cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of optical system simulation software in a fiber optic telecommunications program

One of our objectives in the College of Applied Science and Technology at RIT is to offer our students some kind of "hands-on" experience along with theory. Providing a hands-on experience can be costly, however, especially in the field of optical communication. Although reasonably priced laboratory kits are available, the optical-electronic components in these kits are well below communication grade. Thus if we rely only on hardware, our students can only experiment with low power, low bit rate communication over a few kilometers of fiber. Computer simulation software offers an affordable alternative "hands-on" experience. With this software, a student can create a model of an optical system, execute the model and view measures of the system's performance. The system components can include DFB laser diodes, high-speed modulators, hundreds of kilometers of fiber, APD receivers and other optical and electrical components. The student can view the optical signals in the time or frequency domain, measure optical power and signal-to-noise ratio and much more. He or she can also view the effects of parameter variations or find the optimal value of a parameter. The software is easy to learn, especially if the student has previous experience with an electronic system simulator. This paper describes our application of an optical-electronic system simulator in the Telecommunications Engineering Technology program at RIT. We are developing a series of exercises to complement courses in fiber optic. These exercises will allow students to model and test systems that they have designed. We expect computer simulation to enhance our fiber optic courses significantly by adding a reasonably realistic and accessible test bed for student designs.
Three‐residue loop closure in proteins: A new kinematic method reveals a locus of connected loop conformations

The closure of a three-residue loop was studied using a developed kinematic method. It was shown that there are infinite number of three-residue loops (a locus of conformations), which can connect two segments of a polypeptide. This adds to the current understanding of a finite number of conformations for three-residue loop-closure. In the developed method, some of the equations can be solved analytically to reduce the computation cost. Benefiting from the reduced computation time, we determined all the relative positions of two polypeptide segments that can be connected by a three-residue loop.
Total contact casting combined with human fibroblast-derived dermal tissue in 15 DFU patients.

Objective: To investigate the use of a cryopreserved human fibroblast-derived dermal substitute (Dermagraft; DG) in combination with total contact casting (TCC) in patients with diabetic foot ulcers, compared with previously published rates of healing with TCC alone. Method: Fifteen consecutive diabetic foot ulcer patients were referred to a multi-speciality clinic to be managed with a combination of DG and TCC, after showing no progress toward healing following at least 4 weeks of standard, conservative therapy. Follow-up visits were scheduled every 7 days, for a period of 12 weeks, or until fully healed. At each visit, DG and TCC were applied by the investigating clinician, and ulcer size and depth were recorded. Photographs were taken once a month, or when healed. If indicated, debridement was done to remove fibrotic tissue, callus and slough. Results: The results demonstrated an average healing rate of 23.7 ± 16.3 days. The average number of DG applications was 2.1. There was no correlation observed b...
An integrated CAD system for algorithm-specific IC design

Lager, an integrated CAD (computer-aided design) system for algorithm-specific IC design, is described. It consists of a behavioral mapper and a silicon assembler. To generate a chip from a behavioral description, the user specifies both the behavioral description and a parameterized structural description. The behavior is mapped onto the parameterized structure to produce microcode and parameter values. The silicon assembler then translates the fill-out structural description into a physical layout. A number of algorithm-specific ICs designed with Lager have been fabricated and tested. A robot-control chip is described. >
Narrow bandwidth electrooptic polarization modulator using GaAs quantum-well waveguides

An electrooptic TE-TM polarization converter using a strip-loaded GaAs-AlGaAs multiple quantum well waveguide is discussed. At a wavelength of 870.5 nm, or an energy of approximately 50 meV below the heavy hole exciton resonance, a polarization conversion efficiency of 0.6 degrees /V-mm has been achieved. In addition, a spectral bandwidth of approximately 0.6 nm has been measured for a 3.8-mm-long device. Results indicate that modal birefringence and electroabsorption, due to exciton broadening in the presence of a lateral field, has a significant effect on device efficiency and spectral bandwidth. The mode converter described should be well-suited for use with semiconductor laser diodes in optical signal processing and computing applications. >
Identical Substitutions in Magnesium Chelatase Paralogs Result in Chlorophyll-Deficient Soybean Mutants

The soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] chlorophyll-deficient line MinnGold is a spontaneous mutant characterized by yellow foliage. Map-based cloning and transgenic complementation revealed that the mutant phenotype is caused by a nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution in the third exon of a Mg-chelatase subunit gene (ChlI1a) on chromosome 13. This gene was selected as a candidate for a different yellow foliage mutant, T219H (Y11y11), that had been previously mapped to chromosome 13. Although the phenotypes of MinnGold and T219H are clearly distinct, sequencing of ChlI1a in T219H identified a different nonsynonymous mutation in the third exon, only six base pairs from the MinnGold mutation. This information, along with previously published allelic tests, were used to identify and clone a third yellow foliage mutation, CD-5, which was previously mapped to chromosome 15. This mutation was identified in the ChlI1b gene, a paralog of ChlI1a. Sequencing of the ChlI1b allele in CD-5 identified a nonsynonymous substitution in the third exon that confers an identical amino acid change as the T219H substitution at ChlI1a. Protein sequence alignments of the two Mg-chelatase subunits indicated that the sites of amino acid modification in MinnGold, T219H, and CD-5 are highly conserved among photosynthetic species. These results suggest that amino acid alterations in this critical domain may create competitive inhibitory interactions between the mutant and wild-type ChlI1a and ChlI1b proteins.
XXXV.—On the genus Theatops

(1888). XXXV.—On the genus Theatops. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 283-290.
Penetration of epidermis by ultraviolet rays.

— The u.v. transmission characteristics of various epidermal specimens prepared by various methods were measured by a recording spectrophotometer and integrating spheres. Although suction or stretch and heat produced the most satisfactory specimens, transmission data obtained from all specimens were similar and generally resembled that reported by previous investigators. The important contribution of forward scattering to total transmitted light was demonstrated. Significant numbers of u.v. photons have been shown to penetrate to the dermis and papillary capillaries. Erythema was produced in vivo by monochromatic light filtered through epidermal specimens after exposure of skin to the quantity of u.v. anticipated by these data.
Personal identification using computerized human ear recognition system

Biometric authentication for personal identification is very popular now a days. Human ear recognition system is a new technology in this field. The change of appearance with the expression was a major problem in face biometrics but in case of ear biometrics the shape and appearance is fixed. That is why it is advantageous to use it for personal identification. In this paper, we have proposed a new approach for an automated system for human ear identification. Our proposed method consists of three stages. In the first stage, preprocessing of ear image is done for its contrast enhancement and size normalization. In the second stage, features are extracted through Haar wavelets followed by ear identification using fast normalized cross correlation in the third stage. The proposed method is applied on USTB ear image database and IIT Delhi ear image database. Experimental results show that our proposed system achieves an average accuracy of 97.2% and 95.2% on these databases respectively.
Simultaneous monitoring of multiple urinary cytokines may predict renal and patient outcome in ischemic AKI

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disorder associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Ischemia is the leading cause of AKI. This is a pilot study investigating the ability of multiple urinary cytokines to predict renal functional outcome and mortality in patients with ischemic AKI. Urine samples were obtained from 45 subjects with ischemic AKI on the day of renal consultation and 3 days later. The urinary concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interferon-inducible protein (IP)-10, regulated on activation, normal T-expressed and secreted (RANTES), transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were measured simultaneously using a microsphere-based immunofluorescence assay. Urinary cytokine levels (pg/mg urine creatinine), which predict renal functional recovery or no recovery the next day and 7 days and 3 months later, were identified. Increased urinary IP-10 and IL-8 predicted no renal functional recovery the next day. Increased urinary IP-10 and VEGF predicted no renal recovery by 7 days. Increased urinary IP-10 and VEGF predicted no renal recovery by 4 days, whereas increased urinary EGF predicted renal functional recovery at that time. Increased urinary IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, RANTES, EGF, and VEGF predicted patient's death within 3 months. Our findings suggest that urinary IP-10, IL-8, VEGF, TGF-alpha, and EGF may predict renal functional outcome at various times along the course of ischemic AKI and that urinary IL-8, MCP-1, IP-10, RANTES, EGF, and VEGF may predict mortality of the patients within 3 months.
Rate insensitive steganalysis of ±1 embedding in images

