cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Associations of Non-cigarette Tobacco Product Use With Subsequent Initiation of Cigarettes in US Youths.

INTRODUCTION Understanding which non-cigarette tobacco products precede smoking in youth across different racial/ethnic groups can inform policies that consider tobacco-related health disparities. METHODS We used nationally representative, longitudinal data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study waves 1-4. The sample was a dynamic cohort of cigarette-naive youth aged 12-17 years. Mixed-effects models were used to assess non-cigarette product (e-cigarette, cigar product, or other product) use with cigarette use over 1-year intervals. RESULTS Of the 28 788 observations pooled across waves 1-4, respondents were 48.7% non-Hispanic white, 13.9% non-Hispanic black, and 23.1% Hispanic. Odds of cigarette initiation over 1-year follow-up were higher among youth with prior use of e-cigarettes (odds ratio [OR], 2.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.21-3.45), cigars (OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.42-2.80), or other products (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.28-2.14) compared to never users. At the population level, 20.6% of cigarette initiation was attributable to e-cigarette use among white youth and 21.6% among Hispanic youth, while only 3.5% of cigarette initiation was attributable to e-cigarette use among black youth. In contrast, 9.1% of cigarette initiation for black youth was attributable to cigar use compared to only 3.9% for both white and Hispanic youth. CONCLUSIONS Prior use of e-cigarettes, cigars, and other non-cigarette products were all associated with subsequent cigarette initiation. However, white and Hispanic youth were more likely to initiate cigarettes through e-cigarette use (vs. cigar or other product use), while black youth were more likely to initiate cigarettes through cigar use (vs. e-cigarette or other product use). IMPLICATIONS Our findings suggest that previous studies on effects of non-cigarette tobacco products may overlook the critical role of cigar products as a pathway into cigarette smoking among US youth, particularly black youth. While our data support the importance of e-cigarette use as a pathway into smoking, regulatory actions aimed at addressing youth e-cigarette use alone may contribute to disparities in black versus white tobacco use and further exacerbate inequities in tobacco-related disease. Thus, contemporary policy development and discourse about the effects of non-cigarette tobacco products on cigarette initiation should consider cigar and other non-cigarette products as well as e-cigarettes.
Photosynthesis-nitrogen relations in Amazonian tree species : I. Patterns among species and communities.

Among species, photosynthetic capacity (Amax) is usually related to leaf nitrogen content (N), but variation in the species-specific relationship is not well understood. To address this issue, we studied Amax-N relationships in 23 species in adjacent Amazonian com- munities differentially limited by nitrogen (N), phospho- rus (P), and/or other mineral nutrients. Five species were studied in each of three late successional forest types (Tierra Firme, Caatinga and Bana) and eight species were studied on disturbed sites (cultivated and early sec- ondary successional Tierra Firme plots). Area x expressed on a mass basis (Amass) was correlated (p < 0.05) with N.... in 17 of 23 species, and Area x on an area basis (Aarea) was correlated (p<0.05) with N.... in 21 of 23 species. The slopes of Amax-N relationships were greater and intercepts lower for disturbance adapted early suc- cessional species than for late successional species. On a mass basis, the Amax-N slope averaged g 15 gmol CO2 (g N) -~ s -1 for 7 early secondary successional species and ~4 pmol CO2 (g N) -1 s -1 for 15 late successional species, respectively. Species from disturbed sites had shorter leaf life-span and greater specific leaf area (SLA) than late successional species. Across all 23 species, the slope of the Amass-N.... relationship was related (p < 0.001) positively to SLA (r 2 = 0.70) and negatively to leaf life-span (r 2= 0.78) and temporal niche during sec- ondary succession (years since cutting-and-burning, r2= 0.90). Thus, disturbance adapted early successional species display a set of traits (short leaf life-span, high SLA and Amax and a steep slope of Amax-N) conducive to resource acquisition and rapid growth in their high resource regeneration niches. The significance and form of the Amax-N relationship were associated with the rela- tive nutrient limitations in the three late successional communities. At species and community levels, Amax was more highly dependent on N in the N-limited Caatinga than in the P- and N-limited Bana and least in the P- and Ca-limited Tierra Firme on oxisol- and dif- ferences among these three communities in their mass- based Ama slope reflects this pattern (6.0, 2.4, and 0.7 pmol CO2 (g N)- 1 s-1, respectively). Among all 23 spe- cies, the estimated leaf N.... needed to reach compensa- tion (net photosynthesis ~ zero) was positively related to the A.... -N.... slope and to dark respiration rates and negatively related to leaf life-span. Variation among species in the Amax-N slope was well correlated with potential photosynthetic N use efficiency, Ama x per unit leaf N. The dependence of Ama x on N and the form of the relationship vary among Amazonian species and com- munities, consistent with both relative availabilities of N, P, and other mineral nutrients, and with intrinsic ecophysiological characteristics of species adapted to habitats of varying resource availability.
Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy

There are many approaches to esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, with each offering unique advantages and disadvantages depending on cancer location, patient factors, and surgeon experience and preference. Our institution has favored the minimally invasive approach to an Ivor Lewis esophagectomy beginning with a laparoscopic intra-abdominal mobilization followed by a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach for the intrathoracic mobilization and anastomosis. This technique is particularly suited for mid to lower esophageal cancers, and while traditional teaching has been that intra-thoracic anastomoses that leak can have catastrophic complications, modern adjunctive strategies can mitigate the consequences when anastomotic leaks do occur (albeit rare). In addition, the minimally invasive technique is associated with reduced morbidity and equivalent long-term survival compared to open esophagectomy. In this chapter, we discuss in detail the technical aspects of a minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (Video 2.1).
'Adulting' with IBD: Efficacy of a Novel Virtual Transition Workshop for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Abstract Purpose The rising prevalence of IBD in children corresponds with a need for patient education on transition to adult care. The objective of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a novel transitions program for adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and their parents, and to assess the impact of this program on transition readiness skills, self-efficacy and participant satisfaction. Design and methods Sixteen adolescent-parent dyads participated in the virtual transition workshop. Workshop programming was designed utilizing a biopsychosocial and multidisciplinary approach to IBD management and engagement with healthcare resources. The impact of the workshop was measured utilizing validated self- and parent-report measures of transition readiness (TRAQ), self-efficacy (IBD-SES), depression (PHQ8) and anxiety (GAD7). Results Over 60% of participants found the workshop helpful and 92% would recommend it to other teens with IBD. The average adolescent transition readiness score (TRAQ) significantly increased by 5.00 points following the workshop (SD = 7.49, p = 0.04), while total parent scores increased by 10.55 points (SD = 11.15, p = 0.011). As was expected, this demonstrates increased transition readiness skills. The average total adolescent IBD-SES score decreased by 6.75 (SD = 8.95, p = 0.024). Conclusion This novel transition program resulted in increased participant transition readiness, as reported by adolescent and parents, indicating the workshop's utility in promoting tangible skill development. Self-efficacy scores did not increase; self-efficacy is a delayed measure of program success and is tied to disease status and other stressors which also changed across time points. Practice implications Future directions include continuing the virtual program for increased participation and dissemination, integrating feedback and increasing interdisciplinary involvement.
Unfit for Prime Time: Why Cable Television Regulations Cannot Perform Trinko's 'Antitrust Function'

Until recently, regulation and antitrust law operated in tandem to safeguard competition in regulated industries. In three recent decisions—Trinko, Credit Suisse, and Linkline—the Supreme Court limited the operation of the anti trust laws when regulation "performs the antitrust function." This Note argues that cable programming regulations—which are in some respects factually similar to the telecommunications regulations at issue in Trinko and Linkline—do not perform the antitrust function because they cannot deter anticompetitive conduct. As a result, Trinko and its siblings should not foreclose antitrust claims for damages that arise out of certain cable programming disputes.
Amphibole reaction rims as a record of pre-eruptive magmatic heating: An experimental approach

Abstract Magmatic minerals record the pre-eruptive timescales of magma ascent and mixing in crustal reservoirs and conduits. Investigations of the mineral records of magmatic processes are fundamental to our understanding of what controls eruption style, as ascent rates and magma mixing processes are well known to control and/or trigger potentially hazardous explosive eruptions. Thus, amphibole reaction rims are often used to infer pre-eruptive magma dynamics, and in particular to estimate magma ascent rates. However, while several experimental studies have investigated amphibole destabilization during decompression, only two investigated thermal destabilization relevant to magma mixing processes. This study examines amphibole decomposition experimentally through isobaric heating of magnesio-hornblende phenocrysts within a natural high-silica andesite glass. The experiments first equilibrated for 24 h at 870 °C and 140 MPa at H2O-saturated conditions and ƒO2 ∼ Re–ReO prior to rapid heating to 880, 900, or 920 °C and hold times of 3–48 h. At 920 °C, rim thicknesses increased from 17 μm after 3 h, to 55 μm after 12 h, and became pseudomorphs after longer durations. At 900 °C, rim thicknesses increased from 7 μm after 3 h, to 80 μm after 24 h, to pseudomorphs after longer durations. At 880 °C, rim thicknesses increased from 7 μm after 3 h, to 18 μm after 36 h, to pseudomorphs after 48 h. Reaction rim microlites vary from 5–16 μm in size, with no systematic relationship between crystal size and the duration or magnitude of heating. Time-averaged rim microlite growth rates decrease steadily with increasing experimental duration (from 3.97 × 10 − 7 mm s − 1 to 3.1 to 3.5 × 10 − 8 mm s − 1 ). Time-averaged microlite nucleation rates also decrease with increasing experimental duration (from 1.2 × 10 3 mm − 3 s − 1 to 5.3 mm−3 s−1). There is no systematic relationship between time-averaged growth or nucleation rates and the magnitude of the heating step. Ortho- and clinopyroxene together constitute 57–90 modal % mineralogy in each reaction rim. At constant temperature, clinopyroxene abundances decrease with increasing experimental duration, from 72 modal % (3 h at 900 °C) to 0% (48 h at 880 °C, and 36 h at 900 and 920 °C). Fe–Ti oxides increase from 6–12 modal % (after 3–6 h) to 26–34 modal % (after 36–48 h). Plagioclase occurs in relatively minor amounts ( 500 μm from reacted amphibole) are consistent with inter-microlite rim glasses (71.3–77.7 wt.% SiO2) within a given experiment and there is a weakly positive correlation between increasing run duration and inter-microlite melt SiO2 (68.9–78.5 wt.%). Our results indicate that experimental heating-induced amphibole reaction rims have thicknesses, textures, and mineralogies consistent with many of the natural reaction rims seen at arc-andesite volcanoes. They are also texturally consistent with experimental decompression reaction rims. On this basis it may be challenging to distinguish between decompression and heating mechanisms in nature.
HEMOLYTIC REACTIONS PRODUCED IN DOGS BY TRANSFUSION OF INCOMPATIBLE DOG BLOOD AND PLASMA I. SEROLOGIC AND HEMATOLOGIC ASPECTS

