cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Successfully outsourcing embedded software development

A large US company, UIC successfully outsources embedded software development after applying people- and project-focused practices developed from a prior failed attempt. In this article the author describes 10 practices that have helped UIC create an offshore development strategy that produces embedded software at a lower cost while maintaining quality. These lessons show how both the people involved in offshore projects and the projects themselves must be treated differently from internally developed projects. Even with the high complexities and intellectual property concerns surrounding embedded software development, UIC has used these practices to establish processes that ensure successful delivery and protection of UIC's intellectual property.
Model Applications in the Airframe Industry

In this chapter two applications of the preceeding model are reported. These applications illustrate two characteristics of the modeling effort. First, in contrast to the approaches to be discussed in Chapter VII, the approach is to estimate parameters from a model which describes the behavior of the firm, rather than use parameter estimates and then describe firm behavior. Second, we tend to approach the estimation probelm by transforming the model to describe the available data rather than artibrarily adjusting the data to fit the model. This approach typically requires different modeling approaches for each data set encountered. As a result the models estimated in the two applications of this chapter differ somewhat from each other even though they are both based on the theory developed in Chapter III.
Diagnosing complicated grief: A closer look

Over the past decade, a number of researchers have proposed a separate DSM category for complicated grief. Recently, there have been attempts to determine empirically the number and nature of variables comprising the complicated-grief syndrome. The present research addresses one such procedure for defining these variables. Combining a past methodology that demonstrated the relative utility of one classification of complicated grief (Worden, 1991) with dimensional concepts derived from other classifications, the present research concludes that a relatively small number of variables account for the concept. These findings are discussed not only in terms of previous research on Worden's categorization and more recent classifications, but, more importantly, in terms of the more global theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the definition(s) of complicated grief.
a Simple Technique for Estimating Absorption and Scattering Coefficients

: Results from five different test systems, which include a wide range of optical conditions, indicate credible estimates of the values of the absorption and scattering coefficients can be calculated from paired measurements of Secchi disc transparency and the diffuse attenuation coefficient. The diagnostic utility of the estimates in identifying components and processes that regulate light penetration is demonstrated for three different cases. The simple estimation technique is valuable in the analysis of existing data bases that lack comprehensive optical information to develop and evaluate alternate models for light penetration and to establish the experimental needs of future field programs to support lake management efforts.
Effects of Aerosolized Rabies Virus Exposure on Bats and Mice

Between 1956 and 1977, 4 human cases of rabies virus infection were attributed to aerosolized rabies virus; however, little work has been done to address this topic since the late 1960s. Employing modern nebulization equipment coupled with serologic, cell culture, and molecular technology, we have continued the investigation into aerosolized rabies virus as a potential route of transmission. Laboratory mice and 2 species of bats were exposed, through aerosol, to 3 variants of rabies virus. All bats survived exposure to aerosolized rabies virus and produced rabies neutralizing antibody. Several mice died of rabies as a result of aerosol exposure. Antibody response was followed for 6 months before animals were given an intramuscular challenge of rabies virus. Poor protection from challenge was afforded in bats, despite the presence of neutralizing antibodies.
A method of moments analysis and a finite-difference time-domain analysis of a probe-sleeve fed rectangular waveguide cavity

A multifilament method of moments (MOM) analysis and a finite-difference time-domain (FE-TD) analysis are used to numerically calculate the input impedance of a probe-sleeve fed rectangular waveguide which has been short-circuited on one side. The input impedance of the system is determined by using the above methods for several probe-sleeve configurations, and reasonable agreement between the two methods for the cases studied is found. An MOM Green's function formulation which is based on scattering superposition and which allows the input impedance of a probe-sleeve feed to be calculated when the waveguide is terminated in a given load is derived. The MOM results and FD-TD numerical results are compared for this loaded waveguide input impedance case, and reasonable agreement between the methods is found. A comparison of theory and experiment is given for when the waveguide is terminated in a ground plane aperture. >
A Low-Power CMOS Receiver for 5 GHz WLAN

