cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Microstructure and Temperature on the Interfacial Fracture Energy of Silicon Nitride/Boron Nitride Fibrous Monolithic Ceramics

The microstructure and interfacial fracture energy of silicon nitride/boron nitride fibrous monoliths, GammaBN, were determined as a function of starting silicon nitride composition and temperature using the method described by Charalambides. The glassy phase created by the sintering aids added to the silicon nitride cells was shown to migrate into the boron nitride cell boundaries during hot-pressing. The amount of glassy phase in the boron nitride cell boundaries was shown to strongly influence GammaBN at room temperature, increasing the fracture energy with increasing amounts of glass. Similar trends in the interfacial fracture energy as a function of temperature were demonstrated by both compositions of fibrous monoliths, with a large peak in GammaBN observed over a narrow temperature range. For silicon nitride cells densified with 6 wt% yttria and 2 wt% alumina, the room-temperature interfacial fracture energy was 37 J/m2, remaining constant through 950°C. A sharp increase in GammaBN, to 60 J/m2, was observed between 1000° and 1050°C. This increase was attributed to interactions of the crack tip with the glassy phase in the boron nitride cell boundary. Measurements at 1075°C indicated a marked decrease in GammaBN to 39 J/m2. The interfacial fracture energy decreased with increasing temperature in the 1200° to 1300°C regime, plateauing between 17 to 20 J/m2. A crack propagation model based on linkup of existing microcracks and peeling/cleaving boron nitride has been proposed.
The fibronectin-like domain is required for the type V and XI collagenolytic activity of gelatinase B

Abstract Gelatinase B (matrix metalloproteinase-9) is able to degrade several extracellular matrix proteins, including gelatin, elastin, and collagen types IV, V, XI, and XIV. This enzyme contains a “fibronectin-like” domain which is composed of three tandem copies of a fibronectin type 2 homology unit inserted into its catalytic domain. We have studied the involvement of this domain in the substrate specificity of gelatinase B by expressing a mutant of the enzyme, in Escherichia coli, in which this domain has been deleted. This mutant enzyme retained its ability to cleave the peptide substrate Mca-PLGL(Dpa)AR-NH 2 , possessing K m and k cat values similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. In addition, the NH 2 -terminal, 14-kDa, inhibitory domain of recombinant tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 was able to inhibit the mutant and the wild-type enzymes with the same potency. The mutant's gelatinolytic activity was also retained but reduced in comparison to that of the wild-type enzyme. However, contrary to the wild-type enzyme, the mutant was not able to digest or bind fibrillar collagen types V and XI. These data indicate that the fibronectin-like domain of gelatinase B is an important determinant of the enzyme's fibrillar collagen substrate specificity. It allows the enzyme to bind to and cleave collagen types V and XI, events which are thought to be involved in several normal physiological and pathological processes such as metastasis and arthritis.
Impacto del consenso de grupo y el apoyo social en el significado del estímulo: Mediación de la reestructuración cognitiva en la conformidad

RESUMENLos autores realizan tres experimentos para probar la explicacion de la conformidad basada en la reestructuracion cognitiva. La hipotesis es que las personas reinterpretan el significado del objeto estimular cuando se enfrentan a respuesta impopulares de un grupo unanime, y que este cambio en el significado lleva a un cambio de la respuesta hacia la postura del grupo. En la discusion se concluye que, en conjunto, los resultados de los tres experimentos proporcionan un fuerte apoyo a la hipotesis de que la reestructuracion cognitiva del estimulo es uno de los mecanismos que determina el grado de desplazamiento de una persona hacia la postura de un grupo unanime (es decir, conformidad). El trabajo finaliza exponiendo la sospecha de los autores de que una interpretacion de reestructuracion cognitiva puede aplicarse genericamente a muchas situaciones de influencia social mas alla del paradigma de conformidad examinado en sus estudios.
The Social Contours of Risk, Vol. I—Publics, Risk Communication and the Social Amplification of Risk by Jeanne X. Kasperson and Roger E. Kasperson

Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2005. xv and 356 pp., maps, diagrams, tables, boxes, refs., and index. $49.95 paper (ISBN 1-84407-073-5). This book is the first in a two-volume series that records many of...
Adaptation of Saffold Virus-2 for High-Titer Growth in Mammalian Cells

