cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving physical function and blood pressure in older adults through cobblestone mat walking: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relative effects of cobblestone mat walking, in comparison with regular walking, on physical function and blood pressure in older adults. DESIGN: Randomized trial with allocation to cobblestone mat walking or conventional walking. SETTING: General community in Eugene, Oregon. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eight physically inactive community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 92 (mean age � standard deviation 577.5 � 5.0) free of neurological and mobility-limiting orthopedic conditions. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized to a cobblestone mat walking condition (n 554) or regular walking comparison condition (n 554) and participated in 60-minute group exercise sessions three times per week for 16 consecutive weeks. MEASUREMENTS: Primary endpoint measures were balance (functional reach, static standing), physical performance (chair stands, 50-foot walk, Up and Go), and blood pressure (systolic, diastolic). Secondary endpoint measures were Short Form-12 physical and mental health scores and perceptions of health-related benefits from exercise. RESULTS: At the 16-week posttest, differences between the two exercise groups were found for balance measures (P 5.01), chair stands (Po.001), 50-foot walk (P 5.01), and blood pressure (P 5.01) but not for the Up and Go test (P 5.14). Although significant within-group changes were observed in both groups for the secondary outcome measures, there were no differences between intervention groups. CONCLUSION: Cobblestone mat walking improved physical function and reduced blood pressure to a greater extent than conventional walking in older adults. Additional benefits of this walking program included improved health-related quality of life. This new physical activity may provide a therapeutic and health-enhancing exercise alternative for older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005.
Justice, Independence, and Industrial Democracy: The Development of John Stuart Mill's Views on Socialism

Too little considered in relation to major works like On Liberty, the socialist element in Mill's works has met with a very mixed reception when it has been interpreted. Yet Mill's acceptance of certain socialist ideas was not the product of his wife's influence, nor was it contradictory to the central goals of his philosophy of liberty. Instead, Mill's objections to communism were consistent throughout his life, while his commitment to a cooperative form of socialism which lightened competition without abolishing it not only grew in strength from the mid-1830s onwards, but was fully integrated into his social and political thought and in fact must be interpreted as an extension of his concern for individuality, independence and self-cultivation rather than as existing in an uneasy relationship with these ideals. For cooperation was the economic dimension of Mill's theory of freedom, and when understood as such, Mill's relation not only to later nineteenth and early twentieth century neo-liberalism but al...
Light-Dependent Translocation of Visual Arrestin Regulated by the NINAC Myosin III

The rhodopsin regulatory protein, visual arrestin, undergoes light-dependent trafficking in mammalian and Drosophila photoreceptor cells, though the mechanisms underlying these movements are poorly understood. In Drosophila, the movement of the visual arrestin, Arr2, functions in long-term adaptation and is dependent on interaction with phosphoinositides (PIs). However, the basis for the requirement for PIs for light-dependent shuttling was unclear. Here, we demonstrated that the dynamic trafficking of Arr2 into the phototransducing compartment, the rhabdomere, required the eye-enriched myosin III, NINAC. We showed that defects in ninaC resulted in a long-term adaptation phenotype similar to that which occurred in arr2 mutants. The interaction between Arr2 and NINAC was PI dependent and NINAC bound directly to PIs. These data demonstrate that the light-dependent translocation of Arr2 into the rhabdomeres requires PI-mediated interactions between Arr2 and the NINAC myosin III.
Thermal Process Calculations

Inactivation of microorganisms by heat is a fundamental operation in food preservation. The concepts presented in this chapter are applicable not only in canning but in any process where heat is used to inactivate microorganisms and induce chemical changes which affect quality. The term sterilization, as used in this chapter, refers to the achievement of commercial sterility, defined as a condition in which microorganisms which cause illness, and those capable of growing in food under normal nonrefrigerated storage and distribution, are eliminated.
Modulation of prolactin-stimulated Nb2 lymphoma cell mitogenesis by cholera toxin and pertussis toxin

We have investigated whether cholera toxin (CT)- or pertussis toxin (IAP)-sensitive G proteins are involved in ovine (o) PRL-stimulated mitogenesis in the lactogen-dependent rat Nb2 node lymphoma cell line. Addition of IAP to medium caused a biphasic effect on oPRL-stimulated cell number. Low doses (10-3 ng/ml) enhanced (mean ± SEM, 15 ± 3%) whereas higher doses (≫ 10 ng/ml) inhibited (24 ± 3%) mitogenesis stimulated by a submaximal dose of oPRL (0.1 ng/ml) compared to control values. The cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP also had a biphasic effect on cell division stimulated by submaximal doses of PRL. Low doses (10-5 M) enhanced whereas higher doses (10-3 M) inhibited Nb2 cell growth in response to PRL. Incubation with CT only inhibited oPRL-stimulated mitogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Maximal inhibition (63 ± 7%) occurred at a concentration of 10 ng/ml or more. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) enhanced mitogenesis stimulated by PRL alone and in the presence of either stimulatory or inhibitory doses of IAP,...
Effective Dimension and Generalization of Kernel Learning