Mobile devices demand low-power WiFi receivers for extended battery lifetime. This paper presents the design of an 11.6-mW receiver including baseband channel selection filtering that targets the IEEE802.11a standard. A 1-to-6 on-chip transformer serves as a low-noise amplifier with zero power dissipation and high linearity while providing ESD protection and differential outputs. The co-design of the transformer and the passive mixers leads to an efficient front end. Realized in 65-nm CMOS technology, the prototype exhibits a noise figure of 6 dB and a sensitivity of -66 dBm at a data rate of 54 Mb/s from 5 GHz to 5.9 GHz. A new analysis of fully-differential current-driven passive mixers is also presented to facilitate the design of the front end.
Immature Dendritic Cells Selectively Replicate Macrophagetropic (M-Tropic) Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1, while Mature Cells Efficiently Transmit both M- and T-Tropic Virus to T Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) can develop from CD14+ peripheral blood monocytes cultured in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin 4 (IL-4). By 6 days in culture, the cells have the characteristics of immature DCs and can be further induced to mature by inflammatory stimuli or by monocyte-conditioned medium. After infection with macrophagetropic (M-tropic) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), monocytes and mature DCs show a block in reverse transcription and only form early transcripts that can be amplified with primers for the R/U5 region. In contrast, immature DCs cultured for 6 or 11 days in GM-CSF and IL-4 complete reverse transcription and show a strong signal when LTR/gag primers are used. Blood monocytes and mature DCs do not replicate HIV-1, whereas immature DCs can be productively infected, but only with M-tropic HIV-1. The virus produced by immature DCs readily infects activated T cells. Although mature DCs do not produce virus, these cells transmit both M- and T-tropic virus to T cells. In the cocultures, both DCs and T cells must express functional chemokine coreceptors for viral replication to occur. Therefore, the developmental stage of DCs can influence the interaction of these cells with HIV-1 and influence the extent to which M-tropic and T-tropic virus can replicate.
Improvement of insulin sensitivity by antagonism of the renin-angiotensin system

The reduced capacity of insulin to stimulate glucose transport into skeletal muscle, termed insulin resistance, is a primary defect leading to the development of prediabetes and overt type 2 diabetes. Although the etiology of this skeletal muscle insulin resistance is multifactorial, there is accumulating evidence that one contributor is overactivity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Angiotensin II (ANG II) produced from this system can act on ANG II type 1 receptors both in the vascular endothelium and in myocytes, with an enhancement of the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Evidence from animal model and cultured skeletal muscle cell line studies indicates ANG II can induce insulin resistance. Chronic ANG II infusion into an insulin-sensitive rat produces a markedly insulin-resistant state that is associated with a negative impact of ROS on the skeletal muscle glucose transport system. ANG II treatment of L6 myocytes causes impaired insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1-dependent insulin signaling that is accompanied by augmentation of NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS production. Further critical evidence has been obtained from the TG(mREN2)27 rat, a model of RAS overactivity and insulin resistance. The TG(mREN2)27 rat displays whole body and skeletal muscle insulin resistance that is associated with local oxidative stress and a significant reduction in the functionality of the insulin receptor (IR)/IRS-1-dependent insulin signaling. Treatment with a selective ANG II type 1 receptor antagonist leads to improvements in whole body insulin sensitivity, enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle, and reduced local oxidative stress. In addition, exercise training of TG(mREN2)27 rats enhances whole body and skeletal muscle insulin action. However, these metabolic improvements elicited by antagonism of ANG II action or exercise training are independent of upregulation of IR/IRS-1-dependent signaling. Collectively, these findings support targeting the RAS in the design of interventions to improve metabolic and cardiovascular function in conditions of insulin resistance associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Compliant motion control for continuum robots with intrinsic actuation sensing

Novel minimally invasive surgical paradigms accessing deep surgical sites present a new challenge of safe instrument insertion and navigation. This paper addresses this challenge by presenting a new framework for compliant motion control of multi-backbone continuum robots subject to whole-arm contacts. This control framework does not rely on knowledge of contact locations along the length of a continuum robot. Instead, the forces at joint level are applied as controller inputs to generate compliant motion. The paper first presents a new mapping of the external wrenches to a generalized force in the configuration space of a single-stage multi-backbone continuum robot. A closed-form analytic expression for the passive stiffness of a multi-backbone continuum robot segment is also presented. A controller, robust to uncertainties of the system model, is proposed to provide compliant motion of the continuum robot segment by using the generalized force and stiffness definitions. Stability, convergence, and controller properties are shown through experimental validation. The presented framework defines a method for providing compliant motion to continuum robots without explicit knowledge of the environment. We believe this work enables new control algorithms for rapidly deployable surgical robots and supports novel surgical paradigms by increasing safety during unstructured interaction with flexible anatomy.
CPS: beyond usability: applying value sensitive design based methods to investigate domain characteristics for security for implantable cardiac devices

Wireless implantable medical devices (IMDs) are cyber-physical systems that deliver life-saving treatments to cardiac patients with dangerous heart conditions. Current access control models for these systems are insufficient; more security is necessary. In response to this problem, the technical security community has investigated new directions for improving security on these resource-constrained devices. Defenses, however, must not only be technically secure; in order to be deployable, defenses must be designed to work within the needs and constraints of their relevant application spaces. Designing for an application space---particularly a specialized one---requires a deep understanding of the stakeholders, their values, and the contexts of technology usage. Grounding our work in value sensitive design (VSD), we collaborated as an interdisciplinary team to conduct three workshops with medical providers for the purpose of gathering their values and perspectives. The structure of our workshop builds on known workshop structures within the human-computer interaction (HCI) community, and the number of participants in our workshops (N=24) is compatible with current practices for inductive, exploratory studies. We present results on: what the participants find important with respect to providing care and performing their jobs; their reactions to potential security system concepts; and their views on what security system properties should be sought or avoided due to side effects within the context of their work practice. We synthesize these results, use the results to articulate design considerations for future technical security systems, and suggest directions for further research. Our research not only provides a contribution to security research for an important class of cyber-physical systems (IMDs); it also provides an example of leveraging techniques from other communities to better explore the landscape of security designs for technologies.
Reply to Fiscella: The phases of biomedical research should be studied to optimize health outcomes