Saffold viruses (SAFV) are a recently discovered group of human Cardioviruses closely related to Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis viruses (TMEV). Unlike TMEV and encephalomyocarditis virus, each of which is monotypic, SAFV are genetically diverse and include at least eight genotypes. To date, only Saffold virus 3 (SAFV-3) has been grown efficiently in mammalian cells in vitro. Here, we report the successful adaptation of SAFV-2 for efficient growth in HeLa cells after 13 passages in the alpha/beta interferon-deficient human glial cell line U118 MG. Nine amino acid changes were found in the adapted virus, with single mutations in VP2, VP3, and 2B, while 6 mutations arose in VP1. Most capsid mutations were in surface loops. Analysis of SAFV-2 revealed virus growth and cytopathic effect only in human cell lines, with large plaques forming in HeLa cells, with minimal cell association, and without using sialic acid to enter cells. Despite the limited growth of SAFV-2 in rodent cells in vitro, BALB/c mice inoculated with SAFV-2 showed antibody titers of >1:10(6), and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis revealed only minimal cross-reactivity with SFV-3. Intracerebral inoculation of 6-week-old FVB/n mice produced paralysis and acute neuropathological changes, including meningeal infiltrates, encephalitis, particularly of the limbic system, and spinal cord white matter inflammation.
Computer vision algorithms on reconfigurable logic arrays

Computer vision algorithms are natural candidates for high performance computing systems. Algorithms in computer vision are characterized by complex and repetitive operations on large amounts of data involving a variety of data interactions (e.g., point operations, neighborhood operations, global operations). In this paper, we describe the use of the custom computing approach to meet the computation and communication needs of computer vision algorithms. By customizing hardware architecture at the instruction level for every application, the optimal grain size needed for the problem at hand and the instruction granularity can be matched. A custom computing approach can also reuse the same hardware by reconfiguring at the software level for different levels of the computer vision application. We demonstrate the advantages of our approach using Splash 2-a Xilinx 4010-based custom computer.
Lossy compression of clustered-dot halftones using sub-cell prediction

We propose a predictive coding algorithm for lossy compression of digital halftones produced by clustered-dot dithering. In our scheme, the predictor estimates the size and shape of each halftone dot (cluster) based on the characteristics of neighboring clusters. The prediction template depends on which portion, or sub-cell, of the dithering matrix produced the dot. Information loss is permitted through imperfect representation of the prediction residuals. For some clusters, no residual is transmitted at all, and for others, information about the spatial locations of bit errors is omitted. Specifying only the number of bit errors in the residual is enough to allow the decoder to form an excellent approximation to the original dot structure. We also propose a simple alternative to the ordinary Hamming distance for computing distortion in bi-level images. Experiments with 1024/spl times/1024 images, 8/spl times/8 dithering cells, and 600 dpi printing have shown that the coding algorithm maintains good image quality while achieving rates below 0.1 bits per pixel.
Spatial-Temporal Fusion for High Accuracy Depth Maps Using Dynamic MRFs

Time-of-flight range sensors and passive stereo have complimentary characteristics in nature. To fuse them to get high accuracy depth maps varying over time, we extend traditional spatial MRFs to dynamic MRFs with temporal coherence. This new model allows both the spatial and the temporal relationship to be propagated in local neighbors. By efficiently finding a maximum of the posterior probability using Loopy Belief Propagation, we show that our approach leads to improved accuracy and robustness of depth estimates for dynamic scenes.
Surgical Treatment of Cor Triatriatum

Six patients with cor triatriatum underwent surgical correction. They ranged for 1.5 to 93 months old (mean, 22 months). Congestive heart failure was present in 3 patients. Cardiomegaly and increased pulmonary vascularity were evident roentgenographically in all patients. Cardiac cineangiography demonstrated the subdividing left atrial membrane in 5 patients and suggested the correct diagnosis by revealing an abnormal configuration of the left atrium in the other patient. The opening in the anomalous left atrial membrane was stenotic in every instance. The proximal left atrial chamber communicated with the right atrium through an atrial septal defect in 5 patients and with the systemic venous circuit through a persistent left superior vena cava in the other patient, in whom the atrial septum was intact. A right atrial-transseptal approach provided ample exposure for complete excision of the obstructing membrane and repair of the atrial septum in all patients. One patient died of low cardiac output during the early postoperative period. The other 5 are alive and well at an average of 48 months after operation.
MicroRNAs as new maestro conducting the expanding symphony orchestra of regenerative and reparative medicine

The human genome encodes 1,048 microRNAs (miRNAs). These miRNAs regulate virtually all biological processes. Leaving ignominy on the significance miRNAs behind we are approaching a new era in tissue repair where an ever expanding orchestra of events that enable tissue repair and regeneration seems to be conducted by miRNAs as the maestro. microRNAs are emerging as molecular rheostats that fine-tune and switch regulatory circuits governing tissue repair. Key elements of tissue repair such as stem cell biology, inflammation, hypoxia-response, and angiogenesis are all under the sophisticated control of a network of specific mRNAs. Embryonic stem cells lacking miRNAs lose their “stemness.” Manipulation of specific cellular miRNAs helps enhance reprogramming of somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell-like phenotype helping generate inducible pluripotent stem cells. Expression of miRNAs is subject to control by epigenetic factors. Such control influences the balance between proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. Angiomirs regulate various aspects of angiogenesis, such as proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis of endothelial cells. MiRNAs play a key role in resolution of inflammation. Hypoxia-inducible mRNAs or hypoxamirs suppress mitochondrial respiration, cause cell cycle arrest, and interfere with growth factor signaling. miRNA-210 is a good example in this category that impairs wound closure. As fine tools enabling specific and temporally controlled manipulation of cell-specific miRNAs emerge, miRNA-based therapies hold promise in facilitating tissue repair. Treatment of skin wounds has lower barriers because it lends itself to local delivery of miRNA mimics and antagonizing agents minimizing risks associated with systemic off-target toxicity.
Long-term event-free survival after intensive chemotherapy for Ewing's family of tumors in children and young adults.