We investigate the generalization performance of some learning problems in Hilbert function Spaces. We introduce a concept of scale-sensitive effective data dimension, and show that it characterizes the convergence rate of the underlying learning problem. Using this concept, we can naturally extend results for parametric estimation problems in finite dimensional spaces to non-parametric kernel learning methods. We derive upper bounds on the generalization performance and show that the resulting convergent rates are optimal under various circumstances.
The Poliovirus Empty Capsid Specifically Recognizes the Poliovirus Receptor and Undergoes Some, but Not All, of the Transitions Associated with Cell Entry

Experimental results presented here demonstrate that the poliovirus empty capsid binds with saturable character to poliovirus-susceptible cells, binds preferentially to susceptible cells, and competes with mature virus for binding sites on cells. Hence, induced changes in the structure and/or stability of the particle by RNA encapsidation and virus maturation are not necessary for recognition by receptor. In mature virus, heat-induced rearrangements mimic those induced by receptor at physiological temperatures in several important respects, namely, expulsion of VP4 and externalization of the VP1 N-terminal arm. It is shown here that in the empty capsid the VP1 N-terminal arm is externalized but the VP4 portion of VP0 is not. Thus, these two hallmark rearrangements associated with cell entry can be uncoupled.
High-temperature hydraulic fluids

The rationale is presented for the development of 315 °C bulk oil high-temperature hydraulic fluids for future US Air Force systems. Four chemical classes of candidate fluids worthy of consideration are described along with their relative merits and limitations. The four fluids are: mineral oil based MIL-H- 27601A, a synthetic hydrogenated polyalphaolefin, a synthetic silahydrocarbon (tetra alkyl silane), and a linear perjluoropolyalkylether. Questions for consideration in selecting a candidate high-temperature hydraulic fluid are presented and discussed in relation to the intended specific application.
2‐(Methylthio)tetrahydrofuran

[31053-11-9] C6H12OS (MW 132.25) InChI = 1S/C6H12OS/c1-8-6-4-2-3-5-7-6/h6H,2-5H2,1H3 InChIKey = AGVXVNUUQRAKNA-UHFFFAOYSA-N (methanethiol carbanion, HSCH2−, equivalent1) Physical Data: bp 47–48 °C/5 mmHg;2 nD20 1.4910;3 colorless oil with minty aroma. Preparative Methods: prepared in 84% yield by Pyridinium p-Toluenesulfonate-catalyzed addition of Methanethiol to 2,3-dihydropyran;1 this method is superior to an earlier procedure using HCl as catalyst.2 Deprotonation with tert-Butyllithium gives 2-tetrahydropyranyl(thiomethyl)lithium [98194-89-9].1 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: stable to alkali; decomposed by dilute acid to methanethiol and 5-hydroxypentanal.2
Some methodological issues in biosurveillance.

This paper briefly summarizes a short course I gave at the 12th Biennial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Symposium held in Decatur, Georgia on April 6, 2009. The goal of this short course was to discuss various methodological issues of biosurveillance detection algorithms, with a focus on the issues related to developing, evaluating, and implementing such algorithms. The PowerPoint slides from the complete talk can be accessed at http://faculty.nps.edu/rdfricke/Biosurveillance.htm. Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hairy-Related Transcription Factors Inhibit Notch-Induced Smooth Muscle α-Actin Expression by Interfering With Notch Intracellular Domain/CBF-1 Complex Interaction With the CBF-1–Binding Site

Notch signaling regulates smooth muscle cell phenotype and is critical for vascular development. One Notch target is smooth muscle α-actin (SMA), a differentiated smooth muscle cell marker. The Notch intracellular domain (NotchICD) forms a complex with CBF-1 (C-promoter– binding factor-1) and directly induces SMA expression. Using primary human smooth muscle cells, we show that expression of the constitutive active ICD of human Notch1, Notch2, or Notch4 receptors increase SMA levels. NotchICD also induce expression of the transcriptional repressors HRT1 (Hairy-related transcription factor 1) and HRT2, in a CBF-1–dependent manner. However, unlike the activating effects of NotchICD, HRT1 or HRT2 represses basal SMA expression, and both are strong antagonists of NotchICD-induced SMA upregulation. This antagonism does not depend on histone deacetylase activity and occurs at the transcriptional level. Competitive coimmunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that HRT does not disrupt the association of NotchICD and CBF-1, which form a complex in the presence or absence of HRTs. However, HRT suppresses NotchICD/CBF-1 binding to the SMA promoter, as measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation, and transactivation of an SMA promoter reporter spanning sequences −124/+32. SMA expression was regulated similarly following endogenous Notch activation in smooth muscle cells by coculture with endothelial cells, and this effect was also sensitive to HRT inhibition. Temporally defined HRT activity may constitute a negative feedback mechanism of Notch signaling. Our study presents a novel mechanism by which a balance between Notch signaling and HRT activity determines the expression of smooth muscle differentiation markers including SMA.
Operation of a fast digital transverse feedback system in CESR

