective" or "in the mind." The article has two other purposes: First, to introduce an interdisciplinary audience to some distinctively philosophical tools that are useful in tackling the problem of color realism and, second, to clarify the various positions and central arguments in the debate. The first part explains the problem of color realism and makes some useful distinctions. These distinctions are then used to expose various confusions that often prevent people from seeing that the issues are genuine and difficult, and that the problem of color realism ought to be of interest to anyone working in the field of color science. The second part explains the various leading answers to the prob- lem of color realism, and (briefly) argues that all views other than our own have serious difficulties or are unmotivated. The third part explains and motivates our own view, that colors are types of reflectances and defends it against objections made in the recent literature that are often taken as fatal.
Cyclin-dependent kinase-associated proteins Cks1 and Cks2 are essential during early embryogenesis and for cell cycle progression in somatic cells.

Cks proteins associate with cyclin-dependent kinases and have therefore been assumed to play a direct role in cell cycle regulation. Mammals have two paralogs, Cks1 and Cks2, and individually deleting the gene encoding either in the mouse has previously been shown not to impact viability. In this study we show that simultaneously disrupting CKS1 and CKS2 leads to embryonic lethality, with embryos dying at or before the morula stage after only two to four cell division cycles. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of CKS genes in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) or HeLa cells causes cessation of proliferation. In MEFs CKS silencing leads to cell cycle arrest in G2, followed by rereplication and polyploidy. This phenotype can be attributed to impaired transcription of the CCNB1, CCNA2, and CDK1 genes, encoding cyclin B1, cyclin A, and Cdk1, respectively. Restoration of cyclin B1 expression rescues the cell cycle arrest phenotype conferred by RNAi-mediated Cks protein depletion. Consistent with a direct role in transcription, Cks2 is recruited to chromatin in general and to the promoter regions and open reading frames of genes requiring Cks function with a cell cycle periodicity that correlates with their transcription. Cks proteins bind a subset of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) with high affinity at a position remote from the ATP and cyclin binding sites (2), but in contrast to cyclins they are
Modeling optical changes in perovskite capacitor materials due to dc-field degradation

The depth sensitivity of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) to the presence of oxygen vacancies (VO••), in perovskite titanates, was examined over the wavelength range from 250 to 750 nm. To determine the effect of oxygen vacancy concentration, reference optical properties of barium titanate (BaTiO3) and Fe-doped SrTiO3 were determined for oxidized and reduced samples. These reference data were used to model the sensitivity of SE to changes due to degradation. Using these models, it was found that SE could detect reduced layers of 4 A for BaTiO3 and an 8 A layer for Fe-doped SrTiO3. From the models, concentration gradients were resolvable by SE with an average diffusion depth (√Dt) of 10 A for BaTiO3 and 50 A for Fe-doped SrTiO3. These models also predict that SE should be able to discern different degradation mechanisms through the way the optical properties change during degradation.
Examining the Effects of School Composition on North Carolina Student Achievement over Time.

This study explores the effects of school-level characteristics on North Carolina students' reading and math achievement from fourth through eighth grade, focusing on the relationships between achievement and the racial and poverty composition of schools. After creating race-by-poverty cohorts of schools, I use multilevel models to examine math and reading achievement for the same students in fourth, sixth, and eighth grades. The racial and poverty composition of schools affect student achievement after factoring in student, family, and other school influences. In addition, increasing teacher quality and school resources reduces but does not eliminate the effects of school racial and poverty composition on student achievement. Policies leading to reductions in racial and poverty isolation in schools and increases in teacher quality should be pursued to guarantee equality of educational opportunities to all children in North Carolina schools.
Many-valued Logic in Multistate and Vague Stochastic Systems