We thank Kevin Fiscella for his comments (1) on our report (2). Biomedical science is generally broken into early phases, consisting of basic research and applied translational research or therapeutic development, and late phases, including comparative effectiveness, implementation, and dissemination research (3). Fiscella describes the importance of late-phase research in enabling the widespread adoption of proven interventions, and asserts that increased support of late-phase research is key to improving health outcomes (1). We do not disagree, but note that in our analysis, we used both new therapeutics and life expectancy as biomedical research outcome measures (2). Although much of the value of …
A Model for Estimating the Minimum Number of Offspring to Sample in Studies of Reproductive Success

Molecular parentage permits studies of selection and evolution in fecund species with cryptic mating systems, such as fish, amphibians, and insects. However, there exists no method for estimating the number of offspring that must be assigned parentage to achieve robust estimates of reproductive success when only a fraction of offspring can be sampled. We constructed a 2-stage model that first estimated the mean (l) and variance (v) in reproductive success from published studies on salmonid fishes and then sampled offspring from reproductive success distributions simulated from the l and v estimates. Results provided strong support for modeling salmonid reproductive success via the negative binomial distribution and suggested that few offspring samples are needed to reject the null hypothesis of uniform offspring production. However, the sampled reproductive success distributions deviated significantly (v 2 goodness-of-fit test p value , 0.05) from the known simulated reproductive success distribution at rates often .0.05 and as high as 0.24, even when hundreds of offspring were assigned parentage. In general, reproductive success patterns were less accurate when offspring were sampled from cohorts with larger numbers of parents and greater variance in reproductive success. Our model can be reparameterized with data from other species and will aid researchers in planning reproductive success studies by providing explicit sampling targets required to accurately assess reproductive success.
Performance evaluation of MMP-II:A second-generation small animal PET

We have completed construction of a second-generation, single-plane small animal PET instrument based on LSO detectors. The second-generation design addresses some of the limitations in the first-generation. The purpose of the work reported here was to characterize the physical performance of this instrument. Results of the performance measurements include: Spatial resolution=1.25 mm at field center and 1.5 mm at 2 cm radius; point source sensitivity=56 cps/uCi,; scatter fractions of 0.019 and 0.056 in 3.8 and 6 cm diameter cylinders respectively; linearity of reconstructed signal within 5% up to 100 uCi/cc and acceptable dead-time performance up to 25 k true cps. Examples of phantom and animal images are also presented.
Operative Technique of First Rib Resection Via Subclavicular Approach

A subclavicular approach to the first rib for resection in cases of subclavian vein thrombosis or chronic obstruction is described. The steps of the surgical procedure are described. The technique is ideally suited for emergency care of Paget-Schroetter syndrome patients.
Conductivity model for lead/acid battery electrodes discharged at low rates

Abstract A computer program was developed to model the conductivity of lead/acid battery electrodes during low rate discharges. The program is used to estimate the capacity of electrodes when they are limited by conductivity. Computer generated data shows good agreement with experimental capacity data obtained from testing both positive and negative electrodes at low discharge rates. These electrodes had different amounts of a non-conductive filler, glass microspheres, added to the paste. The observed correlation between the model and the experimental data supports the theory that conductivity of the active material in the electrodes is the low rate, capacity-limiting mechanism for lead/acid batteries.
Studies on autoregulation of prolactin secretion from perifused rat pituitary glands in the basal and thyrotropin-releasing hormone-stimulated states.

In order to evaluate autoregulation of PRL secretion at the pituitary gland, spontaneous and TRH-stimulated PRL secretion was determined in an isolated anterior pituitary (AP) perifusion system utilizing normal and chronically hyperprolactinemic (MtTW 15 tumor-bearing) male rat pituitaries. Decreased AP weight in chronically hyperprolactinemic rats [5.7 ± 0.1 (SE) VS. 7.2 ± 0.2 mg in controls, P < 0.001] was associated with lower mean basal PRL secretion compared to controls (9.9 ± 1.8 vs. 20.6 ± 2.7 ng/min/AP, P < 0.01). PRL secretion from normal AP was not altered by the addition of ovine PRL (oPRL) at 10 or 100 ng/ml (19.9 ± 3.8 and 19.2 ± 2.9 ng/min/AP, respectively). TRHstimulated PRL secretion from normal AP in the absence of oPRL was 133 ± 7% of baseline (designated as 100%) and this did not differ from the response observed in the presence of 10 or 100 ng/ml oPRL (134 ± 9 and 133 ± 7%, respectively). Basal PRL secretion from tumor rat AP was likewise unaffected by the presence of medium oPRL (9.9 ...
Bill of Attainder for the Use of Military Force: Blank Checks Yield Imbalances in the Age of Targeted Killing