Purpose: To improve the long-term event-free survival of patients with Ewing’s family of tumors (EFTs) using high-dose, short-term chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: P6 was a prospective study of previously untreated patients with newly diagnosed EFTs. Patients received seven cycles of chemotherapy. Cycles 1, 2, 3, and 6 consisted of cyclophosphamide 2,100 mg/m2/d on days 1 and 2, and a 72-hour continuous infusion of doxorubicin 75 mg/m2 and vincristine 2 mg/m2 starting day 1. Cycles 4, 5, and 7 consisted of 5 consecutive days of ifosfamide 1,800 mg/m2/d and etoposide 100 mg/m2/d. Results: Sixty-eight patients were enrolled from 1991 to 2001 (median age, 18.7 years; range, 3.7 to 39.9 years). At diagnosis, 44 patients had local-regional disease, and 24 had distant metastases. The 4-year event-free survival (EFS) rate for patients with local-regional disease is 82%; overall survival (OS) is 89%. The 4-year EFS rate for patients with distant metastases is 12%; the OS rate is 17.8%. All events occurred with...
Target Localization with a Single Sensor via Multipath Exploitation

In urban sensing and through-the-wall (TTW) radar, the existence of targets inside buildings results in multipath returns. These multipath returns are exploited to achieve target localization with a single sensor. A time-of-arrival (TOA) wall association algorithm is derived to relate multipath returns to their respective walls and targets, followed by a nonlinear least squares (NLS) optimization to localize the targets. Simulations and experimental data are used to validate the proposed algorithms.
Binding of histamine by animal proteins.

Discussion and SummaryThe results with labeled histamine show that it is not bound reversibly by blood proteins. As found by Parrot et al. (1,2), γ-globulin causes a diminution of the pharmacological activity of histamine solutions, but on the basis of the dialysis-equilibrium experiments this effect cannot be attributed to binding of histamine by the protein. Schayer(5) has pointed out the non-equilibration of guinea pig organs with exogenous histamine in vivo. The present results show that in vitro guinea pig lung is incapable of binding added histamine or of equilibrating added with bound histamine. Apparently, binding of histamine requires formation at the binding site.
Electron-hole avalanches with constant ionization coefficients

An exact formula for a solution of the space-time partial differential equations is described for ionization coefficients which are constant in the avalanche zone. The solution, which exhibits a spatially varying conduction current, is exponentially increasing in time. For comparison, the initial value solution was computed numerically by the method of characteristics. After about one transit time, this numerical solution settles down to the exponential time behavior and the spatial distribution of the exact solution.
Image compression using vector quantization of linear (one- step) prediction errors

A novel approach to image compression using vector quantization of linear (one-step) prediction errors is presented in this paper. In order to minimize the image reconstruction error, we choose the optimum predictor coefficients (in a least-squares sense) that satisfy the additional constraint that the energy of the impulse response function of the inverse reconstruction filter is bounded by a small constant c. Further, the code vectors are selected such that the reconstruction error is minimized, rather than the quantization noise for the prediction error sequences. Examples demonstrating the excellent quality of the reconstructed images using our approach at bit rates below 0.65 bit/pixel are presented.
Prediction of two-phase pressure drop and void fraction in microchannels using probabilistic flow regime mapping

Abstract Probabilistic two-phase flow map pressure drop and void fraction models are developed for 6-port microchannels in order to provide a more accurate and common means of predicting void fraction and pressure drop. The models are developed for R134a, R410A, and air–water in 6-port microchannels at 10 °C saturation temperatures, qualities from 0 to 1, and mass fluxes varying from 50 to 300 kg/m2 s. The probabilistic flow map models developed are found to accurately predict void fraction and pressure drop for the entire quality range and for all three fluids.
Physiological role of Vps34 phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in mammalian cells.