Summary The state of the art in coherent structure theory is driven by two assertions, both of which are limiting: (1) all units of a system can exist in one of two states, failed or functioning; and (2) at any point in time, each unit can exist in only one of the above states. In actuality, units can exist in more than two states, and it is possible that a unit can simultaneously exist in more than one state. This latter feature is a consequence of the view that it may not be possible to precisely define the subsets of a set of states; such subsets are called vague. The first limitation has been addressed via work labeled ‘multistate systems’; however, this work has not capitalized on the mathematics of many-valued propositions in logic. Here, we invoke its truth tables to define the structure function of multistate systems and then harness our results in the context of vagueness. A key contribution of this paper is to argue that many-valued logic is a common platform for studying both multistate and vague systems but, to do so, it is necessary to lean on several principles of statistical inference. Resume L'etat de l'art dans la theorie de structure coherente est guide par deux assertions qui sont tous deux limitants : (1) toutes les unites d'un systeme peuvent exister dans un de deux etats, defaillant ou fonctionnant; et (2) a n'importe quel moment, chaque unite peut seulement exister dans un des susdits etats. En realite, les unites peuvent exister dans plus de deux etats et c'est possible qu'une unite puisse simultanement exister dans plus d'un etat. Cette derniere caracteristique est une consequence de l'opinion qu'il ne soit peut-etre pas possible de definir avec precision les sous-ensembles d'un ensemble d'etats; on appelle de tels sous-ensembles vagues. La premiere restriction a ete adressee par les methodes appelees “systemes multi-etats”; pourtant, ces methodes n'ont pas pris avantage des mathematiques sur les propositions multivalues en logique. Ici, nous invoquons ses tables de verite pour definir la fonction des systemes multi-etats et exploiter ensuite nos resultats dans le contexte d'ambiguite. Une contribution cle de ce papier est d'argumenter que la logique de plusieurs values est une plateforme commune pour etudier tant les systemes multi-etats que les systemes vagues, mais pour faire ceci, il est necessaire de se baser sur plusieurs principes d'inference statistique.
Bilateral atresia of the submandibular duct orifices

Atresia of the submandibular duct orifice is a rare developmental anomaly. Early identification and treatment of atresia of the submandibular duct orifice prevent feeding and breathing difficulties, dilatation of the submandibular duct, submandibular gland infection, or pressure atrophy. Imperforate submandibular duct should be distinguished from duplication abnormalities of the duct and other cystic lesions in the floor of the mouth. To date, magnetic resonance imaging findings of the atresia of the submandibular duct orifice have not been reported. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and radiologic evaluation of an infant with atresia of the bilateral submandibular duct orifices.
XPref: a preference language for P3P

The Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) is the most significant effort currently underway to enable web users to gain control over their private information. The designers of P3P simultaneously designed a preference language called APPEL to allow users to express their privacy preferences, thus enabling automatic matching of privacy preferences against P3P policies. Unfortunately, subtle interactions between P3P and APPEL result in serious problems when using APPEL: users can only directly specify what is unacceptable in a policy, not what is acceptable; simple preferences are hard to express; and writing APPEL preferences is error prone. We show that these problems follow from a fundamental design choice made by APPEL and cannot be solved without completely redesigning the language. Therefore, we explore alternatives to APPEL that can overcome these problems. In particular, we show that XPath serves quite nicely as a preference language and solves all the above problems. We identify the minimal subset of XPath that is needed, thus allowing matching programs to potentially use a smaller memory footprint. We also give an APPEL to XPath translator that shows that XPath is as expressive as APPEL.
Automating Risk Assessments of Hazardous Material Shipments for Transportation Routes and Mode Selection

The METEOR (Model to Evaluate Transportation Effects of Risk) project at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) successfully addresses the difficult problem in risk assessment analyses of combining the results from bounding deterministic simulation results with probabilistic (Monte Carlo) risk assessment techniques. This paper describes a software suite designed to perform sensitivity and cost/benefit analyses on selected transportation routes and vehicles to minimize risk associated with the shipment of hazardous materials. METEOR uses Monte Carlo techniques to estimate the probability of an accidental release of a hazardous substance along a proposed transportation route. A METEOR user selects the mode of transportation, origin and destination points, and charts the route using interactive graphics. Inputs to METEOR (many selections built in) include crash rates for the specific aircraft, soil/rock type and population densities over the proposed route, and bounding limits for potential accident types (velocity, temperature, etc.). New vehicle, materials, and location data are added when available. If the risk estimates are unacceptable, the risks associated with alternate transportation modes or routes can be quickly evaluated and compared. Systematic optimizing methods will provide the user with the route and vehicle selection identified with the lowest risk of hazardous material release. The effects of a selected range of potential accidents such as vehicle impact, fire, fuel explosions, excessive containment pressure, flooding, etc. are evaluated primarily using hydrocodes capable of accurately simulating the material response of critical containment components. Bounding conditions that represent credible accidents (i.e., for an impact event, velocity, orientations, and soil conditions) are used as input parameters to the hydrocode models yielding correlation functions relating accident parameters to component damage. The Monte Carlo algorithms use random number generators to make selections at the various decision points such as crash, location, etc. For each pass through the routines, when a crash is randomly selected, crash parameters are then used to determine if failure has occurred using either external look up tables, correlations functions from deterministic calculations, or built in data libraries. The effectiveness of the software was recently demonstrated in safety analyses of the transportation of radioisotope systems for the US Dept. of Energy. These methods are readily adaptable to estimating risks associated with a variety of hazardous shipments such as spent nuclear fuel, explosives, and chemicals.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Using the FoodEx-LTC to Assess Institutional Food Service Practices Through Nursing Home Residents' Perspectives on Nutrition Care