We have developed a time domain transverse feedback system with the high bandwidth needed to control transverse instabilities when the CESR e/sup +/e/sup -/ collider is filled with trains of closely spaced bunches. This system is based on parallel digital processors and a stripline driver. It is capable of acting on arbitrary patterns of bunches having a minimum spacing of 14 ns. Several simplifying features have been introduced. A single shorted stripline kicker driven by one power amplifier is used to control both counter-rotating beams. The desired feedback phase is achieved by sampling the bunch position at a single location on two independently selectable beam revolutions. The system adapts to changes in the betatron tune, bunch pattern, or desired damping rate through the loading of new parameters into the digital processors via the CESR control system. The feedback system also functions as a fast gated bunch current monitor. Both vertical and horizontal loops are now used in CESR operation. The measured betatron damping rates with the transverse feedback system in operation are in agreement with the analytical prediction and a computer simulation developed in connection with this work.
Primary Childhood Aphasia and Childhood Autism. Clinical, Biological, and Conceptual Observations.

Abstract Congenital, developmental, and idiopathic acquired aphasia form a spectrum of primary childhood aphasias characterized by profound disturbances in expressive language, relatively much better language comprehension; by the capacity for inner language, imaginative play, gesture, mime, and warm social relations; and by a variety of associated behavioral and cognitive difficulties (dependency, immaturity, hyperactivity, encoding and decoding problems). The presence of paroxysmal electroencephalographic abnormalities suggests cortical dysfunction. In contrast to this spectrum, the childhood autism syndrome appears earlier in life (during a prelinguistic developmental phase) and is characterized by an impoverishment of inner language; paucity of mime, gesture, and imitation; and much greater disturbance in social attachment and regulation of anxiety. Midbrain and brainstem dysfunctions involving catecholamine pathways may underlie some aspects of this syndrome. Because of complex, reciprocal effects between various neurological systems in the central nervous system, there may be mixed aphasic-autistic syndromes and familial clustering of both types of disorders. Intensive language training starting in the preschool years and possibly introduction of systematic sign language may be useful for both groups and especially valuable for aphasic children with more intact language competence.
A multicarrier interleave-division uwb system

We propose a multicarrier interleave-division multiple-access scheme for ultra-wideband wireless communications. For the uplink, a chip-level interleaving method at the transmitter with a simple turbo receiver is proposed to effectively suppress the frequency-selective fading and multiple-access interference. Both hard and soft frequency notching methods are suggested to suppress the narrowband interference. For the downlink, a two-layer interleaving scheme is proposed, in which data from different users are separated in the frequency-domain while the different data streams for the same user are separated in the interleaver-domain. A joint power and subcarrier allocation algorithm is developed to exploit the multiuser diversity and thereby improve the system performance. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated by both theoretic analysis and simulations. It is seen that within a few iterations, the proposed system exhibits single-user performance even under over-loaded conditions
Daily chlorhexidine bathing to reduce bacteraemia in critically ill children: a multicentre, cluster-randomised, crossover trial

Summary Background Bacteraemia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill children. Our objective was to assess whether daily bathing in chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) compared with standard bathing practices would reduce bacteraemia in critically ill children. Methods In an unmasked, cluster-randomised, two-period crossover trial, ten paediatric intensive-care units at five hospitals in the USA were randomly assigned a daily bathing routine for admitted patients older than 2 months, either standard bathing practices or using a cloth impregnated with 2% CHG, for a 6-month period. Units switched to the alternative bathing method for a second 6-month period. 6482 admissions were screened for eligibility. The primary outcome was an episode of bacteraemia. We did intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier NCT00549393). Findings 1521 admitted patients were excluded because their length of stay was less than 2 days, and 14 refused to participate. 4947 admissions were eligible for analysis. In the ITT population, a non-significant reduction in incidence of bacteraemia was noted with CHG bathing (3·52 per 1000 days, 95% CI 2·64–4·61) compared with standard practices (4·93 per 1000 days, 3·91–6·15; adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0·71, 95% CI 0·42–1·20). In the PP population, incidence of bacteraemia was lower in patients receiving CHG bathing (3·28 per 1000 days, 2·27–4·58) compared with standard practices (4·93 per 1000 days, 3·91–6·15; aIRR 0·64, 0·42–0·98). No serious study-related adverse events were recorded, and the incidence of CHG-associated skin reactions was 1·2 per 1000 days (95% CI 0·60–2·02). Interpretation Critically ill children receiving daily CHG bathing had a lower incidence of bacteraemia compared with those receiving a standard bathing routine. Furthermore, the treatment was well tolerated. Funding Sage Products, US National Institutes of Health.
Families with Chronically Ill Young Children The Unsinkable Family

