cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resource Availability Characteristicsand Node Selection in CooperativelyShared Computing Platforms

The focus of our work is on studying the resource availability characteristics of large-scale, cooperatively pooled, shared computing platforms. Our focus is on platforms in which resources at a node are allocated to competing users on fair-share basis, without any reserved resource capacities for any user, and there is no platform-wide resource manager for the placement of users on different nodes. The users independently select nodes for their applications. Our study is focused on the PlanetLab system which exemplifies such platforms. The goal of our study is to develop heuristics based on the observed resource availability characteristics for selecting nodes for deploying applications. Our approach uses the notion of eligibility period, which represents a contiguous duration for which a node satisfies a given resource requirement. We study the characteristics of the eligibility periods of Planetlab nodes for various resource capacity requirements. Based on this study we develop heuristics for identifying nodes that are likely to satisfy a given requirement for long durations. We also develop an online model for predicting the idle resource capacity that is likely to be available on a node over a short term. We evaluate and demonstrate the performance benefits of the node selection techniques and the prediction model using the PlanetLab node utilization data traces collected at different intervals over an extended period of several months.
Recent advances in flip-chip underfill: materials, process, and reliability

In order to enhance the reliability of a flip-chip on organic board package, underfill is usually used to redistribute the thermomechanical stress created by the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the silicon chip and organic substrate. However, the conventional underfill relies on the capillary flow of the underfill resin and has many disadvantages. In order to overcome these disadvantages, many variations have been invented to improve the flip-chip underfill process. This paper reviews the recent advances in the material design, process development, and reliability issues of flip-chip underfill, especially in no-flow underfill, molded underfill, and wafer-level underfill. The relationship between the materials, process, and reliability in these packages is discussed.
Effects of rabbit platelets on vascular smooth muscle cell DNA synthesis

During platelet aggregation a factor is released which stimulates DNA synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells. We have examined the capacity of plasma free suspensions of intact rabbit platelets to stimulate DNA synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells in tissue culture. Platelet-rich plasma was obtained by low-speed centrifugation of citrated blood and passed through sterile columns of sepharose 2B beads. The resultant plasma-free platelet suspension was adjusted to 400,000 platelets/mm3. An aliquot was completely aggregated with thrombin, centrifuged and the supernatant examined for ability to stimulate incorporation of [3H]thyrmidine into DNA by cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. Sonication of an aliquot of platelet suspension released an equivalent amount of this stimulating factor. Another aliquot of platelet suspension of identical volume was added directly to the test smooth muscle cells. Stimulation by intact platelets co-cultured with smooth muscle cells was more than twice as great as that of the thrombin-aggregated supernatant. The latter was not increased by increasing the thrombin concentration nor by increasing the time of exposure. The potency of intact platelets was decreased only slightly by segregating them in Millipore chambers indicating the direct contact was not responsible for its enhancement.
The effect of community composition on persistence of prey with their predators in an assemblage of pond-breeding amphibians

We examined whether the species composition of a community influences the persistence of larval Ambystoma maculatum in assemblages composed of two larger intraguild predators (A. opacum and A. jeffersonianum) and an alternative prey species (tadpoles of Rana sylvatica). We predicted a priori that A. maculatum would have higher survival in more diverse communities containing alternative species of prey and top predators (A. opacum), the latter of which may lower the abundance of intermediate predators (A. jeffersonianum) via intraguild predation. In a factorial experiment, we manipulated the presence of larval A. opacum, A. jeffersonianum, and R. sylvatica in replicated artificial ponds containing larval A. maculatum. The presence of all three species significantly depressed biomass production in A. maculatum: biomass was highest in ponds lacking the other species and was zero in ponds initially containing all four species. Tadpoles severely reduced the growth of filamentous algae in the ponds. This, in turn, may have affected the abundance of some herbivorous prey of larval salamanders, although this possibility was not tested. The presence of congeneric predators severely restricted the presence in the water column of larval A. maculatum, which otherwise exhibited significant diel patterns of activity in the absence of predators. Together, the presence of tadpoles and a predator-mediated reduction in activity patterns may have limited foraging opportunities for A. maculatum, thus exacerbating the direct impact of predation on survival in this species. These results suggest that diverse assemblages consisting of these particular species may actually inhibit, rather than promote, inclusion of A. maculatum in some communities of pond-breeding amphibians.
In Memory of Philippe Flajolet

In 2011, shortly after his untimely passing, several colleagues and I wrote an obituary for Philippe Flajolet [5] that includes the following: He was the leading figure in the development of the international ‘AofA’ community that is devoted to research on probabilistic, combinatorial, and asymptotic methods in the analysis of algorithms. The colleagues and students who are devoted to carrying on his work form the core of his primary legacy. This special issue is testimony to that legacy. Many of the dozens of authors who are represented here worked closely with Philippe; many others have been inspired by his work. All are devoted to carrying it on.
More concealed pseudoclefts in Malagasy and the Clausal Typing Hypothesis