The human Class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), hVps34, converts phosphatidylinositol (PI) to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). Previous studies using PI3K inhibitors have indicated that production of PI3P is important for vesicle- mediated trafficking events, including endocytosis, sorting of receptors in multivesicular bodies (MVBs), transport of lysosomal enzymes from the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and autophagy. This study utilizes siRNA-mediated gene silencing to define the specific trafficking pathways in which hVps34 functions in human U-251 glioblastoma cells. Suppression of hVps34 expression caused the accumulation of large, acidic phase-lucent vacuoles that contain lysosomal membrane proteins. Analysis of these structures by electron microscopy suggests that they represent swollen late endosomes that have lost the capacity for inward vesiculation but retain the capacity to fuse with lysosomes. In contrast to the effects on late endosomes, suppression of hVps34 expression did not inhibit trafficking of cathepsin D from the TGN to late endosomes, endocytic uptake of fluid-phase markers, recycling of transferrin receptors, degradation of activated epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, or association of a PI3P-binding protein, EEA1, with early endosomes. Nevertheless, EGF receptor phosphorylation and signaling were enhanced in the absence of hVps34, consistent with the retention of the EGF receptor on the limiting membranes of the enlarged late endosomes prior to degradation. These findings indicate that hVps34 plays a major role in generating PI3P required for internal vesicle formation in late endosomes and that, unexpectedly, other mechanisms may exist to generate the PI3P required for vesicular trafficking in the early endocytic
Paper-based analytical devices for environmental analysis

The field of paper-based microfluidics has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs), originally developed for point-of-care medical diagnostics in resource-limited settings, are now being applied in new areas, such as environmental analyses. Low-cost paper sensors show great promise for on-site environmental analysis; the theme of ongoing research complements existing instrumental techniques by providing high spatial and temporal resolution for environmental monitoring. This review highlights recent applications of μPADs for environmental analysis along with technical advances that may enable μPADs to be more widely implemented in field testing.
Comparison of Mechanical and Indirect Ultrasonic Placement Technique on Mineral Trioxide Aggregate Retrofill Density in Simulated Root-end Surgery

Abstract Introduction The objective of this study was to evaluate the density of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) root-end filling placed by either manual condensation or manual condensation with indirect ultrasonic activation under simulated root-end surgery conditions in vitro . Methods Extracted human molar teeth were obtained and sectioned to provide single-rooted samples ( n = 50). Roots were instrumented to a size of 40 with a .04 taper and obturated with a warm vertical technique. The coronal end of each root was embedded in resin. A root-end resection and root-end preparation were completed on each root. Samples were randomly assigned to receive root-end fillings with ProRoot MTA (Dentsply, Tulsa, OK) by 1 of 2 techniques: manual condensation alone (group M, n = 25) or manual condensation with indirect ultrasonic activation (group U, n = 25). MTA was placed incrementally to the level of the root end using the enumerated technique. Samples were weighed immediately before and after filling placement. MTA was removed from all samples so as not to change the root-end preparation, rinsed, and dried. Each sample then underwent MTA placement by the opposite technique, and weight was again measured immediately before and after MTA placement. MTA filling weights for each technique were analyzed statistically using a technique for repeated measures analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted to account for any carryover or order effects. Results After adjustment for carryover effects, it was found that regardless of the order of placement, the mean fill weight of MTA produced by the indirect ultrasonic method was on average 4.42 mg heavier than that produced by manual condensation alone. This result was statistically significant ( P Conclusions Under simulated root-end surgery conditions, indirect ultrasonic condensation of MTA root-end fillings was shown to produce a filling that was significantly denser than MTA placed by manual condensation alone.
The Application of Reactive Hot Compaction and In-Situ Coating Techniques to Intermetallic Matrix Composites

An overview of the application of the reactive hot compaction (RHC) process to fabricate various intermetallics such as silicides and aluminides is presented. Specific examples with the in-situ formation of diffusion barrier coatings on refractory metal reinforcements during RHC are also given. The processing involves blending the elemental powders with pre-treated refractory metal filaments and reactively synthesizing the mixture at elevated temperatures. During this process, the treated surfaces of the filaments react with one of the components (e.g. Al for aluminides or Si for silicides) to form in-situ a protective surface coating. The important influence of the RHC reaction sequence and rate on the consolidation of the composite are discussed. Finally, the fracture toughness of the composites are related to the various toughening mechanisms, with special emphasis on the role of the interfacial layer.
Quality of Life in Childhood Migraine

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PQLI), Version 4.0 and a standardized headache assessment were completed by children and parents, in a survey of 572 consecutive patients (mean age, 11.4 +/- 3.6 years) who presented with headaches at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio.
A Comparison of Bone Length and Bone Weight with Embryo Weight in Chondrodystrophic and Normal Beltsville Small White Turkey Embryos

Chondrodystrophic and normal 24-day old embryos obtained from matings of known heterozygotes (Ch/ch) of the Beltsville Small White turkey stock were compared for bone lengths and for bone weights as a percent of embryo weights. Bone and embryo weights were less in the chondrodystrophic embryos, and the bone weights were reduced proportionally more than embryo weights. The lengths of the humeri and tibiotarsi were shorter in chondrodystrophic embryos, and the tibiotarsi were shortened more than the humeri.
A General Mechanism for Off-Target Effects: Studies with Amiodarone and other Antiarrhythmics