Background. Undernutrition occurs in approximately 2 of every 5 nursing home residents, negatively influencing their health and quality of life. The purposes of this study were to collect data about institutional meal preparation and food service practices that promote or retard adequate nutritional intake and to evaluate residents' food and food service satisfaction. Methods. The FoodEx-LTC, a simple, 44-item, 5-subscale questionnaire that measures food and food service satisfaction, was administered to 61 residents. Serum albumin and body mass index gauged the nutritional status of each resident. SPSS for Windows, version 10, was used for analyses. Results. Overall, 89% of residents were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the food service. Of those who ate in the dining room, 44% had to wait to go back to their rooms, presenting a quality of life issue. Fifty-two percent received food they hated, 56% often received the same food, and 59% received food always cooked the same way. Most residents (75%) felt comfortable refusing food they did not like, but 65% did not complain. Most (79%) wanted to choose what to eat, but only 54% believed that choosing when to eat was important. Conclusions. The FoodEx-LTC, used to monitor nutrition care in nursing homes, incorporates residents' views into service delivery and responds to the Health Care Finance Administration's Nutritional and Hydration Awareness Campaign, part of the federal Nursing Home Initiative. Using the FoodEx-LTC to identify residents' perspectives may promote resident satisfaction and dietary intake through adaptation of nursing home food and food service practices.
VIF Regression: A Fast Regression Algorithm for Large Data

We propose a fast and accurate algorithm, VIF regression, for doing feature selection in large regression problems. VIF regression is extremely fast; it uses a one-pass search over the predictors and a computationally efficient method of testing each potential predictor for addition to the model. VIF regression provably avoids model overfitting, controlling the marginal false discovery rate. Numerical results show that it is much faster than any other published algorithm for regression with feature selection and is as accurate as the best of the slower algorithms.
Dielectric Properties of Portland Cement Concrete at Low Radio Frequencies

This paper presents a nondestructive evaluation method to characterize portland cement concrete (PCC) based on its dielectric properties. The work reported is part of an ongoing study to develop a nondestructive evaluation method for PCC structures using electromagnetic waves. A custom-designed parallel plate setup with an HP 4195A Network/Spectrum Analyzer was used to form the measurement system. A model was established for the measurement system and a set of calibration standards was developed for the system calibration. Six different PCC batches were cast and their complex permittivity was measured over 28 days of moist curing, with an average of four specimens per batch. The selected batches covered a representative variation of water to cement ratio and two aggregate types using Type I portland cement. The complex permittivity of PCC was evaluated over a frequency range of 0.1–40 MHz. Preliminary measurements showed significant changes in the real part of the dielectric constant versus the curing tim...
Building Bridges, Not Barriers: Inviting Chuukese Family Involvement in Hawaii Schools

Chuukese students and parents in Hawaii were interviewed about differences between schools in Hawaii and Chuuk, aspects of schooling in Hawaii that affected adjustment and suggestions for increasin...
Do school-based dental sealant programs reach higher risk children?