We present a rate insensitive method for detecting steganography using plusmn1 embedding. plusmn1 embedding is generally considered to be difficult to detect. In prior work, we developed a high performing method based on statistics computed by a lossless image compressor. However, the method suffered a weakness that the embedding rate needed to be known. In this work, we introduce improved classifiers that work without knowing the rate. The overall classification rate is excellent for the database of images studied.
Cytomorphology of adenocarcinoma of lung presenting as submandibular salivary gland mass: Report of a case diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy

Background Primary malignant neoplasms of the submandibular salivary gland (SMG) are rare, and metastatic tumors are rarer. Most of the metastases are discovered months or years after the diagnosis of the primary malignancy. Despite the increasingly used fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the evaluation of major salivary gland masses, diagnosis of metastases by FNAB has been only rarely studied. Purpose We report a case of lung carcinoma initially presented as a SMG swelling diagnosed by aspiration biopsy. The patient is a 52-yr-old man, a 40-pack/year smoker who also complained of weight loss and blood-streaked cough. An FNAB of the mass was consistent with metastatic adenocarcinoma with prominent signet ring–cell component of unknown primary. Subsequent studies revealed a left lung mass and left pleural effusion. The effusion cytologic examination showed malignant cells consistent with carcinoma. The patient's condition deteriorated rapidly, and he died within a few days. An autopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of lung with prominent signet ring–cell component. Conclusion FNAB is a rapid, safe, reliable, and cost-efficient technique for evaluation of major salivary glands lesions. To our knowledge, this case is the first lung carcinoma presenting as SMG mass initially diagnosed on FNAB. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1997; 17:374–378. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Color-based extensions to MSERs

In this paper we present extensions to Maximally Stable Extremal Regions that incorporate color information. Our extended interest region detector produces regions that are robust with respect to illumination, background, JPEG compression, and other common sources of image noise. The algorithm can be implemented on a distributed system to run at the same speed as the MSER algorithm. Our methods are compared against a standard MSER base-line. Our approach gives comparable or improved results when tested in various scenarios from the CAVIAR standard data set for object tracking.
Characterization of Green‐Emitting Translucent Zinc Oxide Ceramics Prepared Via Spark Plasma Sintering

Translucent, green-emitting zinc oxide (ZnO) bodies, 19 mm in diameter and 0.72 mm in thickness, have been prepared via spark plasma sintering method. The consolidation of ZnO powders was investigated over the temperature range of 550–1050°C and the pressure range of 55–530 MPa. Samples sintered at temperatures >850°C and pressures of ∼120 MPa were translucent and had densities of ∼100%. Samples sintered at 950°C and 130 MPa showed a higher maximum transmittance than the samples sintered at higher or lower temperatures or pressures, with an excellent in-line transmission of 70% in the IR region around 2330 nm. The dense ZnO ceramics exhibited a strong green emission and a weak ultraviolet emission, and the relative intensity of the green emission increased with increasing sintering temperature.
The myth of encroachment

Scholars of pastoralism often refer to changes of pastoral land tenure as ‘encroachment.’ The New Zealand case of pastoral land tenure reform suggests that this is incorrect for several reasons. First it takes the point of view of the pastoralist, which introduces unnecessary bias. Second, it assumes that all changes in land tenure are situations in which the state, or another powerful agent, takes land away from the less powerful pastoralists. Third, it assumes a single immutable power relation between the state (or other external actor initiating land tenure reform) and the pastoralist in which the state is more powerful and is only too happy to exercise its power whilst expropriating the pastoralists of the land they use. The term ‘encroachment’ implies that there is just one pattern of land tenure change. I suggest that land tenure reform is a more apt, less biased, descriptor.
Managerial Response to Technological Innovation in Public Sector Organizations