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent type of arrhythmia and is associated with significant mortality. Amiodarone, owing to its efficacy and minimal proarrhythmic effects, is the most commonly prescribed antiarrhythmic agent. Though amiodarone is considered a class III, repolarization-prolonging, antiarrhythmic that inhibits potassium channels involved in restoring the membrane excitable state, it also alters the function of many other structurally and functionally diverse membrane proteins. This concomitant regulation of multiple membrane proteins by amiodarone results in complex therapeutic and toxicity profiles. Other antiarrhythmics, such as dronedarone, have similar multiple membrane protein targets. Though such a multipronged mechanism for treating AF appears to be desired, it is not clear how amiodarone, and other antiarrhythmics exert their therapeutic actions and regulate a diverse range of membrane proteins at similar concentrations. Chatelane et al. (1989) found that amiodarone and propranolol alter lipid bilayer properties, and that amiodarone does so at therapeutic concentrations. We therefore took advantage of the gramicidin (gA) channels’ sensitivity to changes in the lipid bilayer properties to determine whether the commonly used antiarrhythmics amiodarone, dronedarone, propranolol and pindolol perturb the lipid bilayer properties and at which concentrations. Using a gA-based fluorescence assay and single-channel electrophysiology to explore the antiarrhythmics’ effects on the lipid bilayer, we found that amiodarone and dronedarone are potent bilayer modifiers, propranolol has intermediate activity, and pindolol is the least potent. Moreover, amiodarone and propranolol increase bilayer elasticity. Because amiodarone and dronedarone alter the lipid bilayer at their therapeutic concentrations, where they act on multiple membrane proteins, our results suggest that their multi-target effects may involve a lipid bilayer-mediated mechanism. This underscores the need to further explore the role of bilayer-mediated mechanism in therapeutic as well as toxic effects of antiarrhythmics agents.
SEX DIFFERENCES IN DEMOGRAPHICS, RISK FACTORS AND PRESENTATION IN STABLE CONTEMPORARY OUTPATIENTS WITH SUSPECTED CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: INSIGHTS FROM THE PROMISE TRIAL

Although the presentation and pathobiology of acute coronary syndromes differ significantly by sex, there have been few studies of sex differences in stable symptomatic outpatients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). We compared demographics, risk profiles, presentation and provider’s
Gender Equality, Place, and Female-Victim Intimate Partner Homicide A County-Level Analysis in North Carolina

Assessments of the relationship between gender equality and gendered homicide have led to the development of two primary literatures: the first exploring backlash and amelioration effects, and the second examining the influence of exposure reduction. In addition, a third body of research has examined differences in intimate partner homicide (IPH) between rural and non-rural places. The current study contributes to these three literatures by exploring the relationship between gender equality and female-victim IPH in the context of backlash, amelioration, and exposure reduction while considering the influence of rurality. Results indicate the relevance of rurality to research on the relationship between gender equality and female-victim IPH.
Treating large-bowel obstruction.

When a patient has large-bowel obstruction, he probably is elderly and has noted gradual obstipation and abdominal distention. A sigmoid carcinoma, volvulus or diverticulitis has obstructed the lumen. The first step is to replace fluids, give prophylactic antibiotics, and deflate the bowel with a tube. Then the usual procedure is to decompress the bowel surgically and excise the primary lesion later.
Determination of Bromopropylate,Fluvalinate and Flumethr Residues in Honey by Gas Chromatography

[Objective] To establish a method for determination of bromopropylate,fluvalinate and flumethr residues in honey by gas chromatography(GC).[Method] Through the comparison examinations of capillary column types,solventsand solid phase extract columns,decided the method was extract by the dichloromethane,cleaned-up with the Florisl solid phase extract column,separated by the capillary column of DB-17(0.25 mm×0.25 μm×20 m).The residue was quantified with GC-ECD method.[Result] Each component was separated well and the linearity range was wide.The repeatability and recovery of the method were suitable for the determination of honey samples.The recovery rates of 3 kinds of residues were 72.0-108.0%,the RSDs were 4.4%-9.0%,the lower limits of detection concentration were 0.0005-0.005 mg/kg.[Conclusion] The method is easy to handle and suitable for the determination simultaneously of bromopropylate,fluvalinate and flumethrin residues in honey.
Surface-Tension Feeding in Phalaropes: Discovery of a Novel Feeding Mechanism

We report the discovery of a previously undescribed feeding mechanism in an avian planktivore, the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). We employed high- speed video to elucidate the kinematics of prey transport, and to test hypotheses generated by a model describing prey transport as a function of surface tension. Prey items are trans- ported individually from the tip of the beak to the mouth by forces resulting from the surface tension of water surrounding prey. Experiments conducted with the beak of a dead bird demonstrate that surface tension is sufficient to explain prey transport in Red-necked Phal- aropes without the use of suction or tongue motions. This feeding mechanism may be wide- spread among the shorebirds and represents a potential intermediate step in the evolution
Numbers Are Gendered: The Role of Numerical Precision