1. Dogs injected intravenously with dog erythrocytes containing one or more antigenic factors lacking in their own red cells developed iso-hemagglutinins and hemolysins exhibiting characteristics of immune antibodies. 2. Transfusions of incompatible whole dog blood and plasma were carried out under controlled conditions. Pretransfusion observations were made and followed by closely spaced post-transfusion measurements of serologic and hematologic alterations. 3. The rate of destruction of incompatible donated corpuscles was determined by tagging the cells with radioactive iron and also by employing the technique of differential agglutination of erythrocytes. It was thereby shown that all of the incompatible donated cells disappeared from the recipient’s circulation within the first thirty to ninety minutes following transfusion. The probable mechanisms and relative importance of intra- and extravascular destruction of erythrocytes are briefly discussed. 4. Destruction of recipient dogs’ corpuscles by donated immune plasma was relatively slow, and spherocytosis and increased osmotic fragility of the recipients’ cells were evident for periods as long as twenty days. These observations are compared with those made in human beings after transfusions of plasma and of blood from dangerous universal donors. 5. The titer of complement in the sera of recipient dogs was sharply reduced for at least five hours after all transfusions of incompatible whole blood, but isoagglutinin titers were less regularly reduced after such transfusions. 6. Other notations of interest included estimates of the concentrations of serum bilirubin, sodium and potassium, determinations of clotting time, prothrombin concentration, and observations on red cell morphology, intravascular erythrophagocytosis, and shifts in distribution of leukocytes and in the electrophoretic patterns of plasma. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge the technical assistance of Mrs. Jane Peters, Miss Mary Jane Izzo and Miss Shirley Deshon.
Refining the University of Idaho Clean Snowmobile

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) is designed to give students throughout the United States and Canada the opportunity to further snowmobile technology while gaining valuable design experience. Current snowmobiles are loud and emit large amounts of hydrocarbons and other pollutants into otherwise pristine environments. The primary goals of the CSC focus on removing these undesirable characteristics from snowmobiles. The 2002 University of Idaho Clean Snowmobile consisted of a four-stroke BMW K75RT motorcycle engine mounted into a 2001 model ArcticCat SnoPro chassis. The University of Idaho Clean Snowmobile finished first in the 2002 competition! The team also won the awards for Best Fuel Economy, Best Design, Best Performance, and the Hill Climb. The competition snowmobile showed reduced emissions well below the competition's requirements while exceeding sound reduction requirements and increasing fuel economy by 56%. Later testing at Southwest Research Institute showed that the University of Idaho snowmobile was also cleaner than the two commercially available four-stroke snowmobiles. During the competition, the snowmobile had no problems and required no maintenance or repairs. The University of Idaho Clean Snowmobile provides an excellent balance between cost, environmental soundness, and consumer acceptability.
Studies of Ribonucleic Acid Chain Initiation by Escherichia coli Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase Bound to T7 Deoxyribonucleic Acid I. AN ASSAY FOR THE RATE AND EXTENT OF RIBONUCLEIC ACID CHAIN INITIATION