Technological innovation is widely seen as a means for raising productivity levels in state and local government. Growing evidence indicates that 1 senior level bureaucrats have primary responsibility for decisions concerning the adoption of innovations, and 2 innovations adopted by state and local governments are of two types-cost-reducing and service-augmenting. A formal explanation is advanced for the apparent preference of bureaucrats for service-augmenting innovations. Service-augmenting innovations tend to increase agency budgets to which bureaucratic emoluments are positively correlated, to expand the clientele served by an agency, and to obscure agency production costs by simultaneously altering both the input mixes and the services being provided. Federal policies designed to foster a more rapid diffusion of technological innovations are, in part, based upon the expectation that technological innovations will lessen the budgetary pressures upon state and local governments. The analysis presented here suggests that there may be countervailing pressures within the adoption processes of state and local governments which weaken the implied relationship between technological change and productivity improvement.
Activation of Xenopus genes required for lateral inhibition and neuronal differentiation during primary neurogenesis.

Abstract XNGN-1, a member of the neurogenin family of basic helix-loop-helix proteins, plays a critical role in promoting neuronal differentiation in Xenopus embryos. When ectopically expressed, XNGN-1 induces the expression of a set of genes required for neuronal differentiation such as XMyT1 and NeuroD. At the same time, however, XNGN-1 induces the expression of genes that antagonize neuronal differentiation by a process called lateral inhibition. Here, we present evidence that XNGN-1 activates the expression of genes required for differentiation and lateral inhibition by recruiting transcriptional coactivators p300/CBP (CREB-binding protein) or PCAF (p300/CBP-associated protein), both of which contain histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. Significantly, transcriptional activation of the genes in the lateral inhibitory pathway is less dependent on the HAT activity than is the activation of the genes that mediate differentiation. We propose that this difference enables the genes in the lateral inhibition pathway to be induced prior to the genes that promote differentiation, thus enabling lateral inhibition to establish a negative feedback loop and restrict the number of cells undergoing neuronal differentiation.
On agile performance requirements specification and testing

Underspecified performance requirements can cause performance issues in a software system. However, a complete, upfront analysis of a software system is difficult, and usually not desirable. We propose an evolutionary model for performance requirements specifications and corresponding validation testing. The principles of the model can be integrated into agile development methods. Using this approach, the performance requirements and test cases can be specified incrementally, without big upfront analysis. We also provide a post hoc examination of a development effort at IBM that had a high focus on performance requirements. The examination indicates that our evolutionary model can be used to specify performance requirements such that the level of detail is commensurate with the nature of the project. Additionally, the IBM experience indicates that test driven development-type validation testing corresponding to the model can be used to determine if performance objectives have been met.
Inactivation of p53 is insufficient to allow B cells and B cell lymphomas to survive without Dicer

Inactivation of p53, the master regulator of cellular stress and damage signals, often allows cells that should die or senesce to live. Loss of Dicer, an RNAse III-like enzyme critical in microRNA biogenesis, causes embryonic lethality and activation of the p53 pathway. Several non-hematopoietic cell types that contain inactivated p53 have been shown to survive Dicer deletion, suggesting p53 loss may protect cells from the negative consequences of Dicer deletion. However, here, we report that loss of p53 did not provide a survival advantage to B-cells, as they underwent rapid apoptosis upon Dicer deletion. Moreover, a deficiency in p53 neither rescued the Dicer deletion-induced delay in Myc-driven B-cell lymphomagenesis, nor allowed a single B-cell lymphoma to develop with biallelic deletion of Dicer. A p53 deficiency did, however, restore the pre-B/B-cell phenotype and CD19 surface expression of the lymphomas that emerged in conditional Dicer knockout Eμ-myc transgenic mice. Moreover, p53 loss in transformed B-cells did not confer protection from apoptosis, as Dicer deletion in established p53-null B-cell lymphomas induced apoptosis, and all of the 1,260 B-cell lymphoma clones analyzed that survived Cre-mediated Dicer deletion retained at least one allele of Dicer. Moreover, Dicer deletion in lymphomas in vivo reduced tumor burden and prolonged survival. Therefore, inactivation of p53 is insufficient to allow untransformed B-cells and B-cell lymphomas to survive without Dicer, presenting a potential therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas.
Building “Community” in Mixed-Income Developments: Assumptions, Approaches, and Early Experiences