Cheng's Clausal Typing Hypothesis (Cheng, L., 1997. On the Typology of Wh-Questions. Garland, New York) predicts that no language should have constituent questions using both wh-in-situ and wh-movement strategies. Malagasy (Austronesian, Madagascar) is a prima facie counterexample to this claim in seemingly allowing both options. In keeping with the Clausal Typing Hypothesis, however, this paper argues that Malagasy, a predicate-initial language, has only wh-in-situ. Apparent examples of wh-movement are pseudoclefts in which the initial wh-phrase is a predicate and the following material is a headless relative clause in subject position. Evidence comes from the predicate status of the wh-phrase, parallels with a similar focus construction, and discontinuous wh-phrases.
Inflammatory Corneal Neovascularization: Etiopathogenesis

There is a delicate balance between pro-angiogenic stimuli and anti-angiogenic stimuli in the normal cornea. This balance allows the cornea to normally exist in a relatively avascular state, which is needed for optical clarity and vision. However, in the setting of inflammation, this balance may be shifted in favor of neovascularization.This paper reviews the literature on corneal inflammatory neovascularization beginning with the pro-angiogenic factors, such as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Fibroblast Growth Factor, which help to facilitate the development of new corneal vessels. Subsequently the anti-angiogenic factors and their role in preventing neovascularization in the normal cornea are reviewed. Finally, a review of several etiologies of inflammatory neovascularization is presented with attention to the processes that allow the pro-angiogenic stimuli to overwhelm the anti-angiogenic factors.
Horizontal ground motion in los angeles during the san fernando earthquake

Accelerograms, Fourier amplitude spectra and response spectra from ground motion recorded in the San Fernando earthquake at selected sites in Los Angeles were examined and compared. Although differences exist in the data from the bases of a group of six tall buildings close together near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, the differences are not significant from the standpoint of design. A single design spectrum is most appropriate for this area, even though there exists a variety of foundation conditions, building properties and basement configurations for the six sites. The degree to which soil-structure interaction and the local geology affected the response could not be precisely determined from the basement accelerograms, although the data from the six Wilshire-Normandie sites offered some evidence that soil-structure interaction and local site conditions did not contribute significantly to the character of the recorded motions. There was some correlation between the degree of similarity in the response at two sites and their distance apart. Thus, it is possible that some differences in the response of the closely spaced buildings could result from different superposition of the seismic waves. The shapes of response spectra from all of the sites studied, including the spectra from seven buildings 2–3 miles distant from the buildings near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, indicate that the character of the ground motion was probably more dependent on the source mechanism and the travel paths of the earthquake waves, rather than on more local effects.
Food security and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults and adolescents: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2006.

Purpose We sought to examine the association of food security and metabolic syndrome in a representative sample of U.S. adults and adolescents. We hypothesized that compared with those in food-secure households, adolescents and adults living in food-insecure households would have increased odds of (MetS). Methods Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999 to 2006 were combined and analyzed cross-sectionally. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) in the association of household food security (fully food secure, marginal, low, and very low food security) and MetS. Results Compared with those who were food secure, adults in households with marginal food security had 1.80-fold increased odds of MetS (95% CI, 1.30–2.49), and those with very low food security had a 1.65-fold increased odds of MetS (95% CI 1.12–2.42). There was no association with low food security. The association of marginal household food security and MetS was not significant in adolescents. In adults and adolescents, very low was food security not associated with increased odds of MetS compared with those who were food secure. Conclusions Members of households with marginal and very low food security are at increased risk of MetS. A mechanism may be that foods that are inexpensive and easily accessible tend to be energy dense and nutrient poor.
English Gain vs. Spanish Loss? Language Assimilation among Second-Generation Latinos in Young Adulthood

Analyzing three waves of data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey, this article explores the process of language assimilation among second-generation Latinos. Although previous studies have focused on the shift from mother tongue to English across immigrant generations, few have examined change in language proficiency over time within the second generation. Results from a series of growth-curve models suggest three findings. First, both English and Spanish proficiency increased over time. Second, significant differences exist across Latino ethnic groups, with Mexicans being least proficient in English and most proficient in Spanish. Third, use of Spanish at home and in school has no effect on English acquisition, but significantly promotes Spanish retention. Overall, these findings lend support for the emergence of a new context for bilingualism.
Systems of coordinates associated with points scattered in the plane

Abstract We show how to generate systems of coordinate functions associated with points scattered in the plane by taking weighted averages of barycentric coordinate functions. We give two examples of such systems, one of which is equivalent to the system of natural neighbor coordinates when restricted to the convex hull of the scattered points.
Individual differences in narcissism: Inflated self-views across the lifespan and around the world