Improvements in newborn care and technology have markedly increased the prevalence of children with chronic medical, neurologic, and/or developmental problems. As yet, however, there is little descriptive information available on the everyday life of a family with a chronically ill child. This study examined how a chronic illness in a young child affects the daily lives of family members. Data were collected via qualitative methods and included interviews and home observations of family members and their chronically ill child(ren). For this study the family itself was the unit of observation and analysis. The families reported frequent low vitality, selective interest in available support groups, restricted social life, and preoccupation with decisions related to their child's illness. The demands of their daily lives and the effects of the child's condition on their decisions are discussed in the context of general strategies for dealing with day-to-day problems. These general strategies are delineated a...
Automating the refinement of specifications for distributed systems via syntactic transformations

Abstract The idea of successively refining an abstract specification until it contains enough detail to suggest an implementation has been investigated by numerous researchers. The emphasis to date has been on techniques that, unfortunately, lead to a large amount of manual formal labour for each refinement step. With such techniques, both the cost and the possibility of errors arising informal manipulation are high. Using a theorem prover can reduce the number of manipulation errors, but, given current technology, the amount of labour is still daunting. This research explores an alternative solution to the refinement problem, namely the use of syntactic transformations to realize each refinement step. We reduce formal labour by employing automatic transformations that guarantee the preservation of desirable properties—e.g., deadlock-freedom. Automatic transformations are particularly appealing for the development of large, complex distributed systems, where a manual approach to refinement would be prohib...
Averting Current and Future Special Education Faculty Shortages Policy Implications and Recommendations

The federal government plays an indispensable role in preparing special education personnel to become teacher educators in higher education. The 2011 Special Education Faculty Needs Assessment study documents a continued supply–demand imbalance of special education faculty. It also documents effectiveness and impact of the Office of Special Education Program’s leadership (doctoral) preparation initiative. To prevent diminished academic improvement for students with disabilities, recommendations are provided to strengthen the federal role as the nation moves forward to abate a pending special education faculty of unprecedented magnitude. A rationale and strategy for continued federal investment during challenging budget times are presented.
Credit Card and Mortgage Debt: A Panel Study, 2004 and 2008

Relying on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 cohort, this article examines the pervasiveness and depth of credit card and mortgage debt in 2004 and 2008 (N = 3,966). Findings indicate that (a) significant majorities experienced either credit card debt, mortgage debt, or both; (b) debtors increased as a proportion of the population between 2004 and 2008; (c) mortgage-related debt, but not credit card debt, was disproportionately distributed along sociodemographic characteristics (married, more affluent, and more educated) and by attitudinal dispositions (locus of control and self-esteem); and (d) separated/widowed/divorced persons and never married persons were more economically vulnerable, having higher mortgage debt-to-income ratios of more than 1.5 to 2 times their income.
Novel device functionalities enabled by substitutional doping against native propensity in 2D semiconductors

Over the last few decades, advances in electronics have fundamentally changed the way we use energy in our everyday life. While the electronic devices have become faster, smarter and compact, the energy consumption for per bit operation have not reduced significantly. With the motivation to reduce energy consumption in electronic systems, we study layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which have attracted tremendous attention in recent years as the key semiconducting component for novel energy-efficient electrical, optoelectronic and spintronic devices. Many of such devices require bipolar conduction and tunable carrier density. However, due to omnipresent native defects and band offset, normally only a single type of doping is stable for a specific TMD.
Acorn Production and Winter Reproduction in White-footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in a Southern Piedmont Forest

Abstract Previous studies of the relationship between acorn production and Peromyscus populations have been conducted in regions with severe winter climate where winter breeding is rare. I trapped white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, in a southern Piedmont oak-hickory forest during autumn and winter for four consecutive years to determine how acorn availability influences winter reproduction in P. leucopus. Acorn production in years 1 and 4 of the study was over 10 times higher than in years 2 and 3. Peromyscus leucopus density was highest in winters following large mast crops, but also increased following a low mast crop in year 3. Body weight was significantly lower during one of the poor mast years, but not the other. More than 50% of female mice were reproductively active during all four winters of the study. Thus, P. leucopus responded positively to high mast availability, but mice remained reproductively active even in poor mast years.
The research of adaptive beam forming algorithm based on QPSO and antenna array

An adaptive beam forming algorithm with antenna array model based on quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) is proposed for improving existent problems of limited beam modulation, unsatisfactory side lobe suppression and poor adaptability. By adjusting beam direction with matrix-weighting, optimizing initial phase and radius of the antenna array, and by tracking user intelligently with amplify and forward (AF) technology accordingly, better suppressing interference and economizing energy can be realized to effectively increase the received power and make use of antenna array for improving practical application. The simulation results of MATLAB show that the gain rising about 10dB and interference declining about 3.75dB at the direction of main lobe can be achieved.
Approaches to Supporting the Analysis of Historical Medication Datasets with RxNorm.