As an urban-redevelopment strategy, the goals of mixed-income development are often talked about in terms of building “community”—the shaping of environments, opportunities, and social arrangements that promote healthy neighborhood life, particularly for the low-income people who live there. This article explores the strategies engaged, expectations for, and early responses to efforts to build “community” in three mixed-income developments being built on the footprint of former public housing developments in Chicago. In doing so, it investigates the expectations among residents and stakeholders, distills and explores three major strategic orientations being engaged by developers and their partners, and examines how these strategies in particular—and the building of community more generally—is playing out across sites, including the dynamics and conditioning factors that promote or inhibit participation, engagement, interaction, and the shaping of social cohesion and social control.
Brain and spine MRI artifacts at 3Tesla.

Summary Introduction We illustrate here the most common MRI artifacts found on routine 3 T clinical neuroradiology that can simulate pathology and interfere with diagnosis. Materials and methods Our group has worked with a 3-T Magnetom Trio (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) system for two years, with 50% of our time devoted to clinical work and 50% dedicated to research; 65% of the clinical time is dedicated to neuroradiology (2705 patients) and the remaining time to whole-body MRI. We have detected these artifacts during our case readings and have selected the most representative of each type to illustrate here. Results We have observed magnetic susceptibility artifacts (29%), pulsation artifacts (57%), homogeneity artifacts (3%), motion artifacts (6%), truncation artifacts (3%) and, finally, artifacts due to poor or inadequate technique in the examined region. Conclusion High-field imaging offers the benefit of a higher signal-to-noise ratio, thus making possible the options of a higher imaging matrix, thinner slices, the use of spectroscopy and diffusion tensor imaging in the routine clinical neuroradiology with a reduction in time spent. It is vital to be able to recognize these artifacts in everyday practice as they can mimic pathological appearances, thus causing diagnostic errors that could lead to unnecessary treatment. Indeed, most of these artifacts could be avoided with an adequate technique.
Policies and Procedures—Revitalize with the Perioperative Nursing Data Set

Maintaining everyday policies and procedures for a perioperative unit as a dynamic, living and breathing reference remains a challenge. This article suggests one method for revitalizing perioperative documents to reflect current evidence in a standardized language, the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS). Using the PNDS within a policy/procedure document offers the advantage of integrating patient outcomes, interim outcomes, and interventions with specific activities that can be translated into measurable data. Complete policies and procedures for safe patient transfer and hypothermia are included to illustrate application of the PNDS to practice.
Birth weight modifies the association between central nervous system gene variation and adult body mass index

Genome wide association studies have identified ~100 loci associated with body mass index (BMI). Persons with low birth weight have an increased risk of metabolic disorders. We postulate that normal mechanisms of body weight regulation are disrupted in subjects with low birth weight. The present analyses included 2215 African American women from the Black Women's Health Study, and were based on genotype data on 20 BMI-associated loci and self-reported data on birth weight, weight at age 18 and adult weight. We used general linear models to assess the association of individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with BMI at age 18 and later in adulthood within strata of birth weight (above and below the median, 3200 g). Three SNPs (rs1320330 near TMEM18, rs261967 near PCSK1 and rs17817964 in FTO), and a genetic score combining these three variants, showed significant interactions with birth weight in relation to BMI. Among women with birth weight <3200 g, there was an inverse association between genetic score and BMI; beta-coefficient=-0.045 (95% confidence intervals (CI) -0.104, 0.013) for BMI at age 18, and -0.055 (95% CI -0.112, 0.002) for adult BMI. Among women with birth weight ⩾3200 g, genetic score was positively associated with BMI: beta-coefficient=0.110 (95% CI 0.051, 0.169) for BMI at age 18 (P for interaction=0.0002), and 0.112 (95% CI 0.054, 0.170) for adult BMI (P for interaction<0.0001). Because TMEM18, PCSK1 and FTO are highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), our results suggest that low-birth weight may disrupt mechanisms of CNS body weight regulation.
Logic and the Self: After Certain Crises in Western Thought