Abstract When highly stable binary complexes of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase with T7 DNA are challenged with a mixture of rifampicin and the four ribonucleoside triphosphates, a major fraction of the enzyme molecules can initiate an RNA chain despite the presence of the drug. The exact fraction depends upon both the rifampicin concentration and the concentration of the ribonucleoside triphosphates: by raising the rifampicin concentration or lowering the ribonucleoside triphosphate concentration, the fraction of enzyme molecules inactivated by rifampicin progressively increases. Quantitatively, these results are most simply explained if RNA polymerase in a highly stable binary complex with T7 DNA is attacked by rifampicin at a constant rate in a second order reaction. The ability of enzyme molecules to initiate an RNA chain in such a challenge experiment is due to the relatively rapid rate of RNA chain initiation. There is no evidence that RNA polymerase in the highly stable binary complex can assume a conformation which is truly resistant to rifampicin prior to RNA chain initiation. This finding provides the basis for a specific assay for measuring the intrinsic rate of RNA chain initiation by E. coli RNA polymerase holoenzyme-T7 DNA binary complexes and for measuring the fraction of enzyme in such complexes which can initiate an RNA chain rapidly. The assay consists of varying the rifampicin concentration in a challenge experiment where both rifampicin and the ribonucleoside triphosphates are competing for RNA polymerase holoenzyme-T7 DNA complexes. At a given rifampicin concentration the half-life of a binary complex is limited to a known time interval, and consequently the intrinsic rate of RNA chain initiation can be measured. Under standard assay conditions, over 90 % of the holoenzyme molecules in binary complexes with T7 DNA initiate an RNA chain with an apparent first order rate constant for RNA chain initiation of 3.0 s-1 (t1/2 = 0.23 s). The fraction of enzyme molecules able to initiate an RNA chain rapidly (but not the rate of RNA chain initiation) depends on the amount of σ subunit in the enzyme preparation. Variation of the ribonucleoside triphosphate concentration in the RNA chain initiation assay, from 0.04 mm to 0.8 mm yields a linear relationship between the apparent first order rate constant for RNA chain initiation and the ribonucleoside triphosphate concentration.
Searching, Data Mining and Visualization of Multimedia Data

The talk describes methods for similarity search and for rule discovery in multimedia databases.
Positive regulation of glutamate biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract Nitrogen source regulation of glutamate synthase activity in Bacillus subtilis occurs at the level of transcription of the gltA and gltB genes, which encode the two subunits of the enzyme. We show here that transcription of gltA requires the product of gltC, a gene whose transcription is divergent from that of gltA and whose transcriptional control sequences overlap those of gltA. gltC mutants had decreased, aberrantly regulated levels of glutamate synthase activity and decreased gltA mRNA. The gltC gene product could act in trans to complement both these defects. In addition, the gltC gene product repressed its own transcription. The DNA sequence of gltC revealed that its putative product is very similar to a number of positive regulatory proteins from gram-negative bacteria (the LysR family).
A revenue-based model for making resource investment decisions in IP networks

Capacity planning is a critical task in network management. It identifies how much capacity is needed to match future traffic demand. It directly affects customer satisfaction and revenues. In this work we present a network usage analysis tool called Dynamic Netvalue Analyzer (DNA), which helps alleviate a big problem that network engineers and marketing executives face - making optimal resource investment decisions. Marketing executives have to project customer growth while network engineers have to project traffic volume based on the entire customer population. DNA helps the prediction process by presenting actual network usage data from a business perspective, in a form that is useful to both network engineers and marketing executives. Using these projections, decisions on how to upgrade resources can be made. We show that information from DNA can be used to: (1) quantify revenue earned on each link; (2) quantify return-on-investment on performing a link upgrade; and (3) quantify the loss due to customer dissatisfaction when a link is not upgraded. We also illustrate how these formulations based on business information can be used to improve capacity planning decisions.
Using Association Rules for Classification from Databases Having Class Label Ambiguities: A Belief Theoretic Method

This chapter introduces a belief theoretic method for classification from databases having class label ambiguities. It uses a set of association rules extracted from such a database. It is assumed that a training data set with an adequate number of pre-classified instances, where each instance is assigned with an integer class label, is available. We use a modified association rule mining (ARM) technique to extract the interesting rules from the training data set and use a belief theoretic classifier based on the extracted rules to classify the incoming feature vectors. The ambiguity modelling capability of belief theory enables our classifier to perform better in the presence of class label ambiguities. It can also address the issue of the training data set being unbalanced or highly skewed by ensuring that an approximately equal number of rules are generated for each class. All these capabilities make our classifier ideally suited for those applications where (1) different experts may have conflicting opinions about the class label to be assigned to a specific training data instance; and (2) the majority of the training data instances are likely to represent a few classes giving rise to highly skewed databases. Therefore, the proposed classifier would be extremely useful in security monitoring and threat classification environments where conflicting expert opinions about the threat level are common and only a few training data instances would be considered to pose a heightened threat level. Several experiments are conducted to evaluate our proposed classifier. These experiments use several databases from the UCI data repository and data sets collected from the airport terminal simulation platform developed at the Distributed Decision Environments (DDE) Laboratory at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Miami. The experimental results show that, while the proposed classifier’s performance is comparable to some existing classifiers when the databases have no class label ambiguities, it provides superior classification accuracy and better efficiency when class label ambiguities are present.
Vacuum Gauge Tensiometer