Imagine for a moment that the Mexican government, in its effort to combat drug cartels, decides that the most efficient way of doing so is by using drone strikes; Mexico begins targeting and killing anyone whom its executive branch decides (based on undisclosed and, thus, uncontestable evidence) is trafficking drugs. Imagine now that those people being targeted in Mexico flee to Texas, and the Mexican government, without the permission or knowledge of the U.S., sends drones into Texan border towns. Imagine the hysteria: mass panic and destruction pervade as death rains from the skies of Laredo. Unfortunately, this is not a scene from the newest Orwellian thriller – this is present day. American drones crash to the ground in the mountains of Waziristan, Pakistan, while the citizens of Laredo, Texas continue their lives, otherwise unaffected.
17β-Estradiol Attenuates Conduit Pulmonary Artery Mechanical Property Changes With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rapidly fatal vascular disease, strikes women more often than men. Paradoxically, female PAH patients have better prognosis and survival rates than males. The female sex hormone 17β-estradiol has been linked to the better outcome of PAH in females; however, the mechanisms by which 17β-estradiol alters PAH progression and outcomes remain unclear. Because proximal pulmonary arterial (PA) stiffness, one hallmark of PAH, is a powerful predictor of mortality and morbidity, we hypothesized that 17β-estradiol attenuates PAH-induced changes in mechanical properties in conduit proximal PAs, which imparts hemodynamic and energetic benefits to right ventricular function. To test this hypothesis, female mice were ovariectomized and treated with 17β-estradiol or placebo. PAH was induced in mice using SU5416 and chronic hypoxia. Extra-lobar left PAs were isolated and mechanically tested ex vivo to study both static and frequency-dependent mechanical behaviors in the presence or absence of smooth muscle cell activation. Our static mechanical test showed significant stiffening of large PAs with PAH (P<0.05). 17β-Estradiol restored PA compliance to control levels. The dynamic mechanical test demonstrated that 17β-estradiol protected the arterial wall from the PAH-induced frequency-dependent decline in dynamic stiffness and loss of viscosity with PAH (P<0.05). As demonstrated by the in vivo measurement of PA hemodynamics via right ventricular catheterization, modulation by 17β-estradiol of mechanical proximal PAs reduced pulsatile loading, which contributed to improved ventricular-vascular coupling. This study provides a mechanical mechanism for delayed disease progression and better outcome in female PAH patients and underscores the therapeutic potential of 17β-estradiol in PAH.
The Saga of the Selective Waiver Doctrine

The issue of selective waiver of the attorney-client privilege has knocked around in the courts for at least thirty years, receiving, at best, a chilly reception. Lately, the issue has garnered even more attention. Last summer, the federal Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules put forth a new rule adopting selective waiver. The federal Judiciary's Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure published this rule for public comment. The response to the proposed rule was "almost uniformly negative." As a result, the Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules, in the Spring of 2007, dropped the selective waiver language from the proposed rule. The Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and the Judicial Conference did not disagree. So, what does all this mean? What is happening here?
Experimental Animal Models Evaluating the Causal Role of Lipoprotein(a) in Atherosclerosis and Aortic Stenosis

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], comprised of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] and a low-density lipoprotein-like particle, is a genetically determined, causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease and calcific aortic valve stenosis. Lp(a) is the major plasma lipoprotein carrier of oxidized phospholipids, is pro-inflammatory, inhibits plasminogen activation, and promotes smooth muscle cell proliferation, as defined mostly through in vitro studies. Although Lp(a) is not expressed in commonly studied laboratory animals, mouse and rabbit models transgenic for Lp(a) and apo(a) have been developed to address their pathogenicity in vivo. These models have provided significant insights into the pathophysiology of Lp(a), particularly in understanding the mechanisms of Lp(a) in mediating atherosclerosis. Studies in Lp(a)-transgenic mouse models have demonstrated that apo(a) is retained in atheromas and suggest that it promotes fatty streak formation. Furthermore, rabbit models have shown that Lp(a) promotes atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. However, many of these models have limitations. Mouse models need to be transgenic for both apo(a) and human apolipoprotein B-100 since apo(a) does not covalently associated with mouse apoB to form Lp(a). In established mouse and rabbit models of atherosclerosis, Lp(a) levels are low, generally < 20 mg/dL, which is considered to be within the normal range in humans. Furthermore, only one apo(a) isoform can be expressed in a given model whereas over 40 isoforms exist in humans. Mouse models should also ideally be studied in an LDL receptor negative background for atherosclerosis studies, as mice don't develop sufficiently elevated plasma cholesterol to study atherosclerosis in detail. With recent data that cardiovascular disease and calcific aortic valve stenosis is causally mediated by the LPA gene, development of optimized Lp(a)-transgenic animal models will provide an opportunity to further understand the mechanistic role of Lp(a) in atherosclerosis and aortic stenosis and provide a platform to test novel therapies for cardiovascular disease.
Trace-based context-sensitive timing simulation considering execution path variations

We present a fast and accurate timing simulation of binary code execution on complex embedded processors. Underlying block timings are extracted from a preceding hardware execution and differentiated by execution context. Thereby, complex factors, such as caches, can be reflected accurately without explicit modeling. Based on timings observed in one hardware execution, timing of numerous other executions for different inputs can be simulated at an average error below 5% for complex applications on an ARM Cortex-A9 processor.
Predictive validity of pilot selection instruments for remotely piloted aircraft training outcome.