Abstract The present investigation examined associations among narcissism, age, ethnicity, world region, and gender, using a large ( n =3445) sample of participants representing several different world regions and ethnicities. The results suggest that (1) reported narcissism declines in older participants, (2) consistent with previous findings, males report being more narcissistic than females, (3) that ethnic differences in reported narcissism are generally comparable to those found in the self-esteem literature, and (4) that world region appears to exert influence on narcissism, with participants from more individualistic societies reporting more narcissism. The results are discussed in terms of how age and culture might impact narcissism and how future research might address this topic.
A Note on Powerdomains and Modalitiy

This note shows a simple connection between powerdomains and modal assertions that can be made about nondeterministic computations. We consider three kinds of powerdomains, the Plotkin powerdomain, the Smyth powerdomain and one Christened the Hoare powerdomain by Plotkin because it captures the partial correctness of a nondeterministic program. The modal operators are □ for “inevitably” and ♦ for “possibly”. It is shown in a precise sense how the Smyth powerdomain is built up from assertions about the inevitable behaviour of a process, the Hoare powerdomain is built up from assertions about the possible behaviour of a process while Plotkin powerdomain is built up from from both kinds of assertions taken together.
Coherence decoupling: making use of incoherence

This paper explores a new technique called coherence decoupling, which breaks a traditional cache coherence protocol into two protocols: a Speculative Cache Lookup (SCL) protocol and a safe, backing coherence protocol. The SCL protocol produces a speculative load value, typically from an invalid cache line, permitting the processor to compute with incoherent data. In parallel, the coherence protocol obtains the necessary coherence permissions and the correct value. Eventually, the speculative use of the incoherent data can be verified against the coherent data. Thus, coherence decoupling can greatly reduce --- if not eliminate --- the effects of false sharing. Furthermore, coherence decoupling can also reduce latencies incurred by true sharing. SCL protocols reduce those latencies by speculatively writing updates into invalid lines, thereby increasing the accuracy of speculation, without complicating the simple, underlying coherence protocol that guarantees correctness.The performance benefits of coherence decoupling are evaluated using a full-system simulator and a mix of commercial and scientific benchmarks. Our results show that 40% to 90% of all coherence misses can be speculated correctly, and therefore their latencies partially or fully hidden. This capability results in performance improvements ranging from 3% to over 16%, in most cases where the latencies of coherence misses have an effect on performance.
Space Distribution and Motion of the Local Hi Gas

In a Joint Discussion devoted to the ages and kinematics of the local stars, inclusion of a paper on the local gas may seem anomalous. There is, however, strong justification for considering such a topic. Newly formed stars retain many properties of the gas from which they originated. To understand the spatial and kinematic properties of local young stars, we must understand the spatial distribution and the kinematics of the local gas from which they were formed.
A Threshold Based MAC Protocol for Cooperative MIMO Transmissions

This paper develops a distributed, threshold based MAC protocol for cooperative multi input multi output (MIMO) transmissions in distributed wireless systems. The protocol uses a thresholding scheme that is updated dynamically based on the queue length at the sending node to achieve low power transmissions while ensuring stability of the transmission queues at the nodes. Simulation results are provided to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol and compare it against regular point to point as well as fixed group size cooperative MIMO MAC protocols.
Definition of interferon gamma-response elements in a novel human Fc gamma receptor gene (Fc gamma RIb) and characterization of the gene structure.

The human Fc gamma RI (CD64) is a high affinity receptor for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin (Ig), and its constitutively low expression on the cell surface of monocyte/macrophage and neutrophils is selectively upregulated by interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) treatment (Perussia, B., E. T. Dayton, R. Lazarus, V. Fanning, and G. Trinchieri. 1983. J. Exp. Med. 158:1092). Three distinct cDNAs have been cloned and code for proteins that predict three extracellular Ig-like domains (Allen, J.M., and B. Seed. 1989. Science [Wash. DC]. 243:378). Several differences in the coding region of these cDNAs suggest that in addition to polymorphic differences a second Fc gamma RI gene could possibly exist. This alternative Fc gamma RI gene (Fc gamma RIb) was defined by the lack of a genomic HindIII restriction site (van der Winkel, J. G. J., L. U. Ernst, C. L. Anderson, and I. M. Chiu. 1991. J. Biol. Chem. 266:13449). We describe the characterization a second gene (Fc gamma RIb) that has a termination codon in the third extracellular domain and therefore predicts a soluble form of a termination codon in the third extracellular domain and therefore predicts a soluble form of the receptor. We also define two distinct IFN-gamma-responsive regions in the 5' flanking sequence of Fc gamma RIb that resemble motifs that have been defined in the class II major histocompatibility complex promoter. The Fc gamma RIb promoter does not possess canonical TATA or CCAAT boxes, but does possess a palindromic motif that closely resembles the initiator sequence identified in the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase/human leukocyte IFN/adeno-associated virus type II P5 gene promoters (Smale, S. T., and D. Baltimore. 1989. Cell. 57:103; Seto, E., Y. Shi, and T. Shenk. 1991. Nature [Lond.]. 354:241; Roy, A. L., M. Meisterernst, P. Pognonec, and R. C. Roeder. 1991. Nature [Lond.]. 354:245) virus type II P5 gene promoters raising interesting questions as to its role in the basal and myeloid-specific transcription of this gene.
Thought Exercises on Accountability and Performance Measures at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): An Invited Commentary for Circulation Research