Objective To investigate approaches to supporting the analysis of historical medication datasets with RxNorm. Methods We created two sets of National Drug Codes (NDCs). One is based on historical NDCs harvested from versions of RxNorm from 2007 to present. The other comprises all sources of NDCs in the current release of RxNorm, including proprietary sources. We evaluated these two resources against four sets of NDCs obtained from various sources. Results In two historical medication datasets, 14-19% of the NDCs were obsolete, but 91-96% of these obsolete NDCs could be recovered and mapped to active drug concepts. Conclusion Adding historical data significantly increases NDC mapping to active RxNorm drugs. A service for mapping historical NDC datasets leveraging RxNorm was added to the RxNorm API and is available at https://rxnav.nlm.nih.gov/.
Deposition and Characterization of MgO Thin Films on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 Substrates

MgO thin films have been deposited on SrTiO 3 and LaA1O 3 substrates using both off-axis rf magnetron sputtering and electron beam evaporation techniques. The effects of substrate material, temperature, film thickness, deposition rate, sputtering gas, and pressure on the quality of the MgO films produced have been studied. Films deposited on (100) SrTiO 3 at temperatures > 300°C display only the (h00) reflections in their X-ray diffraction traces, with narrow X-ray rocking curve measurements indicating that these films are epitaxial. Epitaxy has been confirmed with grazing incidence diffraction. MgO films deposited on (100) LaAlO 3 are crystalline, but have varying orientations depending on the film thickness. From scanning electron microscopy, MgO films on SrTiO 3 substrates appear smooth and dense while those deposited on LaAlO 3 substrates possess rougher surfaces. Surface morphologies have been analyzed using atomic force microscopy.
Γ (Gamma): A SaaS-enabled fast and accurate analog design System

Abstract With ever increasing demand for lower power consumption, lower cost, and higher performance, designing analog circuits to meet design specifications has become an increasing challenging task, Analog circuit designers must, on one hand, have intimate knowledge about the underlining silicon process technology׳s capability to achieve the desired specifications. They must, on the other hand, understand the impact of tweaking circuits to satisfy a given specification on all circuit performance parameters. Analog designers have traditionally learned to tackle design problems with numerous circuit simulations using accurate circuit simulators such as SPICE, and have increasingly relied on trial-and-error approaches to reach a converging point. However, the increased complexity with each generation of silicon technology and high dimensionality of searching for solutions, even for some simple analog circuits, have made the trial-and-error approach extremely inefficient, causing long design cycles and often missed deadlines. Novel rapid and accurate circuit evaluation methods that are tightly integrated with circuit search and optimization methods are needed to aid design productivity. Furthermore, the current design environment with fully distributed licensing and supporting structures is cumbersome at best to allow efficient and up-to-date support for design engineers. With increasing support and licensing costs, fewer and fewer design centers can afford it. Cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) model provides new opportunities for CAD applications. It enables immediate software delivery and update to customers at very low cost. SaaS tools benefit from fast feedback and sharing channels between users and developers and run on hardware resources tailored and provided for them by the software vendor. On the downside, web-based tools are expected to perform in a very short turn-around schedule and be always responsive. This paper presents a list of innovations that come together to a new class of analog design tools: 1). Lookup table-based approach (LUT) to model complex transistor behavior provides both the necessary accuracy and speed essential for repeated circuit evaluations. 2). The proposed system architecture tight integrate the novel LUT approach with novel system level functions to allow further significantly better accuracy/speed tradeoff and faster design convergence with designer׳s intent. 3). Incorporating use inputs at key junctures of the design process allows the tool to better capture designer׳s intent and improve design convergence. 4). The combination of high accuracy and faster evaluation time make it possible to incorporate SaaS features, such as short solution space navigation steps and crowdsourcing, into the tool. This allows sharing of server-side resources between many users. Instead of fully automating a signoff circuit optimization process, the proposed tool provides effective aid to analog circuit designers with a dash-board control of many important circuit parameters with several orders faster in computation time than SPICE simulations.
Star Wars revives civil defense

A new civil defense plan that would protect local officials apparently trusts SDI to take care of the rest of the population. But the program leaves an opening for an all-out effort to build blast shelters for everyone.
Relationship of learned resourcefulness to measures of pain description, psychopathology and health behavior in a sample of chronic pain patients.