Soil water plays an important role in providing water for plant growth. The vacuum gauge tensiometer is a soil water measuring device that is sensitive to soil water change. The quantity of soil water that adheres around soil particles determines the energy level at which it is being retained or pulled. In other words, the plant root has to exert energy to pull water out of a soil matrix. This energy is also expressed as tension the roots experience in removing the water. Tensiometer is like a mechanical root but shows the tension in the vacuum gauge attached to it. It is an indirect method to determine soil water status. Direct measure of water content is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the result lags behind the current time. Hence, irrigators depend on indirect methods. Vacuum gauge tensiometer is inexpensive, easy to use, and a preferred measurement method, especially for course-textured soils. Keywords: soil water; vacuum gauge tensiometer; ceramic tip/cup; tensiometer; soil suction
Electrochemical Reduction of Ag0.48VOPO4: A Mechanistic Study Employing X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy and X-Ray Powder Diffraction

The electrochemical reduction of Ag0.48VOPO4 • 1.9H2O is accompanied by vanadium and silver oxidation state changes, characterized with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and by structural changes, characterized with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The XAS data suggest that the initial reduction process, involving 0 to 0.5 electron equivalents, involved primarily the reduction of vanadium cations, while most of the silver cations are reduced between 0.5 to 1.0 electron equivalents. The XRD data display significant intensity decreases of absorbances associated with the 004 and 006 planes upon electrochemical reduction, consistent with a reduction-displacement of Ag+ with insertion of Li+. Retention of intensity of the absorbance associated with the 002 plane, with only minor decrease in interlayer spacing, indicates retention of the VOPO4 sublattice structure. Uncovering the details of the discharge mechanism of bimetallic cathode materials such as Ag0.48VOPO4 should enable the design of future high current cathodes for secondary batteries displaying an enhanced current capacity based on a reduction-displacement strategy. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0621508jes] All rights reserved.
Quantitative observations of stratospheric chlorine monoxide as a function of latitude and season during the period 1980-1983

Results are presented for the Cl0 column density between ~30–35 km, and the mixing ratio at 38 km, from data taken during the period January 1980 to Dec. 1983. These data were taken from three different locations, at 42°, 32° and 20°N. We contrast the limited variation observed in this data set with the substantially large variations observed by the in-situ resonance fluorescence observations of Anderson, et al.
Focal hemosiderin deposits and β-amyloid load in the ADNI cohort.

Abstract Background Prevalence and risk factors for focal hemosiderin deposits are important considerations when planning amyloid-modifying trials for treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods Subjects were cognitively normal ( n = 171), early-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) ( n = 240), late-MCI ( n = 111), and AD ( n = 40) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Microhemorrhages and superficial siderosis were assessed at baseline and on all available MRIs at 3, 6, and 12 months. β-amyloid load was assessed with 18 F-florbetapir positron emission tomography. Results Prevalence of superficial siderosis was 1% and prevalence of microhemorrhages was 25% increasing with age ( P P P Conclusions Focal hemosiderin deposits are relatively common in the ADNI cohort and are associated with β-amyloid load.
Identification of microtubule binding sites in the Ncd tail domain.

Nonclaret disjunctional (Ncd) is a minus end-directed, C-terminal motor protein that is required for spindle assembly and maintenance during meiosis and early mitosis in Drosophila oocytes and early embryos. Ncd has an ATP-independent MT binding site in the N-terminal tail domain, and an ATP-dependent MT binding site in the C-terminal motor domain. The ability of Ncd to cross-link MTs through the action of these binding sites may be important for Ncd function in vivo. To identify the region(s) responsible for ATP-independent MT interactions of Ncd, 12 cDNAs coding various regions of Ncd tail domain were expressed in E. coli as C-terminal fusions to thioredoxin (Trx). Ncd tail fusion proteins (TrxNT) were purified by ion exchange (S-Sepharose) and/or Talon metal affinity chromatography. Purified TrxNT and NT proteins were analyzed in microtubule (MT) cosedimentation and bundling assays to identify which tail proteins were able to bind and bundle MTs. Based on the results of these experiments, all TrxNT and...
Analytical modeling of MAC protocol in ad hoc networks

In ad hoc networks, CSMA/CA is a widely used MAC layer protocol. There has been considerable work on the performance evaluation of this protocol. But most work is confined to saturation performance of single-hop ad hoc networks. In this paper, we employ a linear feedback model to evaluate the performance for CSMA/CA according to the Poisson distributed traffic in both single-hop and multi-hop ad hoc networks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to analytically evaluate the performance for CSMA/CA protocol under a general assumption about the traffic. This paper also gives analytical results, showing the impact of RTS/CTS. Although RTS/CTS do add the overhead to the system, they become essential when either the hidden terminal problem is dominant, or the traffic is heavy, or the packet length is very large. This paper also shows that the performance degrades dramatically in multi-hop ad hoc networks when the number of competing nodes increases, which implies that the scalability is still a major problem in ad hoc networks. To validate our analytical results, we have done extensive simulations, and it is observed that the simulation results match the analytical results very well. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Offending the Powerful: Tacitus' Dialogus de Oratoribus and Safe Criticism