Recently, popular magazines and newspapers broadcast skeptical headlines, such as, “Desperately Seeking Cures”1; “A Decade Later, Genetic Map Yields Few Cures”2; “Faltering Cancer Trials”3; and “Grant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It Safe.”4 Some patients, physicians, advocacy groups, journalists, scholars, and policymakers openly wonder about the value of billions of dollars in government-supported research. During the past 10 years, the NIH budget has doubled, yet cardiovascular disease, while decreasing in incidence and severity, is still the leading cause of death and cancer incidence and death rates have declined little. Along with “Where Are the Cures?” critics ask “Who Is Accountable?”5 There is a rapidly growing body of scholarship on the metrics of science, methods by which scientists, scientific organizations, policymakers, and funding agencies can gauge the value and impact of their work and investments.6 To assess the impact of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the White House Executive Office are engaged in an ambitious “STAR METRICS” project.7 Metrics often focus on publications and citations (“bibliometrics”) but also consider commercial products and quantitative impacts on practice or intellectual thought. Although scientists are typically eager to publish their work and see it cited, many worry about seeing their value to society, employers, and funders graded by black-box numbers.8 Some professional groups have harshly criticized bibliometrics, noting their inherent flaws and the risk that the act of measuring science will damage innovation, which is at the heart of the scientific enterprise.9 At NHLBI, we increasingly recognize that we need to be held accountable for our performance, which means that it is incumbent on us to assess the performance of the scientists and projects we choose to support. …
Mariner Mars’69 Celestial Mechanics Experiment

Spacecraft tracking data can be used to determine some parameters of importance to recent developments in celestial mechanics. Integrated Doppler data are available from both Mariner VI and VII. These data are phase coherent and are accurate to two one thousandths of a cycle at S-band over a 10 min integration time. In terms of a range rate error this is better than 0.2 mm/sec. Round trip range data are also available. They are accurate to 100 nsec in absolute accuracy and have a random error component of about 30 nsec, or about 4.5 m in one-way range.
Evidence That Wakefulness and REM Sleep Are Controlled by a GABAergic Pontine Mechanism

The pontine microinjection of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and its agonist induced prolonged periods of wakefulness in unanesthetized, chronic cats. Conversely, the application of bicuculline, a GABA(A) antagonist, resulted in the occurrence of episodes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep of long duration. Furthermore, administration of antisense oligonucleotides against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) mRNA into the same area produced a significant decrease in wakefulness and an increase in REM sleep. Microinjections of glycine, another major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS, and its antagonist, strychnine, did not have any effect on the behavioral states of sleep and wakefulness. These data argue forcibly that 1) GABAergic neurons play a pivotal role in determining the occurrence of both wakefulness and REM sleep and 2) the functional sequelea of inhibitory GABA actions within the pontine reticular formation are excitatory directives and/or behaviors.
Structured estimation with atomic norms: general bounds and applications

For structured estimation problems with atomic norms, recent advances in the literature express sample complexity and estimation error bounds in terms of certain geometric measures, in particular Gaussian width of the unit norm ball, Gaussian width of a spherical cap induced by a tangent cone, and a restricted norm compatibility constant. However, given an atomic norm, bounding these geometric measures can be difficult. In this paper, we present general upper bounds for such geometric measures, which only require simple information of the atomic norm under consideration, and we establish tightness of these bounds by providing the corresponding lower bounds. We show applications of our analysis to certain atomic norms, especially k-support norm, for which existing result is incomplete.
Power Flow Modeling of Wireless Power Transfer for EVs Charging and Discharging in V2G Applications

Despite, the large scale introduction of Electric Vehicles (EVs) presents large challenges for the power grid, they can provide services to the power grid which is known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications. A flexible, automatic, and bidirectional charging and discharging system, is essential for the best interaction between EVs and grid. Thus, this paper presents a steady-state harmonic mathematical model for the bidirectional inductive wireless power transfer system for charging and discharging EVs in V2G applications. The proposed model provides an accurate estimation for the system variables under different conditions. A 1.5kW bidirectional wireless system is simulated in MatLab Simulink, and its results are compared with the proposed theoretical model for validation purposes.
Founders and the Social Performance of B Corporations

Despite increasing attention in management journals, we still have little evidence about the factors that systematically influence the social performance of organizations. This is due in part to th...
Overview of Non-insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) in Different Population Groups