Marketing communications often contain numerical information that can be expressed more or less precisely. Earlier research has identified a number of ways in which consumers respond differently to precise versus round numbers. The current research attempts to enrich this literature by introducing a new theoretical perspective. Drawing on recent findings in the numerical cognition literature, this work proposes that individuals project gendered meanings to precise versus round numbers, with precise numbers seen as more masculine relative to round ones. Seven studies provided convergent evidence for this proposition and demonstrated its marketing implications. Studies 1, 2, and 3, employing various approaches, show that participants do subscribe to this precision-masculinity intuition, at both implicit and explicit levels. Study 4 suppresses this effect by priming participants with examples where precision is connected to femininity. Building on these findings, subsequent studies demonstrate that marketing communications using precise (round) numbers lead to more favorable evaluations when the products or attributes are positioned as masculine (feminine).
Minimizing Context Migration in Mobile Code Offload

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) is of particular importance to address the conflict between the increasing complexity of user applications and the limited lifespan of mobile device's battery, by offloading the computational workloads from local devices to the remote cloud. Current offloading schemes either require the programmer's annotations, which restricts its wide application; or transmits too much unnecessary data, resulting bandwidth, and energy waste. In this paper, we propose a novel method-level offloading methodology to offload local computational workload with as least data transmission as possible. Our basic idea is to identify the contexts which are necessary to the method execution by parsing application binaries in advance and applying this parsing result to selectively migrate heap data while allowing successful method execution remotely. To further improve the efficiency of such offline parsing of application binaries, our scheme also conducts one-time parsing to all the mobile OS libraries and reuses these parsing results for different user applications. We have implemented our design over the Dalvik Virtual Machine of Android OS. Our experiments and evaluation against applications downloaded from Google Play show that our approach can save data transmission significantly comparing to existing schemes.
Ex Vivo HIFU Experiments Using a $32 \times 32$ -Element CMUT Array

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been used as noninvasive treatment for various diseases. For these therapeutic applications, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have advantages that make them potentially preferred transducers over traditional piezoelectric transducers. In this paper, we present the design and the fabrication process of an $8 \times 8$ -mm $^{2}~32 \times 32$ -element 2-D CMUT array for HIFU applications. To reduce the system complexity for addressing the 1024 transducer elements, we propose to group the CMUT array elements into eight HIFU channels based on the phase delay from the CMUT element to the targeted focal point. Designed to focus at an 8-mm depth with a 5-MHz exciting frequency, this grouping scheme was realized using a custom application-specific integrated circuit. With a 40-V dc bias and a 60-V peak-to-peak ac excitation, the surface pressure was measured 1.2 MPa peak-to-peak and stayed stable for a long enough time to create a lesion. With this dc and ac voltage combination, the measured peak-to-peak output pressure at the focus was 8.5 MPa, which is expected to generate a lesion in a minute according to the temperature simulation. The following ex vivo tissue experiments successfully demonstrated its capability to make lesions in both bovine muscle and liver tissue.
Factors Controlling the Stability and Breakdown of Ecosystems

The current search for principles that may guide our understanding and management of terrestrial and marine ecosystems is amply illustrated by the growing number of conferences, journals and books addressed to this theme.
Differences in length of stay among hospitalized children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

10044 Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy among children in the United States. While age, race, and clinical complications have been associated with longer length of stay (LOS) among children with cancer, it is unknown what factors are related to LOS among children with ALL. We examined differences in LOS among hospitalized children with ALL. Methods: We used 2000, 2003, and 2006 data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) which contains pediatric discharges from community, non-rehabilitation hospitals. We used negative binomial regression to determine factors related to LOS. Results: We found the following factors related to greater LOS among hospitalized children with ALL: Non-Hispanic blacks vs. non-Hispanic whites (Rate Ratio (RR) = 1.06, CI:1.03–1.10), Hispanics vs. non-Hispanic whites (RR = 1.07, CI:1.04–1.10), age < 1 year vs. age 1–5 years (RR = 1.93, CI:1.83–2.04), female vs. male (RR = 1.05, CI:1.03–1.07), l...
The WFIRST coronagraph instrument optical design update

The WFIRST Coronagraph Instrument will perform direct imaging of exoplanets via coronagraphy of the host star. It uses both the Hybrid Lyot and Shaped Pupil Coronagraphs to meet the mission requirements. The Phase A optical design fits within the allocated instrument enclosure and accommodates both coronagraphic techniques. It also meets the challenging wavefront error requirements. We present the optical performance including throughput of the imaging and IFS channels, as well as the wavefront errors at the first pupil and the imaging channel. We also present polarization effects from optical coatings and analysis of their impacts on the performance of the Hybrid Lyot coronagraph. We report the results of stray light analysis of our Occulting Mask Coronagraph testbed.
Pipeline and SAR ADCs for Advanced Nodes