Introduction Demand for remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) support has increased dramatically over the last decade. Initial efforts to meet the demand focused on cross-training experienced manned aircraft pilots and funneling recent Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) graduates to RPA pilot training. This approach reduced the number of personnel available for manned airframes and is no longer sustainable. In 2009, the USAF established an RPA career field and the Undergraduate RPA Training (URT) course to train officers with no prior flying experience to be RPA pilots. URT selection methods are very similar to those for SUPT. Some important factors for URT applicants are medical flight screening and aptitude tests [Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM)]. The current study examined the predictive validity of the AFOQT pilot and PCSM composites for URT completion. Method Subjects were 139 URT students with AFOQT and PCSM scores. The training criterion was URT pass/fail and the pass rate was 74.8%. Results Both the AFOQT pilot (r = 0.378) and PCSM (r = 0.480) composites demonstrated good predictive validity. Discussion No minimum qualifying PCSM score exists for URT. Had a minimum PCSM score of 25 been used, the pass rate would have been 80.2%; 12 more eliminees would have been screened out compared with the current AFOQT pilot minimum qualifying score of 25. Although current selection methods are effective, based on results of several RPA job/task analyses, the Air Force is examining the utility of other measures to supplement current methods.
Evolution of Internal Waves in Hydrostatic Models

Abstract : My long-term goal is improving our understanding of interactions between sub-grid scale models and numerical errors, which affect simulation skill for physical and biological processes in estuaries and coastal ocean environments. For prognostic simulations, slow accumulation of truncation-level errors will progressively distort model results. Present sub-grid scale models selectively address certain processes (e.g. turbulence) while neglecting other processes (e.g. small-scale internal waves, particulate nature of algae). As small-scale nonlinear errors can accumulate over time, understanding the errors and modeling the neglected processes are critical issues in improving our prognostic skill.
The effects of poor maternal nutrition during gestation on postnatal growth and development of lambs.

Poor maternal nutrition can affect the growth and development of offspring, which may lead to negative consequences in adult life. We hypothesized that lambs born to poorly nourished ewes would have reduced growth rate and increased fat deposition, with corresponding changes in the somatotropic axis, and leptin, insulin and glucose concentrations. Ewes ( = 36; 12/treatment) were assigned 1 of 3 diets; 100% (CON), 60% (RES), or 140% (OVER) of NRC requirements for TDN at d 31 of gestation until parturition. One lamb per ewe ( = 35; 11 to 12 per treatment) was used; 18 lambs were euthanized at d 1, and 17 were fed the same diet for 3 mo and then euthanized. Lamb crown rump length (CRL), heart girth, BW, and BCS were measured, and blood samples were collected at d 1 and then at weekly intervals until euthanasia. Averaged from d 1 until 3 mo, lambs from OVER ewes were larger compared with lambs born to CON ewes (BW [16.97 vs. 15.44 kg ± 0.60; = 0.09], ADG [0.23 vs. 0.21 ± 0.01 kg/d; = 0.01], and CRL [68.9 vs. 66.1 ± 0.80 cm; = 0.02]). On a BW basis, heart weight from lambs from RES (0.18 kg ± 0.03; = 0.03) ewes was greater than that of CON lambs (0.15 kg ± 0.03). Backfat thickness was reduced in RES lambs (0.11 ± 0.06; ≤ 0.04) compared with CON (0.20 ± 0.06) and OVER (0.26 ± 0.06) lambs. Concentrations of IGF-I at 3 mo and IGFBP-3 from weaning (d 56 of age) to 3 mo of age tended to be greater ( ≤ 0.06) in OVER lambs (334 ± 66 ng/mL and 175 ± 11 arbitrary units [AU], respectively) than CON lambs (149 ± 66 ng/mL and 140 ± 11 AU, respectively). At 3 mo, leptin was greater in OVER lambs compared with RES lambs (1.24 vs. 0.78 ± 0.13 ng/mL; 0.10) between treatment groups. During in vivo glucose tolerance test, baseline insulin concentrations were 68% and 85% greater ( 0.01), respectively, in RES and OVER lambs compared with CON lambs. Similarly, the glucose:insulin ratio was greater in RES and OVER lambs compared with CON lambs ( 0.01). Thus, in this experiment, poor maternal nutrition during gestation influenced body size, organ growth, fat accumulation, and concentrations of IGF-I, IGFBP-3, leptin, and insulin of offspring during the first 3 mo of age.
Expressions of RND efflux pumps and β-lactams antibiotics resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Objective To investigate the relationship between expression of 4 major RND efflux pumps and β-lactams antibiotics resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa from clinical isolates.Methods β-lactam antibiotic resistances of clinical isolates were detected by susceptibility test.Transcription fusion reporter genes mexA-lacZ,mexC-lacZ,mexE-lacZ and mexX-lacZ were constructed and the expressions of 4 RND efflux pumps were measured in clinical strains using β-galactosidase assay.Statistical analyses were performed to analyze differences of the expressions of the 4 major RND efflux pumps and their correlations with antibiotics resistance.Results The resistance rates of carbenicillin,ticarcillin,aztreonam,and ceftazidime were 19.87%,9.93%,2.65%,and 26.49% in 151 clinical isolates,respectively.Among them,23 isolates resistant to at least two kinds of antibiotics and 19 susceptible isolates sensitive to 4 kinds of antibiotics were selected and their β-galactosidase activities were measured.The expression of drug resistant isolates mexA(P0.001),mexC(P=0.043),and mexE(P=0.002) were found significantly different from those of susceptible isolates.Multiple linear regression analysis showed the high or moderate negative correlations between the expression of mexA,mexC and mexE and the diameters of inhibition circles of carbenicillin,ticarcillin,and aztreonam.Beta coefficients showed that the expression of gene mexA played the key role responsible for drug resistance to carbenicillin(-0.595),ticarcillin(-0.483),and aztreonam(-0.553).Conclusions The expression levels of MexAB-OprM,MexCD-OprJ,and MexXY-OprM are significantly correlated with the β-lactams antibiotics resistance and MexAB-OprM is the main cause to the resistance.
The Scheme for Observation Quantization in Information Estimation Fusion