There are remarkable world-wide differences in the prevalence of diabetes, ranging from virtually 0% in Papua, New Guinea, to over 50% in the Pimas of Arizona. There are also notable rural-urban (e.g. Polynesians in rural and urban Western Samoa) and native-migrant (eg Chinese in China and in Mauritius) differences. The reporting of a high prevalence of diabetes in many populations that have undergone either urbanization or migration suggests that environmental factors related to lifestyle are contributory. Two such factors may be physical inactivity and dietary animal fat. There are also remarkable differences in ethnic susceptibility to non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), indicative of a strong genetic factor. Obesity is a risk factor for NIDDM. In addition to body weight, however, the pattern of distribution of body fat must also be considered. In some ethnic groups a central pattern of body fat distribution has been shown to be a significant risk factor even in the absence of obesity. This is particularly true in many Asian populations. It is proposed that genetic predisposition plus environment (lifestyle) interact and lead to visceral adiposity and insulin resistance, and that heredity and lifestyle also interact to cause a beta-cell lesion that affects insulin production and secretion. Development of insulin resistance facilitates the emergence of the beta-cell lesion. A consequence of this sequence of events is the development of glucose intolerance, and eventually, NIDDM.
The Priming and Progression Theory of Liver Regeneration

The ability of the mammalian liver to regenerate after resection or hepatocellular injury has been the subject of basic scientific investigation for decades. From 1960 to the early 2010s, Professor Nelson Fausto was one of the foremost investigators in this field. His laboratory made a number of seminal contributions to our understanding of regeneration, including development of the priming and progression theory, which suggests that quiescent hepatocytes acquire proliferative competence through an initial inflammatory stimulus, which allows robust cell proliferation in response to growth factors. The history and data behind this theory are presented here, along with discussion about how this knowledge can be applied to ongoing studies of the liver’s response to injury.
Silicon photonic memory interconnect for many-core architectures

A scalable and flexible memory interconnect is a key component for a many-core architecture to take full advantage of the high-bandwidth of multiple memory stacks. In this paper, we discuss both technological and architectural challenges of these processor-to-memory interconnects, and focus on two important issues of many-core memory accesses: traffic hotspots and non-uniform memory access (NUMA). We propose a reconfigurable Silicon photonic memory interconnect based on 2.5D stacking that can direct memory traffic to any memory interface on the processor, thus alleviating the two aforementioned effects in addition to providing high bandwidth. Simulations based on a 16-core 4-memory model show that the proposed architecture can lead to up to 2× STREAM speedup over fixed connections in both hotspot and NUMA scenarios. We also demonstrate the proposed architecture using a four-port Silicon photonic demultiplexer and a 4×4 synthesizable on-chip fabric called OpenSoC. The FPGA-emulated system demonstrates dynamic memory rewiring through wavelength routing, and achieves a reconfiguration time of 5 microseconds.
Estimates of Design Wind from Short Records

Wind speeds of various average return periods are estimated from the series of hourly mean wind speeds assumed independent. This hypothesis of independence is suggested by characteristics of the largest value distribution of Gaussian and non-Gaussian series. The confidence in this estimator of wind speed is subsequently examined when the shape of the instantaneous distribution of the hourly mean wind speed series is available but its parameters are unknown. It is found that the estimators are generally accurate even when the available record is short, e.g. 1 to 5 years of hourly readings. This conclusion is supported by test cases involving records of hourly mean wind speeds in Sydney and Lisbon. On the other hand, the conventional method based on Gumbel lines fitted to yearly maximum wind speeds is inaccurate when based on records of similar sizm.
"The Second-Order Effects of Work: Female Labor Force Participation in Gujarat, 1981-2011"

This study develops theory about the “second-order effects” of work, examining effects of women’s labor force participation on the subsequent status of females within their communities. We analyze ...
NEMS infrared detectors based on high quality factor 50 nm thick AlN nano-plate resonators

This paper reports on the first demonstration of ultra-fast (thermal time constant, τ ∼80 μs) and high resolution (noise equivalent power, NEP ∼656 pW/Hz1/2) infrared detectors based on high quality factor 50-nm thick aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric resonant nano-plates. For the first time, we show that by employing nanoscale (30 nm) aluminum anchors, both high thermal resistance (R th ∼9.2×105 K/W) and high quality factor (Q ∼1000) can be achieved in greatly scaled AlN nano-plate resonators. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that the resonant structures are capable of efficiently absorbing short-to mid- wavelength infrared (absorption, η ∼47%, for blackbody radiation at 625 °C) without any additional absorber. These unique features are exploited for the first experimental demonstration of AlN NEMS resonant infrared detectors with highly reduced area (down to 20×22 μm2, comparable to the ones of state-of-the-art microbolometers) and over 4x improved figure of merit (FoM=1/(NEP·τ)) compared to what previously achieved by the same technology.
Political Advertising and Election Results

We study the persuasive effects of political advertising. Our empirical strategy exploits FCC regulations that result in plausibly exogenous variation in the number of impressions across the borders of neighboring counties. Applying this approach to detailed data on television advertisement broadcasts and viewership patterns during the 2004–12 presidential campaigns, our results indicate that total political advertising has almost no impact on aggregate turnout. By contrast, we find a positive and economically meaningful effect of advertising on candidates’ vote shares. Taken at face value, our estimates imply that a one standard deviation increase in the partisan difference in advertising raises the partisan difference in vote shares by about 0.5 percentage points. Evidence from a regression discontinuity design suggests that advertising affects election results by altering the partisan composition of the electorate.
Control of reflex detrusor activity in normal and spinal injured non-human primates.