The switched-capacitor SAR architecture has benefited tremendously from technology scaling. We first present a charge-injection-based SAR architecture that shrinks the die area needed for a SAR ADC and achieves outstanding energy efficiency. We go on to discuss pipeline ADCs using SAR sub-ADCs and a ring amplifier. We present a SAR- assisted pipeline that achieves record efficiency for >12-bit pipeline ADCs. We argue that SAR ADCs are among the most efficient stand-alone converters for advanced nodes and an important building block for other converters.
On the Dynamics of a Harmonic Oscillator Undergoing Impacts with a Vibrating Platform

This paper deals with a model for repeated impacts of a massattached to a spring with a massive, sinusoidally vibrating table. Thismodel has been studied in an attempt to understand the cantilever-sampledynamics in atomic force microscopy. In this work, we have shown thatfor some values of the frequency of the vibrating table, there arecountably many orbits of arbitrarily long periods and the system issensitive to the initial conditions with which the experiments areconducted. We have also shown existence of complex dynamics in the caseswhen the natural frequency of the spring-mass system is very low; andwhen it is the same as the oscillating frequency of the table.
Life After Volume Declines: Is There a Viable Future for the Postal Sector?

The current postal sector landscape is an excellent laboratory for examining the effects of a profound market disruption. A critical question is whether the postal services market has reached a tipping point, is it nearing an equilibrium, or is the ride just starting to get bumpy? Evidence clearly suggests the latter.
Electron Interaction with Surface Modes

The important excitations of solids are plasmons, phonons, excitons, magnons, etc.. Almost invariably, each of these excitations of the bulk solid has a surface mode counterpart. Thus there are suface plasmons, surface phonons, and maybe surface excitons and surface magnons. Certain of these modes are electrostatic in origin, and their properties may be derived by a classical analysis using Maxwell’s equations. It is these modes which are the subject of this review. This by no means includes all of the important suface excitations, e.g., Rayleigh waves are omitted. The modes which we do include may be described by a common mathematical formalism. These are surface plasmons on a metal, surface optical (SO) phonons and surface excitons. These are also the excitations which have been the subject of most of the recent theoretical and experimental investigations.
Packaging of Semiconductor Networks

The benefits promised by microminiaturized devices can be realized only when the equipment designer and manufacturer overcome problems peculiar to miniaturized systems. This paper discusses assembly, interconnection, tooling, temperature control, connectors, and handling of the Solid Circuit semiconductor network.
3D deep learning for detecting pulmonary nodules in CT scans

Objective To demonstrate and test the validity of a novel deep-learning-based system for the automated detection of pulmonary nodules. Materials and Methods The proposed system uses 2 3D deep learning models, 1 for each of the essential tasks of computer-aided nodule detection: candidate generation and false positive reduction. A total of 888 scans from the LIDC-IDRI dataset were used for training and evaluation. Results Results for candidate generation on the test data indicated a detection rate of 94.77% with 30.39 false positives per scan, while the test results for false positive reduction exhibited a sensitivity of 94.21% with 1.789 false positives per scan. The overall system detection rate on the test data was 89.29% with 1.789 false positives per scan. Discussion An extensive and rigorous validation was conducted to assess the performance of the proposed system. The system demonstrated a novel combination of 3D deep neural network architectures and demonstrates the use of deep learning for both candidate generation and false positive reduction to be evaluated with a substantial test dataset. The results strongly support the ability of deep learning pulmonary nodule detection systems to generalize to unseen data. The source code and trained model weights have been made available. Conclusion A novel deep-neural-network-based pulmonary nodule detection system is demonstrated and validated. The results provide comparison of the proposed deep-learning-based system over other similar systems based on performance.
Epac1 deacetylates HMGB1 through increased IGFBP-3 and SIRT1 levels in the retinal vasculature.

Purpose Inflammation is a key component of retinal disease. We previously reported that exchange protein for cAMP 1 (Epac1) reduced inflammatory mediators, including total levels of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in retinal endothelial cells (RECs) and the mouse retina. The goal of this study was to determine intermediate pathways that allow Epac1 to reduce HMGB1, which could lead to novel targets for therapeutics. Methods We used endothelial cell-specific conditional knockout mice for Epac1 and RECs to investigate whether Epac1 requires activation of insulin like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) to reduce acetylated HMGB1 levels with immunoprecipitation, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Data showed that high glucose reduced IGFBP-3 and SIRT1 levels, and increased acetylation of HMGB1 in RECs. An Epac1 agonist reduced acetylated HMGB1 levels in high glucose. The Epac1 agonist could not reduce HMGB1 or SIRT1 levels when IGFBP-3 siRNA was used. The agonist also could not reduce HMGB1 when SIRT1 siRNA was used. The mouse retina showed that loss of Epac1 increases acetylated HMGB1 levels and reduces IGFBP-3 and SIRT1 levels. Conclusions Taken together, the data suggest that Epac1 activates IGFBP-3 to increase SIRT1, leading to a significant reduction in acetylated HMGB1. These findings provide novel therapeutic targets for reducing key inflammatory cascades in the retina.
The national prevalence of adolescent nicotine use in 2017: Estimates taking into account student reports of substances vaped