This paper argues that the character of Curiatius Maternus in Tacitus’ Dialogus de Oratoribus is consistent throughout the dialogue in his attitude to the imperial regime. Maternus begins the dialogue in outright dissent, while in the second half he appears to be an apologist for the regime. Accepting the ironic reading of Maternus’ concluding speech, this paper asserts that Maternus shifts to figured speech in reaction to M. Aper, who expresses solidarity with the political values and rhetorical style of the delatores, and Vipstanus Messalla, the half-brother of the delator M. Aquilius Regulus. Confronted with such individuals, Maternus recognizes he must change the tenor of his language. Thus, his concluding speech is ironic critique consistent with his earlier dissent.
Sea Level at Tahiti—A Minimum of Variability

Abstract Sea level variability at Tahiti is analyzed from daily to interannual time scales and compared with that at neighboring island stations. Tahiti lies close to an amphidromic point with respect to the major semidiurnal tides; it is rarely affected by strong atmospheric disturbances, and the standard deviations of daily and monthly mean sea level are the lowest for nearby stations with a representative record length. Low-frequency variability of sea level is smallest when compared with nearby stations; only the 1982–83 El Nino event is clearly apparent in the data. Tahiti displays the lowest variability of sea level on all time scales considered, which makes it an ideal location for the calibration of satellite altimeter measurements.
Solubilities and diffusivities of water vapor in poly(methylmethacrylate), poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate), poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) and poly(acrylonitrile)

Abstract Sorption and diffusion data were obtained for water vapor in four different polymers: poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA), poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN) at 35 °C using a gravimetric sorption method. Highest sorption was for PVP, followed by PHEMA. PMMA and PAN sorbed very little water. All the polymers exhibit a BET type III sorption isotherm; the large upturn at high activity for PVP and PHEMA is probably due to plasticization of the polymers by water vapor. Sorption data were interpreted using Flory–Huggins theory and the Zimm and Lundberg cluster integral. Fickian diffusion is observed for PHEMA. For PVP, the fractional uptake Mt/M∞ is linear with the square root of the time up to Mt/M∞=0.6−0.8 for all water activities aw, but it shows a clear water sorption overshoot at aw=55.3% and aw=72.1%, probably due to macromolecular relaxation. PMMA sorption kinetics is also characterized by a maximum in the water uptake. The diffusion coefficient increases significantly with water concentration for PVP and PHEMA, weakly for PMMA, but it is independent of concentration for PAN.
A simple geometric method of estimating the error in using Vieta's product for π

Vieta's famous product using factors that are nested radicals is the oldest infinite product as well as the first non-iterative method for finding π. In this paper a simple geometric construction intimately related to this product is described. The construction provides the same approximations to π as are given by partial products from Vieta's formula. Upper and lower bounds for the error are obtained in a visual way.
Design Sensitivity and Efficiency in Observational Studies

An observational study attempts to draw inferences about the effects caused by a treatment when subjects are not randomly assigned to treatment or control as they would be in a randomized trial. After adjustments have been made for imbalances in measured covariates, the key source of uncertainty in an observational study is the possibility that subjects were not comparable prior to treatment in terms of some unmeasured covariate, so that differing outcomes in treated and control groups are not effects caused by the treatment. A sensitivity analysis asks about the magnitude of the departure from random assignment needed to alter the qualitative conclusions of the study, and the power of a sensitivity analysis and the design sensitivity anticipate the outcome of a sensitivity analysis under an assumed model for treatment effect. Lacking theoretical guidance, we tend to select statistical methods for use in observational studies based on their efficiency in randomized experiments. This turns out to be a mist...
Contrast agents: innovations and potential applications for body MR angiography.

In 1985, Wedeen et al [1,2] described the ability of MR imaging to illustrate blood vessels by using flow-dependent techniques, methods now well known as time-of-flight MR angiography. It was not until the 1990s, however, with numerous innovations for the more reliable and robust method of contrast-enhanced (CE) MR angiography, that the use of MR imaging has become routine clinically for vascular diagnosis. Today a variety of gadolinium (Gd)-chelate contrast agents are commercially available in the United States for neurologic and body imaging applications, although none is approved yet by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for MR angiography. Although off-label, the use of contrast media for MR angiography [3,4] has been shown to be reliable, safe, and accurate in clinical practice [5–11] and in many centers has replaced more invasive x-ray catheter angiography as a primary standard for vascular diagnosis [12]. In its current implementation, CE MR angiography typically is performed using one of the commercially available extracellular Gd-chelate contrast agents with a three-dimensional (3D) fast spoiled gradient echo pulse sequence timed for contrast bolus filling of the target vasculature (Fig. 1). Vascular illustration on CE MR angiography is provided by the T1 shortening effects of Gd on blood. The preferential timing of 3D MR
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation of resistive switching and filament growth in electrochemical RRAMs