Abstract Nine non-human primates were subjected to electrical stimulation of the sacral roots, the anal sphincter, and the posterior tibial or common peroneal nerve during bladder filling. Reflex detrusor activity was inhibited by each technique at relatively low current, indicating possible clinical applicability.
Cultural partners: an exchange of language and culture between adults

vi CHAPTER! INTRODUCTION ....1 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 Value of Conversation Partnerships 6 Support for Utilizing Volunteers in ESL Programs 11 Elements of Successful Programs 13 Planning 14 Recruitment 15 Orientation and Training 17 IVIaintenance 20 Evaluation 22 Interviews with Coordinators 23 Intensive English and Orientation Program 23 Tandem Language Program 24 Conversation Partners 25 Culture 26 Conversation 31 Literature Summary 34 CHAPTER 3. DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF THE CULTURAL PARTNERS PROGRAM 36 Planning.. 36 Recruitment 39 Students. Mentors Description of Participants 41 Students !.!."."."."41 Mentors 44 Orientation and Training... '.*,47 Student 47 Mentors Description ofMeetings Between Partners 52 Maintenance !.]."!!.".".."52 Evaluation !.!.".""...!!!!!53 Summary
Physical and sensory analysis of successive scotopic colour contrast

Two approaches sought to identify which portions of the colour pathways are influenced by rod signals in successive scotopic colour contrast (SC), the hues induced by a coloured adapting field into a successively presented, purely scotopic test field. We determined (1) the dependence of SC on the degree of adaptation of isolated single cone types and (2) the comparison of SC to successive photopic colour contrast (PC) with adapting fields that spanned the spectrum. Both scotopic and photopic test fields, which appear colourless when presented alone, took on characteristic hues after adapting field presentation. SC hues were described as violet, blue, green, yellow or orange and were hue-matched with 400-590 nm comparison lights. The SC hues were influenced by adaptation of each of the three cone types and showed consistent differences from the PC hues induced by the same adapting fields. We conclude that rod signals influence (1) pathways carrying signals from each type of cone and (2) two channels that code for hue. However, rod signals must have differential access to, or effectiveness in, the various colour pathways.
Singlet Nitric Oxide Dimer Revisited: An Unexpected High Stability Isomer

A new form of the asymmetric cis isomer of the nitric oxide dimer, a cyclic parallelogram, has been found and characterized as the second most stable conformation by ab initio computational methods. Optimum equilibrium geometries, energetics, and harmonic frequencies are computed for the cyclic structure and the more common symmetric cis and trans isomers at the levels of second-order perturbation theory (MP2) and coupled-cluster theory limited to double excitations (CCD) using the 6-311G(2d) and 6-311+G(2d) basis sets. Single-point, more highly correlated calculations are then performed at these CCD optimum geometries. In addition, second-order geometries and frequencies are computed using the larger 6-311G(3df) basis, and single-point MP2 calculations are performed at these geometries using the Aug-cc-pVTZ and Aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets. At the highest levels of theory considered, the cyclic isomer lies within 17 kJ/mol of the symmetric cis global minimum and is more stable than the often-studied symmetric trans conformation.
Opening Address to the 9th Convention

President, Prof. van Alphen asked me to give some thoughts on the meaning and importance of a scientific academy in general and the Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica in particular. I feel greatly honoured to accept his invitation. As you know, the Greek “Academeia” (άκαδήμeια), academia in Latin, was said to derive its name from a mythological hero, Hekademos or Academus (‘Ακαδημοѕ’) who, according to legend, revealed to Castor and Pollux, where Theseus had hidden the young Helen with whom Theseus had eloped, so that the Dioscuri could bring back Helen who later became the famous beauty of the Trojan War. Academia was the name of a shrine and an olive grove located about one mile north-west of the city wall of ancient Athens. The area was improved and adorned by Cimon (510–449 B.C.), an Athenian statesman and a general and a hero of the Battle of Salamis.
Alloreactivity of an OVA-specific T-cell clone. I. Stimulation by class II MHC and novel non-MHC B-cell determinants.