In decentralized wireless sensor networks,the final estimation fusion was accomplished in limited bandwidth channel network,in which each sensor often transmitted a few bits to the fusion center because of various constrains.In order to design a scheme to quantify the observation and to get the fusion estimation from the received bits,the estimation fusion problem was changed into that of decision fusion.The interval was divided into subintervals,each subinterval was assigned a hypothesis,suitable cost coefficients of each hypothesis was selected to form the Bayes cost functional,and a mapping from estimation fusion to decision fusion was constructed.The results of simulation proved the theoretical analysis.
Analysis on causes of death, life expectancy and potential years of life lost among the country dweller of Fujian province.

Objective To understand the current mortality of country dwellers in Fujian province and provide scientific basis of formulating control and prevention strategies and measure.Methods Collecting mortality data of country dwellers,all the data enter excel and using spss software to carried out statistical analysis.Results The average mortality of the rural inhabitants was 475.62/100000,the mortality of infants and more than 65 years old persons were higher,the former reached to 66.37/100000,amd the latter exceeded 1982.47/100000.the top-two causes of death of country dweller were heart disease and tumor.Injuries went up to the fourth.Life expectancy(male:71.15,female:74.90).The top-four potential years of life lost of death causes were 4.59 %、6.68 %、1.82 %、1.97 % of male and 3.78 %、2.88 %、1.63 %、0.89 % of female.Conclusions By the investigation,the key place of developing control and prevention work was in rural area,under the effective of controlling infections diseases,we also should pay great attention to chronic non-communicable disease and injuries.
How do I love thee? Questioning the marriage model

Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. – Mae West A casual observer of recent media coverage of same-sex marriage developments might easily get the impression that all gays and lesbians (or at least all those in relationships) are enthusiastic proponents of marriage in both its cultural and legal forms. In February 2004, hundreds of same-sex couples waited in line for hours on the cold, rainy streets outside San Francisco's City Hall for the chance to obtain marriage licenses of dubious validity. Around the country, same-sex couples have been willing to construct commitment rituals ranging from the traditional to the innovative, the small-scale to the grandiose (including “mass weddings” performed at recent gay rights marches in Washington, DC and elsewhere), even with the knowledge that these rituals would not bring any change in legal status for the couples. When Vermont began offering civil unions in 2000, it turned out that the large majority of people who flocked to this new legal status were out-of-staters, couples drawn to the chance to have a government formalize their commitment even though their new status would not be recognized in the states where they lived. And the scenes from Massachusetts on May 17, 2004 were dramatic and emotionally charged: hundreds of same-sex couples leaped at the opportunity to enter legal marriages and obtained their marriage licenses against a backdrop of cheering crowds of supporters.
Is Single-Stage Prosthetic Reconstruction Cost Effective? A Cost-Utility Analysis for the Use of Direct-to-Implant Breast Reconstruction Relative to Expander-Implant Reconstruction in Postmastectomy Patients.