In recent years, Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) has received attention as a promising candidate for scaled memories [1]. An atomic-scale simulation tool that can describe the dynamics of RRAM operation is still lacking. Using a two dimensional (2D) Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method, we have simulated the switching I–V characteristic and related filament morphology of electrochemical metallic (ECM) type RRAMs. These are considered promising for both memory and configurable logic applications due to their low-power switching and very low resistance on-state. As a result, an understanding of the underlying physics and dependencies is particularly important. In our simulation, because most important physical and chemical processes, such as oxidation, reduction, metal crystallization, ion adsorption, desorption and transportation have been taken into account, the simulated I–V curve accurately shows all the typical RRAM SET stage behaviors, including the filament overgrowth effect.
A Psychoeducational Group Intervention for Family Members of Persons with HIV/AIDS

We describe a psychoeducational group intervention for family members of persons living with AIDS. The 33 family members were compared with 13 waiting-list controls in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. We focus on the practice aspects of the intervention, its development and implementation, and our belief that it is an apparently effective approach for helping family members work through the social and emotional aspects of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.
Impact of improved measurements on performance of a smart thermal energy system

Decentralized electrical energy systems will play an essential role in the future smart grid. In this paper, we introduce a new industrial scale electric thermal energy system using a high-voltage electrode boiler, of which the level of electricity consumption can be adjusted as desired. It is also shown that, with appropriate instrumentation and measurement algorithms, the energy consumption can be adjusted quickly and accurately. This feature makes such a thermal energy system an ideal candidate to deal with the variability of renewable energy, to respond to the prices in the electric power markets and support the frequency stability of the power grid.
MNK1, a new MAP kinase‐activated protein kinase, isolated by a novel expression screening method for identifying protein kinase substrates

We have developed a novel expression screening method for identifying protein kinase substrates. In this method, a lambda phage cDNA expression library is screened by in situ, solid-phase phosphorylation using purified protein kinase and [gamma-32P]ATP. Screening a HeLa cDNA library with ERK1 MAP kinase yielded cDNAs of previously characterized ERK substrates, c-Myc and p90RSK, demonstrating the utility of this method for identifying physiological protein kinase substrates. A novel clone isolated in this screen, designated MNK1, encodes a protein-serine/threonine kinase, which is most similar to MAP kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MAPKAP-K2), 3pK/MAPKAP-K3 and p90RSK. Bacterially expressed MNK1 was phosphorylated and activated in vitro by ERK1 and p38 MAP kinases but not by JNK/SAPK. Further, MNK1 was activated upon stimulation of HeLa cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, fetal calf serum, anisomycin, UV irradiation, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, or osmotic shock, and the activation by these stimuli was differentially inhibited by the MEK inhibitor PD098059 or the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB202190. Together, these results indicate that MNK1 is a novel class of protein kinase that is activated through both the ERK and p38 MAP kinase signaling pathways.
Microfabricated air-microfluidic sensor for personal monitoring of airborne particulate matter: Design, fabrication, and experimental results

Abstract We present the design and fabrication of a micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) air-microfluidic particulate matter (PM) sensor, and show experimental results obtained from exposing the sensor to concentrations of tobacco smoke and diesel exhaust, two commonly occurring PM sources. Our sensor measures only 25 mm × 21 mm × 2 mm in size and is two orders of magnitude smaller than commercially available direct mass PM sensors. The small shape allows our sensor to be used for continuous recording of personal PM exposure levels. The sensor contains an air-microfluidic circuit that separates the particles by size (virtual impactor) and then transports and deposits the selected particles using thermophoretic precipitation onto the surface of a microfabricated mass-sensitive film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). The mass-loading of the FBAR causes a change in its resonant frequency, and the rate of the frequency change corresponds to the particle concentration in the sampled air volume. We present experimental results that demonstrate the performance of our sensor for measuring PM mass emitted from diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke, and show that it exhibits sensitivity approaching 2 μg/m3 with up to 10 min integration time.
Hemophagocytosis on Bone Marrow Aspirate Cytology: Single Center Experience in North Himalayan Region of India