Objectives: This report compares sealant prevalence by caries risk status among third graders at Ohio schools with and without school-based dental sealant programs (S-BSPs), and estimates the percent of children receiving sealants in S-BSPs who are higher risk for dental caries. Methods: We analyzed data from a statewide open-mouth oral health survey of Ohio third grade schoolchildren for sealant prevalence by S-BSP availability and caries risk classification. Children were classified as higher or lower risk for dental caries based on school lunch program enrollment and other non-clinical access-related indicators. Differences between groups were evaluated by the chi-square test (P < 0.05). Results: At schools with no S-BSPs, higher risk children were less likely to have dental sealants than lower risk children (28.7 percent versus 42.7 percent, P < 0.001). At schools with S-BSPs, sealant prevalence for both risk categories was equivalent for higher and lower risk children (59.4 percent, 63.4 percent, P = 0.428). Higher risk children at schools with S-BSPs were more than twice as likely to have a sealant as higher risk children at non–S-BSP schools (59.4 percent versus 28.7 percent, P < 0.001). Of higher risk children with at least one sealant, 61 percent attended a school with an S-BSP compared with 12.3 percent of lower risk children with at least one sealant. Higher risk children accounted for at least 75 percent of children receiving sealants through S-BSPs. Conclusions: In Ohio, targeting S-BSPs by family income-based school-level criteria was effective in reaching higher risk children.
Cell‐type‐specific consequences of reelin deficiency in the mouse neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala

The disrupted cortical lamination phenotype in reeler mice and subsequent identification of the Reelin signaling pathway have strongly informed models of cortical development. We describe here a marker-based phenotyping approach to reexamine the cytoarchitectural consequences of Reelin deficiency, using high-throughput histology and newly identified panels of highly specific molecular markers. The resulting cell-type-level cytoarchitectural analysis revealed novel features of abnormal patterning in the male reeler mouse not obvious with less specific markers or histology. The reeler cortex has been described as a rough laminar inversion, but the data presented here are not compatible with this model. The reeler cortex is disrupted in a more complex fashion, with some regions showing a mirror-image laminar phenotype. Major rostrocaudal and cell-type-specific differences in the laminar phenotype between cortical areas are detailed. These and similar findings in hippocampus and amygdala have implications for mechanisms of normal brain development and abnormalities in neurodevelopmental disorders. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:2061–2089, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Let's get real: a critical semiotic analysis of Irish print media discourses

ABSTRACTIn what follows, I critically assess the merits of the relativist and realist positions in the social and human sciences, and argue that the relativisation of truth claims operates to mask relations of power and inequality, and also offers impunity to discursive mystifications denying the existence of both. Alternatively, I argue that the Critical Realist position, with its realist ontology and relativist epistemology, allows for the identification of such structures, and as a consequence of its emphasis on the materiality of discourse, for the identification of mystificatory meaning-making. And I operationalise my argument through critical analysis and commentary on four texts drawn from newspapers across the range for such in Ireland on the related issues of wealth and welfare.
Direct Evidence that Saquinavir Is Transported by Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein (MRP1) and Canalicular Multispecific Organic Anion Transporter (MRP2)

To determine if saquinavir mesylate (saquinavir) is a substrate of human multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (hMRP1 [ABCC1]) or hMRP2 (cMOAT, or ABCC2), MDCKII cells that overexpress either hMRP1 (MDCKII-MRP1) or hMRP2 (MDCKII-MRP2) were used to investigate saquinavir's cytotoxicity and transport in comparison with those of control MDCKII wild-type (MDCKII/wt) cells. Cytotoxicity was assessed with the mitochondrial marker MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium], and saquinavir transport was measured directly through the cell monolayers. GF120918 (an inhibitor of P glycoprotein, but not of the MRP family) and MK-571 (an MRP family inhibitor) were used to delineate the specific contributions of these transporters to saquinavir cytotoxicity and transport. In the presence of GF120918 and increasing saquinavir concentrations, the MDCKII-MRP1 (50% lethal dose [LD(50)] = 10.5 micro M) and MDCKII-MRP2 (LD(50) = 27.1 micro M) cell lines exhibited statistically greater viability than the MDCKII/wt cells (LD(50) = 7.8 micro M). Saquinavir efflux was directional, not saturable, and was inhibited by MK-571 (35 and 75 micro M) in all cell lines. The ratios of saquinavir (3 micro M) basolateral to apical permeability (i.e., efflux ratios) for the MDCKII/wt, MDCKII-MRP1, and MDCKII-MRP2 cell monolayers were 2.6, 1.8, and 6.8, respectively. The MDCKII-MRP1 cells have a significantly reduced saquinavir efflux ratio relative to MDCKII/wt cells, due to basolaterally directed transport by hMRP1 competing with endogenous, apically directed canine MRP2. The MDCKII-MRP2 cells have a significantly increased saquinavir efflux ratio relative to MDCKII/wt cells, due to the additive effects of the apically directed transport by hMRP2 and endogenous MRP2. Collectively, the cytotoxicity and transport results provide direct evidence that saquinavir is transported by MRP1 and MRP2.
Hydraulic Resistance in Grass Swales Designed for Small Flow Conveyance