Background:Prosthetic breast reconstruction is most commonly performed using the two-stage (expander-implant) technique. However, with the advent of skin-sparing mastectomy and the use of acellular dermal matrices, one-stage prosthetic reconstruction has become more feasible. Prior studies have sugg
Quivers of Idiosyncrasy: Modern Statistics in A Modern Utopia

In the opening paragraph of A Modern Utopia, Wells critiques previous utopias as predicated on a generic, idealised notion of human nature and on the naive assumption that stable social arrangements can be implemented and sustained ad infinitum. In these utopias, he writes: ‘One beheld a healthy and simple generation enjoying the fruits of the earth in an atmosphere of virtue and happiness, to be followed by other virtuous, happy and entirely similar generations until the Gods grew weary.’1 As much as they might have to teach us, the problem with these utopias as a blueprint for ‘modern’ society, Wells argues, is that they are not grounded in ‘modern’—that is to say, scientific—‘conceptions’ (Wells, A Modern Utopia, p. 11). Wells singles out two elements in particular that need revision according to recent scientific advances: the conception of human nature and the understanding of the role of change in all of life. Not only must notions of human nature include the ‘perpetuity of aggressions’ and ‘Will to Live’ that evolutionary theory had made manifest, they must also reflect the irreducible uniqueness of individual human beings. Similarly, scientific advances had made clear that life is ‘kinetic’. Evolutionary change is a fundamental principle of the universe: ‘we do not resist and overcome the great stream of things, but rather float upon it’ (Wells, A Modern Utopia, p. 11). Therefore, any ‘modern’ utopia worth its salt must take into account ‘the fertilizing conflict of individualities’ on the one hand and the ‘kinetic’ nature of life on the other; it must be ‘a flexible common compromise, in which a perpetually novel succession of individualities may converge most effectually upon a comprehensive onward development’ (Wells, A Modern Utopia, p. 11).
Carbon storage in US wetlands.

Wetland soils contain some of the highest stores of soil carbon in the biosphere. However, there is little understanding of the quantity and distribution of carbon stored in our remaining wetlands or of the potential effects of human disturbance on these stocks. Here we use field data from the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment to provide unbiased estimates of soil carbon stocks for wetlands at regional and national scales. We find that wetlands in the conterminous United States store a total of 11.52 PgC, much of which is within soils deeper than 30 cm. Freshwater inland wetlands, in part due to their substantial areal extent, hold nearly ten-fold more carbon than tidal saltwater sites—indicating their importance in regional carbon storage. Our data suggest a possible relationship between carbon stocks and anthropogenic disturbance. These data highlight the need to protect wetlands to mitigate the risk of avoidable contributions to climate change. Wetlands store large quantities of carbon, the distribution and quantity of which is little known. Here, Nahlik and Fennessy use data collected as part of the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment to estimate wetland carbon stocks across the United States, illustrating total storage of 11.52 PgC.
Apoptotic cells enhance pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes

Infections by pathogenic microorganisms elicit host immune responses, which crucially limit those infections. Pathogens employ various strategies to evade host immunity. We have identified the exploitation of the repertoire of potent immunosuppressive responses elicited normally by apoptotic cells ("Innate Apoptotic Immunity"; IAI) as one of these strategies. In the case of Listeria monocytogenes, an environmentally ubiquitous, foodborne bacterial pathogen capable of causing life-threatening invasive disease in immunocompromised and elderly individuals, the induction of host cell apoptosis appears to play an important role in pathogenesis. Previous studies have documented extensive lymphocyte apoptosis resulting from L. monocytogenes infection and demonstrated paradoxically that lymphocyte-deficient animals exhibit diminished susceptibility to listerial pathogenicity. We speculated that the triggering of IAI following the induction of host cell apoptosis was responsible for enhanced pathogenesis, and that the administration of exogenous apoptotic cells would serve to exert this effect. Importantly, apoptotic cells, which are not susceptible to L. monocytogenes infection, do not provide a niche for bacterial replication. Our experiments confirm that apoptotic cells, including exogenous apoptotic cells induced to die independently of the pathogen, specifically enhance pathogenesis. The recognition of a role of apoptotic cells and Innate Apoptotic Immunity in microbial pathogenesis provides an intriguing and novel insight for therapeutic approaches for the control of pathogenic infections.
From Versailles to Mers El-Kébir: The Promise of Anglo-French Naval Cooperation, 1919–1940

The history of Anglo-French relations during the Second World War is often overshadowed by the tragedy that unfolded at Mers El-Kebir. In July 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the des...
Deter and protect: crime modeling with multi-agent learning