Delivered on the occasion of the 2009 « Giulio Preti Prize », this lecture examines and questions the contrast between the sense of intellectual crisis in the scientific world of the first decades of the 20th century and the absence of any such sense of crisis in current philosophy. Starting in the 19the century, we were confronted with changes in perspective that affected our relation to the universe we live in as well as to our own language and logic. Not only how we see ourselves but the tools by means of which we think about ourselves came into question. How would it be possible to rationally assess conceptual change that affects the very form of reasoning by which we assess such changes ? Such are the paradoxes to which philosophers and scientists, in the throes of crisis in the first half of the 20th century, tried to respond. Philosophers today may seemingly have overcome those aporias that vexed their recent predecessors, in denial of the existence of a crisis that should actually be a fecund source for reflection.
Symptom clusters in patients with cancer in the hospice/palliative care setting

We determined commonly experienced symptoms reported by adult patients with cancer admitted to urban, ethnically diverse hospice settings and identified symptom clusters. We used hierarchical cluster analysis of 150 patients (41 % male, 20–92 years [M = 59, SD = 13.3], 51 % African American, 37 % Caucasian, 12 % other). Using pen-tablet computers, participants completed the Symptom Distress Scale (SDS), a sleep quality item, and listed analgesics consumed in the previous 24 h. Four symptom clusters were identified: cluster 1 (Pain-Fatigue) consisted of pain frequency, fatigue, and pain intensity; cluster 2 (Ingestion-Elimination) consisted of appetite and bowel problems; cluster 3 (General Well-Being) consisted of insomnia, appearance, and outlook; and cluster 4 (Respiratory-Nausea-Concentration) consisting of breathing, cough, nausea frequency, nausea intensity, and concentration. There were no significant differences between Caucasians and African Americans on total SDS scores, analgesic consumption, sleep quality, or most cluster scores. This is the first symptom cluster analysis in a US sample with a sizeable proportion of minority hospice/palliative care patients with cancer. Further research to determine the stability of identified symptom clusters over time and discovery of the biological interactions of symptoms within the cluster may lead to symptom management therapies designed for the alleviation of all clustered symptoms.
Flip Over Research Instruction: Delivery, Assessment, and Feedback Strategies for “Flipped” Library

To take fuller advantage of new models for transformative learning, the Beam Library at Oklahoma Christian University has implemented a “flipped classroom” strategy for research instruction. Traditional “one-shot” instruction suffers limitations of both depth and time. In the flipped model, conceptual and application-oriented instruction are provided through brief online videos prior to the class session; class time then becomes a workshop in which librarians are better able to provide in-depth, targeted, highly-interactive instruction. In this way, students become active participants in their learning and are empowered to teach each other through collaborative (rather than passive) in-class experiences. While flipped research instruction is not new, our strategy incorporates a means for assessment and feedback lacking from other approaches. This article describes our flipped pilot and the delivery, assessment, and feedback strategies we have employed to enhance flipped research instruction.
The function of the ectodermal apical ridge and distinctive characteristics of adjacent distal mesoderm in the avian wing-bud.

Blocks of mesoderm about 0·1 mm in diameter were isolated from various regions of chick wing-buds of stages 17 through 22 and cultured individually, or sometimes in pairs, in microtest plate wells. Cell deaths had occurred after 10 h of culture in those explants that had come from the region associated with the thickest part of the ectodermal ridge, and after 11–12 h in all other mesoderm. When the adjacent ectodermal ridge was left attached to the mesodermal block there were almost no cell deaths for up to 24 h of culture. When the dorsal ectoderm immediately proximal to the apical ridge was left attached, but no ridge was present, cell deaths occurred just as they did in mesoderm with no ectoderm. When a number (usually six) of complete ridges were suspended in a wire basket at the top of a well, cell deaths did not occur in a test mesodermal block at the bottom of the well (six of eight cases). These experiments support previous evidence for a special function of the ectodermal apical ridge in limb morphogenesis, and indicate that there is a chemical messenger. The cells that migrated from distal mesodermal explants (the band up to 0·15 mm from the apical ridge) differed sharply in morphology and behavior from those coming from explants from any more proximal region. Within the proximal mesoderm there was a less striking variation along the antero-posterior axis. These observations reveal that there is present even at early stages a detailed pattern within the mesoderm of the limb-bud. The particularly striking and distinctive characteristics of that mesoderm closest to the apical ectodermal ridge provide new possibilities for the understanding of the function of the ridge in limb morphogenesis.
Properties of Vacancy Complexes with Hydrogen and Helium Atoms in Tungsten from First Principles