A T-cell clone (Lyl-03) derived from BALB/cBy mice, though highly specific for OVA/Ad, reacted to allogeneic spleen cells of 6 of 12 H-2 haplotypes tested. The reactivity to each particular H-2 haplotype required the expression of a non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene product present on the B cells of certain strains of mice. All the alloreactive responses were MHC restricted and were inhibited by class II-specific and L3T4-specific monoclonal antibodies. The non-MHC gene product, X, is a new lymphocyte-stimulating determinant that is not expressed in mice with the xid defect. We favor a model that proposes two independent sites (or receptors) for X and the class II molecule. Contrary to previous models for alloreactivity, the anti-MHC site is not directed to a polymorphic receptor for self-class II epitope on the foreign class II molecule, but rather to a conserved determinant present on both self- and allo-class II molecules. If there is only one antigen receptor on the T-cell clone Lyl-03, then anti-X receptor must bind to a cross-reactive determinant found on immunogenic OVA and the non-MHC coded gene product expressed on the cell surface membrane. We further postulate that class II plus “X” recognition may be a general rule for alloreactive as well as autoreactive responses. Thus, both allo-class II and allo-class I reactive T cells are similar in that both bind a non-MHC coded gene product prior to activation.
407 Implementation of an Integrated Farm Management Plan to Enhance Reproductive Performance in Beef Cow-Calf Operations.

The University of Kentucky Beef IRM team has developed a project-based educational program (UK IRM Farm Program) designed to instigate long-term adoption of production practices and increase productivity and profitability. Our current objective was to elucidate changes in production for operations (n=14) after one year of program participation. Prior to enrolling in the IRM Farm Program, producers provided historical production records to obtain baseline information. Comprehensive individual management plans were developed and data was collected at breeding, pregnancy diagnosis, calving, and weaning. Operations were categorized as either controlled (90), extended (120), or year-round (365; n=6, 4, 4, respectively) based upon their prior calving season length. Average herd size was 92, 54, and 22 cows for the 90, 120, and 365 groups, respectively. The calving and weaning percentages increased in four of the six farms in the 90 group. Productivity (kg calf weaned per cow exposed) increased by 34 kg in half of the 90 group operations. In the 120 group, calving season length decreased 5 d, calving percentage decreased 1.2%, but the weaning percentage increased 4.5%. Since there were more and older calves weaned in this group, an average increase of 26 kg of calf weaned per cow exposed was observed. For those in the 365 group, calving season length was reduced by 110 days, calving percentage increased 3.7%, weaning percentage increased 3.2%, and kg of calf weaned per cow exposed increased 15 kg. Across all groups, productivity increased by 11 kg of calf weaned per cow exposed on average. Assuming a price of $162/45 kg, revenue increased $41 per cow exposed or $2,476 per producer. From these data we conclude that an integrated methodology combined with hands-on training could be an effective pedagogy for increasing adoption of production practices and enhancing productivity and profitability in beef cow-calf operations.
QT correction in atrial fibrillation - Measurement revisited.

Abstract Background QT interval measured in the electrocardiogram (ECG) varies with RR interval challenging the calculation of corrected QT (QTc) in Atrial fibrillation (AF). Objectives To identify the ideal Lead, number of complexes and the formula to measure QTc that correlates best between AF and sinus rhythm (SR). Procedure We identified ECGs from patients with AF before and after conversion to SR. After excluding patients on drugs and clinical conditions that prolong QT interval, QTc was calculated from all the leads using the formulae: Bazett (BF), Fridericia (FF), Framingham(FrF), Hodges (HF), Saige (SF) and Rautaharju (RF) during AF and SR. After identifying the lead with best linear correlation, we calculated QTc following the longest RR, multiple QRS complexes and average automated RR interval during AF and compared to SR. Findings In 52 patients (male 69%, age 63 ± 9 yrs), QTc measured from Lead II correlated best with SR in majority of the formulae. QTc was consistently shorter with linear formulae. While BF overestimated QTc, FF was optimal comparing AF vs SR (416 ± 33 vs 411 ± 38 ms, ns) calculated from single, multiple or average automated RR interval. Bland Altman analysis of the average automated QTc versus the delta of individual automated QTcs shows the least variation in the QTc calculated by FF. Conclusions BF in commercial software is not ideal for measurement of QTc in AF, Fridericia Formula in lead II from the average RR from automated ECG measurement maybe utilized for the calculation of QTc.
Physical characteristics of AFEX-pretreated and densified switchgrass, prairie cord grass, and corn stover

Abstract The goal of the study was to evaluate and compare the physical properties of control, pretreated and densified corn stover, switchgrass, and prairie cord grass samples. Ammonia Fiber Expansion (AFEX) pretreated switchgrass, corn stover, and prairie cord grass samples were densified by using the comPAKco device developed by Federal Machine Company of Fargo, ND. The densified biomass were referred as “PAKs” in this study. All feedstocks were ground into three different grind size of 2, 4 and 8 mm prior to AFEX pretreatment and the impact of grinding on pellet properties was studied. The results showed that the physical properties of AFEX-PAKed material were not influenced by the initial grind size of the feedstocks. The bulk density of the AFEX-PAKed biomass increased by 1.2–6 fold as compared to untreated and AFEX-pretreated materials. The durability of the AFEX-PAKed materials were between 78.25 and 95.2%, indicating that the AFEX-PAKed biomass can be transported easily. To understand the effect of storage on the physical properties of these materials, samples were stored in the ambient condition (20 ± 2 °C and 70 ± 5% relative humidity) for six months. After storage, thermal properties of the biomass did not change but glass transition temperature decreased. The water absorption index and water solubility index of AFEX-treated and AFEX-PAKed biomass showed mixed trends after storage. Moisture content decreased and durability increased upon storage.
18 Year Old Female with Crusty, Perioral Lesion