Objective : We investigated the association between the coping style of learned resourcefulness and the variables of pain description, pain locus of control, psychological distress, and health-care utilization. Design : A cross-sectional, retrospective, correlational design was used. Patients and Setting : The sample was comprised of 87 outpatients from a university-based, multidisciplinary pain clinic. Main Outcome Measures : Self-Control Schedule, pain intensity, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Locus of Control Scale, SCL-90-R, Health-Care Utilization Questionnaire. Results and Conclusions : Results indicated that chronic pain patients obtained comparable resourcefulness ratings to normal subjects but there were wide individual differences. Consistent with theoretical predictions, resourcefulness was found to be associated with better psychological adjustment and less impulsive health-care measures. Results suggest that assessment of learned resourcefulness may be useful in predicting behavioral outcome in clinical settings with chronic pain patients.
Flashover Characteristic Along the Insulator Under DC Voltage in SF_6 Gas

In order to promote the flexibility about the selection of transmission corridor,DC gas insulated transmission line (GIL) can be utilized to substitute part of the overhead line or cable in special environment such as cross connections inside of substations or connections between new remote generation areas and the load centers. One of the predominant factors that greatly threaten the insulation level of GIL is the accumulation of surface charges along the supporting insulators under DC voltage. Consequently,the cone-plane electrode system was established to simulate the electric field distribution of the coaxial cylinder configuration in GIL. Various kinds of insulators that had different geometry and surface roughness were placed between electrodes for test. Moreover,software was used to analyze the electric field distribution along the insulators' surface under DC voltage. Key factors that affect the insulator's flashover characteristics in SF6 under DC voltage were investigated mainly from the view of insulator's material and geometry. Results show that the insulator's surface conductivity and charging time constant both have remarkable influence on the surface charge accumulation as well as the flashover along the insulators in DC GIL. The selection principle about the insulator's surface conductivity in DC GIL and point for attention in optimizing insulator's geometry are put forward.
Measurements of Conversion Ratio, Resonance Escape and Fast Fission as Student Experiments

The sequence of three reactor-physics measurements as pedagogical experiments is discussed in regard to parameter interpretation, theory of measurement, and technique of measurement. The experiment...
Estimating the Mean of an Exponential Distribution from Grouped Observations

In a number of industrial situations, it is more economical to record the number of observations within preset categories instead of recording the observations exactly. using more than two categories serves as a good alternative to dichotomous data, suc..
Heavy metal: Genre? Style? Subculture?

Although popular music is increasingly recognized as an important area of inquiry in philosophy of art, many organizing principles have been taken over from other fields without scrutiny. This article selects heavy metal as an example of the value of applying philosophy of criticism to discourse about popular music. Metal is now in its fifth decade, and its combination of longevity and diversity have made it an attractive topic in popular music studies. In accounts of metal by musicologists and social science researches, metal is almost always referred to as a genre of music, and the genre is said to unify diverse metal subcultures, which are associated with diverse styles of metal. An examination of the concepts of genre and subculture as they are typically understood in popular music studies generally, and in metal studies in particular, suggests that they do not function to delineate metal as a unitary category. However, contemporary philosophy of art provides several theoretical principles that provide criteria for identifying a unified genre. The relevant theories are historical definitions of art and Kendall Walton's account of style. Viewed in terms of these philosophical developments, metal should be seen as an evolving assemblage of related styles, only some of which are associated with fans who constitute a subculture. However, it is not a "category" in Walton's sense of that term. Video abstract (click to view)
A distributed, collective intelligence framework for collision-free navigation through busy intersections

Connected autonomous vehicles have the potential to cooperate at a higher level than human drivers, for instance to navigate busy intersections with relaxed traffic rules. This paper presents a novel system for autonomous traffic management through intersections based on distributed cooperative intelligence. In this framework each vehicle decides its own motion, rather than entrusting control of all vehicles to a central agent which then becomes a single point of failure. The motion plans are developed by reinforcement learning on simulations of intersection traffic. The developed system is shown to route vehicles to their destination in a safe and timely manner. In the near future, this system can be deployed to as a collision warning/collision avoidance aid to human drivers by selectively acting on the discrepancy between a human's behavior and the AI-determined safe behavior.
Soil-Forming Factors

The expression of a soil results from five factors operating collectively: climate , organisms, relief, parent material, and time (Fig. 3.1). The factors are interacting over time and cause a range of soil processes (e.g., illuviation ) that result in a diversity of soil properties (e.g., high clay content in the subsoil). Human activities that result in soil changes are often considered a sixth factor. Following the “Russian school of soil science,” Kellogg (Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey 77A. 113, 2004) illustrated the importance of geology, climate, and native vegetation on the distribution of soils in Wisconsin. Nygard et al. (Soil Science Society of America, Proceedings 16:123–129, 1952) related the general distribution of soils in the northern Great Lakes region to climate, vegetation , and parent materials. The following is a review of the role of soil-forming factors in the development of Wisconsin soils.
Update in Management of Severe Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