Tungsten and its alloys are the primary candidate materials for plasma-facing components in fusion reactors. The material is exposed to high-energy neutrons and the high flux of helium and hydrogen atoms. In this work we have studied the properties of vacancy clusters and their interaction with H and He in W using density functional theory. Convergence of calculations with respect to modeling cell size was investigated. It is demonstrated that vacancy cluster formation energy converges with small cells with a size of 6 × 6 × 6 (432 lattice sites) enough to consider a microvoid of up to six vacancies with high accuracy. Most of the vacancy clusters containing fewer than six vacancies are unstable. Introducing He or H atoms increases their binding energy potentially making gas-filled bubbles stable. According to the results of the calculations, the H2 molecule is unstable in clusters containing six or fewer vacancies.
More reliable coastal SST forecasts from the North American multimodel ensemble

The skill of monthly sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly predictions for large marine ecosystems (LMEs) in coastal regions of the United States and Canada is assessed using simulations from the climate models in the North American Multimodel Ensemble (NMME). The forecasts based on the full ensemble are generally more skillful than predictions from even the best single model. The improvement in skill is particularly noteworthy for probability forecasts that categorize SST anomalies into upper (warm) and lower (cold) terciles. The ensemble provides a better estimate of the full range of forecast values than any individual model, thereby correcting for the systematic over-confidence (under-dispersion) of predictions from an individual model. Probability forecasts, including tercile predictions from the NMME, are used frequently in seasonal forecasts for atmospheric variables and may have many uses in marine resource management.
Jewish Population in the United States, 2014

This chapter examines the size, geographic distribution, and selected characteristics of the Jewish population of the US. Part I addresses the procedures employed to estimate the Jewish population of over 900 local Jewish communities and parts thereof. Part II presents the major changes in local Jewish population estimates since last year’s Year Book. Part III examines population estimates for the country as a whole, each state, the four US Census Regions, the nine US Census Divisions, the 20 largest US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), and the 51 Jewish Federation service areas with 20,000 or more Jews. Part IV examines changes in the size and geographic distribution of the Jewish population at national, state, and regional scales from 1971 to 2014. Part V presents a description of local Jewish community studies and a listing of studies currently in progress. Part VI relates to Chap. 2 on gender by presenting comparisons of Jewish communities on synagogue attendance and levels of emotional attachment to Israel by age and sex. Part VII presents an atlas of local American Jewish communities, including a national map of Jews by county and 14 regional and state maps of Jewish communities.
Kinematic chain reactions on trunk and dynamic postural steadiness in subjects with recurrent low back pain