Abstract Introduction This study presents the first nationally-representative estimates of adolescent nicotine prevalence that take into account adolescent reports of substances vaped. These reports allow nicotine estimates that consider the impact of the newly-emerged group of adolescents who report vaping only non-nicotine substances such as flavoring and/or marijuana and do not use nicotine in any form – a group typically treated as nicotine users. Methods Data come from Monitoring the Future and are a randomly-selected subsample of 2231 U.S. 12th grade students who answered surveys with detailed questions on tobacco use and vaping in 2017. Results Among 12th grade students 24.7% used nicotine in the last 30 days. This estimate does not include the 3.8% of students who vaped only non-nicotine substances and did not use nicotine in any other form. These students more closely resemble their peers who do not use nicotine than those who do, in terms of perceived risk and disapproval of cigarettes, as well as percentage of friends who use cigarettes. Conclusions A decline in nicotine prevalence was statistically significant, but not strikingly large, after taking into account students who vape non-nicotine substances and do not use nicotine in any form. These students are largely similar to their peers who do not use nicotine, which underscores the importance of efforts to alert youth that they may be vaping nicotine unknowingly, and prevent them from doing so.
Seven-Step Continuous Flow Synthesis of Linezolid Without Intermediate Purification.

Herein, the blockbuster antibacterial drug linezolid is synthesized from simple starting blocks by a convergent continuous flow sequence involving seven (7) chemical transformations. This is the highest total number of distinct reaction steps ever performed in continuous flow without conducting solvent exchanges or intermediate purification. Linezolid was obtained in 73 % isolated yield in a total residence time of 27 minutes, corresponding to a throughput of 816 mg h-1 .
Stark Shift and Gain Decay in Air Lasing of N 2

We present the Stark shift measurement on the individual transition lines of N 2 + in a pump probe configuration. The time dependence of stark shift of transitions in plasma created by 800 nm filament shows the same time dependence as the gain decay. © 2019 The Author(s)
Algorithm development with on-board and ground-based components for hyperspectral gas detection from small satellites

Los Alamos is currently working toward demonstrating Cubesat-based hyperspectral detection of gas-phase chemical plumes, a goal initially pursued in the internally funded Targeted Atmospheric Chemistry Observations from Space (TACOS) project, and now advancing toward space deployment with the NASA-funded Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System (NACHOS). This paper will present a general overview of these projects. Bandwidth considerations prevent full datacube downloads, and so processing algorithms include an on-board processing component to provide matched-filter and RX images for the gases of interest. The downlinked data will additionally include the full spectrum for a small sample of pixels, and one of the challenges for ground-based analysis will be to incorporate these different but incomplete "views" of the datacube into a more physical interpretation/analysis of the downlinked data.
“When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong”: Enacting Critical Pedagogies of Hip-hop in Mainstream Schools

In the context of transformative practices in public education, hip-hop is often presented as a culturally relevant solution to the disempowering curriculum and structures that have consistently ignored the needs of minoritized youth. The stories we tell of hip-hop in schools typically highlight the successes of these programs, cultivating the illusion that hip-hop pedagogy is a straightforward approach to youth-centered, culturally-relevant education. However, as is the case with critical pedagogies in practice, many of the lessons to be learned rise out of the difficulties of enacting these pedagogies in real classrooms. As reflexive scholars, it is important to not only focus on our successes, but also to highlight our challenges for the purpose of improvement. Based on their individual experiences as teachers in classrooms engaged in hip-hop based education, the authors explore the challenges that exist within the practice of critical pedagogy and raise important questions about the efficacy of hip-hop pedagogy and liberatory education in traditional school settings.
Correlating polar distortions and interfacial charge at the polar/non-polar LaCrO3/SrTiO3 (001) interface

The relationship between the sheet carrier concentration, ns, of LaCrO3(LCO)/SrTiO3(STO) heterostructures and their structural properties has been investigated. Under low oxygen partial pressure, the STO substrate is reduced during growth as evidenced by a high ns of 1016 cm−2. By controlling the post-growth annealing conditions, heterostructures with ns of 1013–1016 cm−2 are achieved. The atomic-scale structure of the samples is obtained using high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements. For heterostructures with ns at or below 3 × 1013 cm−2, polar distortions are present within the LCO layers and increase in magnitude with a decrease in sheet carrier concentration. These distortions are absent for samples with ns on the order of 1015–1016 cm−2 where interfacial carriers play a role in alleviating the polar discontinuity at the LCO/STO interface. These results suggest that interfacial charge carriers and polar distortions can act as complementary mechanisms to alleviate the polar discontinuity at polar/non-polar complex oxide interfaces.