Mortality related to severe-moderate and severe ARDS remains high. We searched the literature to update this topic. We defined severe hypoxemic respiratory failure as Pao 2 /Fio 2 2 O, and initial positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 10 to 12 cm H 2 O. To promote alveolar recruitment, we propose increasing PEEP in increments of 2 to 3 cm provided that Pplat remains ≤ 30 cm H 2 O and driving pressure does not increase. A fluid-restricted strategy is recommended, and nonrespiratory causes of hypoxemia should be considered. For patients who remain hypoxemic after PEEP optimization, neuromuscular blockade and prone positioning should be considered. Profound refractory hypoxemia (Pao 2 /Fio 2
Characterization of two catalase-peroxidase-encoding genes in Fusarium verticillioides reveals differential responses to in vitro versus in planta oxidative challenges.

SUMMARY Catalase/peroxidases (KatGs) are a superfamily of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-degrading enzymes believed to be horizontally acquired by ancient Ascomycota from bacteria. Subsequent gene duplication resulted in two KatG paralogs in ascomycetes: the widely distributed intracellular KatG1 group, and the phytopathogen-dominated extracellular KatG2 group. To functionally characterize FvCP01 (KatG1) and FvCP02 (KatG2) in the maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, single and double gene deletion mutants were examined in response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Both ΔFvCP01 and ΔFvCP02 were more sensitive to H2O2 than the wild type in vitro, although their sensitivity differed depending on the type of inoculum. Inoculations using mycelial agar plugs demonstrated an additive effect of the mutants, with the ΔFvCP01/ΔFvCP02 double deletion being the most sensitive to H2O2. Conidia in general were much more sensitive to H2O2 than agar plugs, and conidial inoculations indicated FvCP01 conferred more H2O2 tolerance than FvCP02. Transcriptional analysis showed induction of FvCP01 but decreased expression of FvCP02 in both mycelia and spores in wild type after H2O2 exposure, but this trend was reversed when the fungus was grown on germinating maize seeds. This interaction with the plant increased expression of FvCP02 but not FvCP01, indicating FvCP02 may be responsive to plant-derived H2O2. Yet, FvCP01 was induced >3-fold in the ΔFvCP02 mutant grown on germlings, suggesting FvCP01 can compensate for the loss of FvCP02. Given the differential responses of these two F. verticillioides genes to in vitro versus in planta challenges, a model is proposed to illustrate the differing roles of FvCP01 and FvCP02 in protective responses against H2O2-derived oxidative stress. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 23 – Noninfectious Environmental Agents and Autoimmunity

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the evidence for the role of noninfectious environmental agents in the pathogenesis of human autoimmune diseases. Just as multiple genes are likely to be needed to induce autoimmune disease, multiple environmental exposures may need to occur in a particular sequence, or in tandem, to provoke the chronic immune activation that leads to autoimmunity. It is also possible that epigenetics may be influenced by environmental exposures. The definition of an environmental disease in an individual can be accomplished by identifying a new clinical disorder, which develops soon after a novel exposure, resolves when the exposure is removed, and then recurs after reintroduction of the same exposure. This approach is most easily applied in case of exposures to defined chemical entities, such as drugs, foods, and topical or inhaled toxicants. Unfortunately, many xenobiotics cannot easily be removed from an organism after exposure, and therefore, for these agents this approach is not usually helpful. Exposures in this category include inhaled silica, vaccines, fat-soluble oils, and collagen or silicone implants.
ANALYSIS OF NARRATIVE MATHEMATICAL QUESTIONS ON TEXTBOOKS BASED ON SOLO TAXONOMY AND MATHEMATICAL POWER

This study aimed to identify the proportion of diversity and suitability of narrative mathematical questions with SOLO taxonomy level and mathematical power ability. The research was conducted through quantitative descriptive. Sources of data in the forms of narrations contained in mathematics textbooks. The research procedure was conducted by making the classification and determining the percentage of the narrations based on the compatibility of SOLO taxonomy and the mathematical power ability. The results showed that, the narrative mathematical questions with uni-structural level are of 7.5%, multi-structural of 33.8%, relational of 46.6% and extended abstract of 12.1 %. In terms of compatibility of the narrative questions were able to measure 23% reasoning aspect, 18% problem solving, 8.3% connection, 28% communication and 22.6% mathematical representation. In general, mathematics textbooks as the object of research should be revised, since they have not yet achieved the ideal alignment between SOLO taxonomy based on grade level and the objective of learning develop mathematical power
Zahra: a Shattered Body and Voice from Lebanon