A 18 year old female presented with a weeping, crusty lesion for the past few days around the right corner of her mouth.
What does the timing of dividend reductions signal

Dividend reduction theory suggests that during an economy-wide shock, a relatively early dividend reduction indicates that a firm reduces its cash outflows to pursue positive net present value projects, whereas a relatively late dividend reduction is due only to cash constraints rather than investment strategies. This paper directly tests the dividend reduction theory. Consistent with the theory, we find that during a recession, early-dividend reducers make 5% more firm investment than late-dividend reducers within the reduction year. Further, the investment levels are not significantly different between early and late reducers outside of recessions. The results also suggest that the signaling effect does not persist, implying that in a recession, the investment opportunities pursued by the early reducers are short-lived.
Effect of Presentation Style and Problem-Solving Attempts on Metacognition and Learning from Solution Videos.

Attempting to solve a problems before viewing a solution videos improves learning for problems just outside a student's current ability, but not for more difficult problems.
Composition Dependence of Microstructures and Ferroelectric Properties in Poly(vinylidene fluoride-ter-trifluoroethylene-ter-chlorodifluoroethylene) Terpolymers

A family of poly(vinylidene fluoride-ter-trifluoroethylene-ter-chlorodifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CDFE)] terpolymers was synthesized. The effect of the chlorodifluoroethylene (CDFE) concentration ...
LINE-1 ORF1p RIP-seq reveals widespread association with p-body enriched mRNAs

Abstract Background Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1) is an autonomous retroelement able to “copy-and-paste” itself into new loci of the host genome through a process called retrotransposition. The LINE-1 bicistronic mRNA codes for two proteins, ORF1p, a nucleic acid chaperone, and ORF2p, a protein with endonuclease and reverse transcriptase activity. Both proteins bind LINE-1 mRNA in cis and are necessary for retrotransposition. While LINE-1 transcription is usually repressed in most healthy somatic cells through a plethora of mechanisms, ORF1p expression has been observed in nearly 50% of tumors, and new LINE-1 insertions have been documented in a similar fraction of tumors, including prostate cancer. Results Here, we utilized RNA ImmunoPrecipitation (RIP) and the L1EM analysis software to identify ORF1p bound RNA in prostate cancer cells. We identified LINE-1 loci that were expressed in androgen sensitive and androgen independent cells, that we show are representative of LINE-1 copies expressed in prostate cancer before and after treatment. In all androgen independent cells, we found higher levels of LINE-1 RNA, as well as unique expression patterns of LINE-1 loci. Interestingly, we observed that ORF1p bound many non-LINE-1 mRNA in all prostate cancer cell lines evaluated, and polyA RNA, and RNA localized in p-bodies were especially enriched. Furthermore, the expression levels of many of the identified ORF1p bound mRNAs also correlated with expression of LINE-1 RNA in prostate tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Conclusion Our results show a significant remodeling of LINE-1 loci expression in androgen independent cell lines when compared to parental androgen dependent cells, suggesting an evolution of LINE-1 expression during prostate cancer progression. Additionally, our finding that ORF1p bound a significant amount of non-LINE-1 mRNA, and that the enriched ORF1p bound mRNAs are also amplified in LINE-1 expressing TCGA prostate tumors, suggest that ORF1p may play a role in non-LINE-1 RNA processing and regulation of specific transcripts in prostate tumors.
Chasing language through the brain: Successive parallel networks.

Abstract Objective To describe the spatio-temporal dynamics and interactions during linguistic and memory tasks. Methods Event-related electrocorticographic (ECoG) spectral patterns obtained during cognitive tasks from 26 epilepsy patients (aged: 9–60 y) were analyzed in order to examine the spatio-temporal patterns of activation of cortical language areas. ECoGs (1024 Hz/channel) were recorded from 1567 subdural electrodes and 510 depth electrodes chronically implanted over or within the frontal, parietal, occipital and/or temporal lobes as part of their surgical work-up for intractable seizures. Six language/memory tasks were performed, which required responding verbally to auditory or visual word stimuli. Detailed analysis of electrode locations allowed combining results across patients. Results Transient increases in induced ECoG gamma power (70–100 Hz) were observed in response to hearing words (central superior temporal gyrus), reading text and naming pictures (occipital and fusiform cortex) and speaking (pre-central, post-central and sub-central cortex). Conclusions Between these activations there was widespread spatial divergence followed by convergence of gamma activity that reliably identified cortical areas associated with task-specific processes. Significance The combined dataset supports the concept of functionally-specific locally parallel language networks that are widely distributed, partially interacting in succession to serve the cognitive and behavioral demands of the tasks.