Background: The differentiation of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with other causes of hemophagocytosis is essential as HLH is lifeâthreatening condition and requires definite clinical and biochemical criteria for its diagnosis. Aim: The present study was conducted to study hemophagocytosis on bone marrow aspirates and to observe if there is any difference on bone marrow examination between HLH and non HLH cases showing hemophagocytosis. Materials and Methods: The study reviewed all the cases of bone marrow aspirate for evidence of hemophagocytosis in which at least three smears and 500 nucleated cells were observed for every case. The cases were provisionally diagnosed as HLH according to the proposed HLH diagnostic criteria, 2009. Results: A total of 80 cases showed hemophagocytosis in the present study with infections followed by HLH being the most common cause. Pancytopenia and erythroid hyperplasis were common hematological presentation. Moderate to severe hemophagocytosis was observed in HLH cases while mild grade in non HLH cases. Conclusion: The study concludes that hemophagocytosis even if observed in single cell should always be documented in the bone marrow reports. It may be the only indicator of subtle infection in the marrow. Pancytopenia and higher grade of hemophagocytosis on bone marrow examination may be helpful in establishing an early differentiation of HLH and non HLH cases.
Computational studies of light shift in a Raman–Ramsey interference-based atomic clock

Determining light shift in Raman–Ramsey (RR) interference is important for the development of atomic frequency standards based on a vapor cell. We have accurately calculated light shift in RR interference using the density-matrix equations for a three-level system without invoking the adiabatic approximation. Specifically, phase shifts associated with coherent density-matrix terms are studied as they are relevant to the detection of RR interference in transmission (or absorption) through the medium. For the single-velocity case, the numerically computed results are compared with the analytical results obtained using the adiabatic approximation. The result shows light shift suppression in conformity with the closed-form analytic solutions. The computational studies have also been extended to investigate RR interference for a Doppler-broadened vapor medium. Importantly, a velocity-induced frequency shift is found at the fringe center as an additional source of frequency error for a vapor cell Raman clock.
Ligand Receptor Dynamics at Streptavidin-Coated Particle Surfaces: A Flow Cytometric and Spectrofluorimetric Study

We have the studied the binding of 5-((N-(5-(N-(6-(biotinoyl)amino)hexanoyl)amino)pentyl)thioureidyl)fluorescein (fluorescein biotin) to 6.2 μm diameter, streptavidin-coated polystyrene beads using a combination of fluorimetric and flow cytometric methods. We have determined the average number of binding sites per bead, the extent of fluorescein quenching upon binding to the bead, and the association and dissociation kinetics. We estimate the site number to be ≈1 million per bead. The binding of the fluorescein biotin ligand occurs in steps where the insertion of the biotin moiety into one receptor pocket is followed immediately by the capture of the fluorescein moiety by a neighboring binding pocket; fluorescence quenching is a consequence of this secondary binding. At high surface coverage, the dominant mechanism of quenching appears to be via the formation of nonfluorescent nearest-neighbor aggregates. At early times, the binding process is characterized by biphasic association and dissociation kinetic...
Radicals, Whigs and conservatives: the middle and lower classes in the analytical revolution at Cambridge in the age of aristocracy

With the coming of the French Revolution in 1789 and its attack on monarchy, the landed aristocracy, the religious establishment and religion itself, and especially with the coming of the sans culottes and the First French Republic and its ‘Terror’ in 1793–94, fear of revolution swept the British establishment. Sensing revolution everywhere, successive Tory governments, rooted in the alliance of the Church of England, the landed aristocracy and the monarchy, practised a consistent and harsh policy of repression. Neither the fear nor the repression eased with the arrival of, or indeed, with the departure of, Napoleon who, as Emperor from 1804 to 1815, seemed determined to conquer Britain by means of revolutionary propaganda, economic blockade and/or military invasion.
A fast, automatic camera image stabilization benchmarking scheme

While image stabilization(IS ) has become a default functionality for most digital cameras, there is a lack of automatic IS evaluation scheme. Most publicly known camera IS reviews either require human visual assessment or resort to some generic blur metric. The former is slow and inconsistent, and the latter may not be easily scalable with respect to resolution variation and exposure variation when comparing different cameras. We proposed a histogram based automatic IS evaluation scheme, which employs a white noise pattern as shooting target. It is able to produce accurate and consistent IS benchmarks in a very fast manner.
Antioxidant treatment of tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a frequently occurring side effect of treatment with neuroleptic antipsychotic drugs. TD is a persistent and often irreversible syndrome characterized by abnormal movements, including lingual and orofacial dyskinesia, grimacing, tics, choreic movements of the limbs and trunk, and athetosis and dystonia. In some patients the muscles of respiration and speech may also be involved. There is no established treatment for TD.
CHESS GAMES : A MODEL FOR RNA BASED COMPUTATION

Here we develop the theory of RNA computing and a method for solving the 'knight problem' as an instance of a satisfiability (SAT) problem. Using only biological molecules and enzymes as tools, we developed an algorithm for solving the knight problem (3 x 3 chess board) using a 10-bit combinatorial pool and sequential RNase H digestions. The results of preliminary experiments presented here reveal that the protocol recovers far more correct solutions than expected at random, but the persistence of errors still presents the greatest challenge.