This article examines the gradual disintegration of Zahra, a girl from Lebanon. It studies the role of mothers in patriarchal societies and the impact of their conservative education on their daughters’ emotional and psychological growths. Raised to believe in her inferiority due to her femaleness, Zahra constantly tries to live up to the social expectations for the female gender. Each subsequent trial ends in failure. When the civil war breaks out in Lebanon, the resulting societal chaos temporarily relieves Zahra from the duties of her gender. Only this break is shortly lived as Zahra is killed.
Cioppino: Multi-Tenant Crowd Management

Embedding human computation in systems for data analysis improves the quality of the analysis, but can significantly impact the end-to-end cost and performance of the system. Recent work in crowdsourcing systems attempts to optimize for performance, but focuses on single applications running homogeneous tasks. In this work, we introduce Cioppino, a system that accounts for human factors that can affect performance when running multiple applications in parallel. Cioppino uses a queueing model to represent the pool of workers, and leverages techniques for autoscaling used in cloud computing to adaptively adjust the pool size. Its model also accounts for worker abandonment, and automatically shifts workers between applications to improve performance and match workers with tasks they enjoy most. Our evaluation of Cioppino in simulation on traces extracted from a realtime crowd system running on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk demonstrates a 19X reduction in cost, a 20% increase in throughput, and a 2X increase in worker preference for assigned tasks as compared to state-of-the-art crowd management strategies.
Correlations of Nitrogen Coupling Constants with Molecular Structure

In recent years, as the commercial availability of 15N-enriched compounds has grown, interest has increasingly focused on the measurement and interpretation of nitrogen spin-spin couplings as an aid in spectral analysis and structure elucidation. Although present theory is unable to predict accurate values of these couplings, a knowledge of the range of coupling constants found for different molecular systems has considerable potential for structure determination. This chapter is concerned with the correlation of nitrogen coupling constants with molecular structure. The coupling constant data presented here are largely derived from 15N-enriched compounds, but in certain cases data for 14N couplings are available. To facilitate comparisons the latter are converted to the corresponding 15N values by multiplication by |γ (15N)/γ(14N)| = 1.402. The subject of nitrogen NMR has previously been reviewed by Witanowski and Webb [1], Randall and Gillies [10], Mooney and Winson [11] and by Lichter [12].
Hyperloop: group-based NIC-offloading to accelerate replicated transactions in multi-tenant storage systems

Storage systems in data centers are an important component of large-scale online services. They typically perform replicated transactional operations for high data availability and integrity. Today, however, such operations suffer from high tail latency even with recent kernel bypass and storage optimizations, and thus affect the predictability of end-to-end performance of these services. We observe that the root cause of the problem is the involvement of the CPU, a precious commodity in multi-tenant settings, in the critical path of replicated transactions. In this paper, we present HyperLoop, a new framework that removes CPU from the critical path of replicated transactions in storage systems by offloading them to commodity RDMA NICs, with non-volatile memory as the storage medium. To achieve this, we develop new and general NIC offloading primitives that can perform memory operations on all nodes in a replication group while guaranteeing ACID properties without CPU involvement. We demonstrate that popular storage applications can be easily optimized using our primitives. Our evaluation results with microbenchmarks and application benchmarks show that HyperLoop can reduce 99th percentile latency ≈ 800X with close to 0% CPU consumption on replicas.
4.10 – Cellular Mechanisms of Associative Learning in Aplysia

The marine mollusk Aplysia has proven to be a useful model system for the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying associative learning. The mechanisms underlying classical and operant conditioning, two major forms of associative learning, have been elucidated utilizing feeding behavior of Aplysia and the mechanisms underlying classical conditioning have been further elucidated utilizing defensive withdrawal reflexes. Interestingly, the classical conditioning of feeding behavior induces opposite changes, compared to operant conditioning, in the membrane properties of a neuron important for the generation of feeding behavior, B51, indicating that these two forms of learning operate through distinct molecular mechanisms.
Spatial Distribution of the Index of Refraction of Suspended Matter in the Ocean

The use of the index of refraction of suspended particles as a tracer of water masses and for the analysis of the composition of particulate matter is discussed. A method for determining the index of refraction of suspended particles is presented. In order to determine an index of refraction for a s ample, the ratio of light scattered at 45° for two wavelengths and the particle-size distribution must be known. By using a ratio, the difficult problem of determining absolute scattering values is avoided. In order to evaluate the index of refraction as an oceanic parameter, two widely different oceanic areas — the Oregon coastal area and the Equatorial Facific near the Galapagos Islands — are examined. The spatial distribution of the index of refraction in these areas is studied in relation to ocean dynamics and to the nature of the suspended material. The limitations and advantages of using the index of refraction of suspended particles as an oceanic parameter are presented.