This paper presents a formal game-theoretic belief learning approach to model criminology’s routine activity theory (RAT). RAT states that for a crime to occur a motivated offender (criminal) and a desirable target (victim) must meet in space and time without the presence of capable guardianship (law enforcement). The novelty in using belief learning to model the dynamics of RAT’s offender, target, and guardian behaviors within an agent-based model is that the agents learn and adapt given observation of other agents’ actions without knowledge of the payoffs that drove the other agents’ choices. This is in contrast to other crime modeling research that has used reinforcement learning where the accumulated rewards gained from prior experiences are used to guide agent learning. This is an important distinction given the dynamics of RAT. It is the presence of the various agent types that provide opportunity for crime to occur, and not the potential for reward. Additionally, the belief learning approach presented fits the observed empirical data of case studies, producing statistically significant results with lower variance when compared to a reinforcement learning approach. Application of this new approach supports law enforcement in developing responses to crime problems and planning for the effects of displacement due to directed responses, thus deterring offenders and protecting the public through crime modeling with multi-agent learning.
EXOGENOUS OPIOIDS AND DRINKING AND FEEDING

Naloxone decreases and small doses of morphine enhance ingestion in the rat. Testing for the pharmacological and behavioral specificity of these effects leads to the conclusion that the stereoselective activity of opioids, at central nervous system receptors, can modulate the affective dimensions of tastes.
A Method to Predict the Percutaneous Permeability of Various Compounds: Shed Snake Skin as a Model Membrane

Penetration of various compounds through shed snake skin was measured in vitro to examine the effect of lipophilicity and molecular size of a compound on permeability through this model membrane. The permeabilities were found to be controlled by the lipophilicity and the molecular size of the permeant. The smaller and the more lipophilic the compound, the greater the permeability. Equations have been developed to predict the permeability from the molecular weight and the distribution coefficient of a compound. Further, the lipophilicity of shed snake skin is similar to that of human skin and the response of shed snake skin to the molecular size of a permeant is more similar to human skin than to hairless mouse skin. Considering the similarities between shed snake skin and human stratum coraeum in terms of structure, composition, and permeability characteristics, the same considerations may apply to permeability through human stratum corneum.
Mapping a Subfield’s Sociology of Science: A 25-Year Network and Bibliometric Analysis of the Knowledge Construction of Sports Crisis Communication:

Sport crisis communication research has emerged as a substantial subfield of communication, sport communication, and crisis communication. The purpose of this study is to assess the development and...
The Unsettled Rhetoric of Colour

This essay is the first study from a racial perspective of Travels in China (1925), the travelogue by the renowned Taisho Japanese short-story writer Akutagawa Ryūnosuke. The essay draws attention ...
Paediatric pelvic fractures: Starship Hospital experience.

AIM Pelvic fractures constitute between 0.3% and 4% of all paediatric injuries, with a mortality rate up to 25%. This study aims to review the experience with pelvic fractures at Starship Children's Hospital and demonstrate its role as a marker of severe trauma. METHODS A retrospective review of children with pelvic fractures managed at our institution in the 20-year period between July 1995 and May 2015 was performed. The search identified 179 consecutive children admitted with a pelvic fracture. Data fields collected included patient details, mechanisms of injury, investigations performed, length of hospital stay, management and complications. Data was also collected on Injury Severity Score (ISS), Glasgow coma scale (GCS), transfusion requirements and details of associated injuries (both orthopaedic and non-orthopaedic). RESULTS Median age was eight years (IQR 5-12 years) with 65% boys. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 9 (IQR 4-22). Pedestrian-motor vehicle injuries were most common at 46% of cases, followed by passengers injured in motor vehicle accidents accounting for 23% (n=41). Associated injuries were present in 68% (n=122) of patients, with other orthopaedic fractures (42%, n=75) and thoracic injuries (33%, n=59) most common. Management of pelvic fractures was primarily non-operative, with only 7% (n=13) requiring operative intervention. In comparison, operative procedures for associated injuries were much more common and were required in 38% (n=68) of cases. CONCLUSION Pelvic fractures represent an important marker for severe trauma. Patterns of paediatric pelvic fractures reported by other studies around the world are very similar. Understanding the patterns in which pelvic fractures and their associated injuries occur and the outcome of treatment is fundamental to the establishment of effective preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Arrested Development: Organizational and Entrepreneurial Sensemaking in a Maker Space

Entrepreneurial sensemaking – the process by which entrepreneurs determine and refine both the nature of their offering and the model through which they will distribute that offering – is difficult...
Regulation of intracellular lipid storage and utilization

Abstract Cytoplasmic lipid droplets (CLDs) are major metabolic hubs in most cell types. These dynamic organelles regulate multiple aspects of cellular lipid homeostasis, including lipid storage and utilization, protecting from lipotoxicity, and lipid signaling. CLDs in specific cell types serve distinct roles depending on the physiological function of the tissue in regulating cellular and systemic lipid and energy homeostasis. Therefore, an imbalance in the storage or utilization of lipid in CLDs in major metabolic tissues can contribute to diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Type II diabetes, and obesity. The regulation of intracellular lipid storage and utilization is thereby essential to prevent abnormal cellular and systemic lipid levels and its associated pathological consequences.
Development of BODIPY FL Thalidomide As a High-Affinity Fluorescent Probe for Cereblon in a Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assay.

Ligands for cereblon, a component of a functional E3 ligase complex that targets proteins for proteolysis, are critical for developing molecular glues and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), ...