Grass swales, originally used for erosion control in agricultural settings, are now widely employed in urban environments as an effective best management practice for controlling pollutants in stormwater runoff. In particular, vegetated swales are quite successful in removing heavy metal concentrations when the depth of flow is small relative to grass height. However, guidance materials currently available for design of vegetated channels focus on larger depths of flow (large flow conveyance/erosion control), and for such conditions the hydraulic resistance exerted by the vegetation can be significantly different than that observed when the depth of flow is small (remediation). Utilizing a series of laboratory channels, small-flow retardance curves have been developed in the present work for Bluegrass, Centipede, and Zoysia grass species. These “small-flow” curves extend the well-known Stillwater n versus VR diagram by approximately 1 order of magnitude, to smaller values of VR . Experimental results shou...
Barn swallows before barns: population histories and intercontinental colonization.

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is one of most widely distributed swallows, owing in part to its recent switch from natural nest sites to human structures. We conducted phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear DNA to explore the recent evolutionary history of this species. Strongly supported mtDNA clades corresponded to Europe, Asia and North America plus the Baikal region of Asia. Analysis of sequence data from a sex-linked nuclear gene was unable to recover the phylogenetic splits in the mtDNA tree, confirming that the main clades evolved recently. The phylogenetic pattern suggests that the ancestral area of the barn swallow was the holarctic; most divergence events are consistent with vicariance. Most unexpectedly, analyses show that barn swallows from North America colonized the Baikal region in the recent past (one fixed substitution). This dispersal direction is opposite of that for most nearctic– palearctic taxon exchanges. Although this invasion was envisioned to coincide with the appearance of new types of human dwelling in the Baikal region, calibration of molecular divergence suggests an older dispersal event. A recent history of gene flow within the main palearctic clades is consistent with range and population expansion owing to new nesting opportunities provided by human settlements. Contrary to expectation, populations in North America appear historically larger and more stable than those in the palearctic. The Baikal population apparently has not increased greatly since colonization.
Issues in wireless video coding using run-time-reconfigurable FPGAs

Video coding has been implemented by using rapid reconfiguration to time-share hardware for several sequential stages. This allows the number of gates to be reduced by a factor proportional to the number of coding stages at the expense of some reconfiguration overhead and the added memory and control needed to implement reconfiguration. The results of this work suggest that run-time reconfiguration is a powerful technique with potential for a wide range of applications in which temporal partitioning and adaptivity are feasible and desired.
A Multipoint Method for Approximation of Wavefunctions at a Mesoscopic Scale

We discuss the concept of a mesoscopic wavefunction, first in a general context, as the concept of wavefunction has evolved, and then in a more specific context of modeling. The paper concentrates on a simple, abstract one-dimensional situation. In this context, there are three problems to be considered. In the first problem, we consider the construction of a wavefunction as a problem of interpolation, with information content in a multipoint perspective at finitely many discrete points and complete uncertainty elsewhere. The wavefunction is conceived abstractly as our unified subjective picture of information content. Each point of information is essentially free and independent of all others. This is a wavefunction for a classical system at the mesoscopic threshold. In the second problem, we consider how, using the concept of scaling and renormalization, the classical system can be brought to represent a mesoscopic level of integrated information, with points still treated as free, but now with the need to consider each point as an extended region, with possible boundary overlaps. We then, in the section on the third problem, consider modeling this renormalized system as an Ising-like system of interacting spins. This is the final picture we develop for a mesoscopic wavefunction. This can be viewed from the perspective of the evolution of the concept of wavefunction at the microscopic level, and we briefly discuss the new point of view being developed here. Finally, we present a discussion concerning the bearing of this on Gibbs phenomenon.
Phase-sensitive optical amplifiers

Optical parametric amplifiers provide gain to an input signal in a phase-sensitive fashion, hence the name phase-sensitive amplifiers (PSAs). Recently, quantum-limited PSAs with large gains have been demonstrated [1]. PSAs possess many properties that make them attractive for use in ultra-high-speed optical communications and networks. In summary: PSAs do not add any spontaneous-emission noise; the signal-to-noise ratio is preserved as the signal is amplified. In this sense they make an ideal amplifier with 0 dB noise figure [1]. PSAs are unidirectional in that the gain exists only for light propagating in the same direction as the pump light in the amplifier. PSAs can be designed for operation at any wavelength; the full low-loss window of the fused-silica fiber thus becomes usable. In contrast, the erbiumfiber amplifier provides gain over a relatively narrow wavelength range (≃ 40 nm). In a fiber/amplifier line the use of PSAs automatically compensates for the degrading effects of dispersion; there is no need for extra dispersion-compensating devices [2]. Short pulses can propagate without significant broadening over distances that are up to 100 times longer than the dispersion length of the fiber. Moreover, dispersion can be compensated in both the positive and the negative group-velocity dispersion regions of the fused-silica fiber. The dispersion-compensation properties can be very useful for upgrading the capacity of the existing 1.3 μm fiber plant. When used with solitons, PSAs can reduce the Gordon-Haus timing jitter without the need for extra filters [3]. Solitons can propagate over long distances without generating dispersive radiation during their amplification and decay between the amplifiers [4].
Persistent Photoconductivity in Strontium Titanate

Persistent photoconductivity was observed in strontium titanate (${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$) single crystals. When exposed to sub-bandgap light (2.9 eV or higher) at room temperature, the free-electron concentration increases by over 2 orders of magnitude. After the light is turned off, the enhanced conductivity persists for several days, with negligible decay. From positron lifetime measurements, the persistent photoconductivity is attributed to the excitation of an electron from a titanium vacancy defect into the conduction band, with a very low recapture rate.
Wilson operator algebras and ground states of coupled BF theories

The multiflavor $\mathit{BF}$ theories in (3+1) dimensions with cubic or quartic coupling are the simplest topological quantum field theories that can describe fractional braiding statistics between looplike topological excitations (three-loop or four-loop braiding statistics). In this paper, by canonically quantizing these theories, we study the algebra of Wilson loop and Wilson surface operators, and multiplets of ground states on the three-torus. In particular, by quantizing these coupled $\mathit{BF}$ theories on the three-torus, we explicitly calculate the $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{T}$ matrices, which encode fractional braiding statistics and the topological spin of looplike excitations, respectively. In the coupled $\mathit{BF}$ theories with cubic and quartic coupling, the Hopf link and Borromean ring of loop excitations, together with pointlike excitations, form composite particles.
Into the Wild: Neuroergonomic Differentiation of Hand-Held and Augmented Reality Wearable Displays during Outdoor Navigation with Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Highly mobile computing devices promise to improve quality of life, productivity, and performance. Increased situation awareness and reduced mental workload are two potential means by which this can be accomplished. However, it is difficult to measure these concepts in the ‘wild’. We employed an ultra-portable battery operated and wireless functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to non-invasively measure hemodynamic changes in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Measurements were taken during navigation of a college campus with either a hand-held display, or an augmented reality wearable display. Hemodynamic measures were also paired with secondary tasks of visual perception and auditory working memory to provide behavioral assessment of situation awareness and mental workload. Navigating with an augmented reality wearable display produced the least workload during both secondary tasks. The hemodynamics associated with errors were also different between the two devices. Errors with an augmented reality wearable display were associated with increased prefrontal activity and the opposite was observed for the hand-held display. This suggests that the cognitive mechanisms underlying errors between the two devices differ. These findings show fNIRS is a valuable tool for assessing new technology in ecologically valid settings and that head-mounted displays offer benefits with regards to mental workload while navigating, and potentially superior situation awareness with improved display design.
Separation of human plasma factor IX from HTLV-I or HIV by immunoaffinity chromatography using conformation-specific antibodies

Immunoaffinity chromatography using conformation-specific antibodies yields pure factor IX from human plasma in a single rapid, facile purification step. We evaluated this technique to determine whether factor IX can be separated from human T cell leukemia virus-I (HTLV-I) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in plasma supplemented with these viruses. Viral content was determined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay sensitive to 50 ng viral protein. Both HTLV- I and HIV coeluted with unbound protein. Neither HTLV-I nor HIV was detected in purified factor IX. We conclude that, to the limits of detection, factor IX purified by this method is free of viral contamination.
Fetal Transplantation: A Model for Medical Ethics Application

In citing this wonderful quotation from C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man [1], one can criticize contemporary bioethics as mostly talk and little action; in fact, practitioners in the field of medical ethics have had very little to do until the mid-twentieth century, for only at this time did the biological advances arouse American ethicists from their slumber [2].
Das Beste oder Höchste, was ist das genau?

Auf einem sehr, sehr grosen Planeten lebten einst ein paar tausend Menschen in kleinen Siedlungen am Wasser. Sie hatten es gut und wohnten zufrieden und glucklich. Da sie so wenige waren, hatten sie stets zusammengehalten und waren am Wasser geblieben. In die nahen Berge waren immer nur einige Wagemutige gedrungen und hatten von ihren Abenteuern erzahlt. Wie der ganze Planet beschaffen war, hatte niemanden gekummert. Vor der Kuste lag eine kleine, langlich vorgelagerte Insel, auf die sie hinuberwaten konnten. Herrlich lies es sich dort baden! Ein paar hundert Menschen lebten dort in kleinen Hausern. Sie hatten die Seeluft gerne und konnten ja das Festland besuchen, wann immer sie wollten.
Metformin Improves Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Pre-Existing Diabetes: A Propensity Score Analysis

Metformin Improves Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Pre-Existing Diabetes: A Propensity Score Analysis
Developing Process Mapping Skills: A Case Study

Process mapping is a procedure that involves tracing and describing a particular process of interest to the user. The actual process mapping activity can look at communication flows, physical movement, flow of work activities or any number of sets of sequences in some continuous activity. The general purpose of such an activity is to determine where and how the process under scrutiny can either be improved or, perhaps, totally “reengineered.” The particular skills are very useful to marketing practitioners and hence marketing students. This paper discusses the application of process mapping as an experiential learning exercise for graduate students in a marketing management class setting. How the method has been used, including a complete discussion of a specific project dealing with an attempt to optimize the sales call process of the trust division of a bank, is the primary focus of the work.
Predicting two-year longitudinal MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory outcomes after intensity modulated radiotherapy for locoregionally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Objectives/hypothesis To determine the factors associated with longitudinal patient-reported dysphagia as measured by the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) in locoregionally advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) survivors treated with split-field intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Study design Retrospective patient analysis. Methods A retrospective analysis combined data from three single-institution clinical trials for stage III/IV head and neck carcinoma. According to trial protocols, patients had prospectively collected MDADI at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment. OPC patients with baseline and at least one post-treatment MDADI were included. Longitudinal analysis was completed with multivariate linear mixed effects modeling. Results There were 116 patients who met inclusion criteria. Mean baseline MDADI composite was 88.3, dropping to 73.8 at 6 months, and rising to 78.6 and 83.3 by 12 and 24 months, respectively (compared to baseline, all P Conclusions Patients report clinically meaningful dysphagia early after split-field IMRT for locoregionally advanced OPC that remains apparent 6 months after treatment. MDADI scores recover slowly thereafter, but remain depressed at 24 months compared to baseline. Higher tumor stage and smoking status are important markers of patient-reported function through the course of treatment, suggesting these are important groups for heightened surveillance and more intensive interventions to optimize swallowing outcomes. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 127:842-848, 2017.
Tactile Accessibility: Does Anyone Need a Haptic Glove?

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are widely used on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. While GUIs are convenient for sighted users, their accessibility for blind people, who use screen readers to interact with GUIs, remains to be problematic. Even the most screen-reader accessible GUIs are far less usable for blind people compared to sighted people, because the former group cannot benefit from the geometric layout of GUIs. As a result, blind people often have to listen through a lot of irrelevant content before they find what they are looking for. Haptic interfaces (those providing tactile feedback) have the potential to make GUI interfaces more accessible and usable for blind people. Alas, mainstream computer devices do not have haptic screens that would enable high-resolution tactile feedback, and specialized haptic devices are very limited and/or are exuberantly expensive and bulky. In this paper, we describe a low-cost haptic-glove system, FeelX, which can potentially enable usable tactile interaction with GUIs. The vision of FeelX is to enable blind users to connect it to any computer or smartphone, and then interact with it by moving their hands on any flat surface such as the desk or table. To establish the practicality and the desirability of using haptic gloves, we evaluated the initial prototype of the glove in a user study with 20 blind participants. Throughout the study, we performed a comparative evaluation of several design options for the tactile interface. The participants were asked to identify simple geometric figures such as lines, rectangles, circles, and triangles that are the basic building blocks of any GUI interface. Although the FeelX prototype is far from being a usable product, the results of the study indicate that blind users want to use haptic gloves.