Although subjects with recurrent low back pain (LBP) demonstrate altered trunk control, the kinematic and kinetic responses of the trunk have not been carefully investigated. This study was conducted to compare the standing time, spine range of motion (ROM), and dynamic postural steadiness index (DPSI) based on visual condition between subjects with and without recurrent LBP during upright one leg standing. Sixty-three individuals participated in the study, including 34 control subjects and 29 subjects with recurrent LBP. The DPSI was a composite of the medio-lateral (MLSI), anterior-posterior (APSI), and vertical steadiness indices (VSI) on a force platform. The control group demonstrated longer standing time (s) during the eyes-open condition than the LBP group (26.82±6.03 vs. 19.87±9.36; t=2.96, p=0.01). Regarding spine ROM, visual condition was significantly different between groups (F=7.09, p=0.01) and demonstrated interactions with spine region and group (F=5.53, p=0.02). For the kinetic measures, there was a significant interaction between visual conditions and indices (F=25.30, p=0.001). In the LBP group, the DPSI was significantly correlated with the MLSI (r=0.59, p=0.002), APSI (r=0.44, p=0.03), and VSI (r=0.98, p=0.01) in the eyes-closed condition. Overall, the results of this study indicated that the LBP group decreased thorax and lumbar spine rotations during the eyes-closed condition. The LBP group also demonstrated positive correlations with the kinetic indices, enhancing dynamic postural steadiness in the eyes-closed condition in order to possibly avoid pain or further injury. This dynamic postural steadiness strategy is necessary to improve kinetic and kinematic chain reactions in the LBP group. This compensatory pattern supports the development of optimal postural correction strategies to prevent LBP recurrence and might represent a chain reaction to protect trunk control without visual input.
Assessment of Sub-Micron Particles by Exploiting Charge Differences with Dielectrophoresis

The analysis, separation, and enrichment of submicron particles are critical steps in many applications, ranging from bio-sensing to disease diagnostics. Microfluidic electrokinetic techniques, such as dielectrophoresis (DEP) have proved to be excellent platforms for assessment of submicron particles. DEP is the motion of polarizable particles under the presence of a non-uniform electric field. In this work, the polarization and dielectrophoretic behavior of polystyrene particles with diameters ranging for 100 nm to 1 μm were studied employing microchannels for insulator based DEP (iDEP) and low frequency (<1000 Hz) AC and DC electric potentials. In particular, the effects of particle surface charge, in terms of magnitude and type of functionalization, were examined. It was found that the magnitude of particle surface charge has a significant impact on the polarization and dielectrophoretic response of the particles, allowing for successful particle assessment. Traditionally, charge differences are exploited employing electrophoretic techniques and particle separation is achieved by differential migration. The present study demonstrates that differences in the particle’s surface charge can also be exploited by means of iDEP; and that distinct types of nanoparticles can be identified by their polarization and dielectrophoretic behavior. These findings open the possibility for iDEP to be employed as a technique for the analysis of submicron biological particles, where subtle differences in surface charge could allow for rapid particle identification and separation.
HyperFresh: Live Refresh of Hypervisors Using Nested Virtualization

Bugs in hypervisors are becoming common as hypervisors grow in size and complexity. Latent bugs, such as memory leaks, can lead to hypervisor failures resulting in complete loss of all its virtual machines (or guests). However, reliable operation of hypervisors, even in the presence of bugs, is critical in cloud platforms. A hypervisor can be regularly restarted, with or without updates, to reset its state, preempt unexpected failures, and extend its operational uptime. However, a hypervisor restart and update is highly disruptive to guests, which must be either migrated to another host, or shut down. We propose HyperFresh, a fast and guest-transparent approach to replace an old, and possibly unstable, hypervisor with a fresh one beneath live unmodified guests. Using nested virtualization, a thin hyperplexor layer runs the hypervisor and its guests. To prepare for refresh, all guest memory is co-mapped in advance to a fresh co-resident hypervisor. When the refresh operation is triggered, the hyperplexor simply switches control of the guest VCPUs and I/O state to the new hypervisor. Our HyperFresh prototype on the KVM/QEMU platform yields switching times of around 100ms with low performance impact on guest workload.
"Meaning, Competence, Self-Determination and Self-Employment: The Case of Crowdsourcing Workers"

Crowdsourcing, that is the outsourcing of tasks by companies to large crowds of independent workers, has become the primary source of income for many workers around the world. This paper is concern...
An Expectancy Model of Green Product Consumption and Green Brand Equity

Drawing from the expectancy theory, this paper proposes a model of green product consumption and green brand equity. Consumers’ green product evaluation results in some expectations regarding their consumptions. These expectations are categorized in material and ethical outcomes and are ensued by the instrumentality effect. This effect is reflected in the possession rewards for material outcomes and in the moral rewards for ethical outcomes. Green product consumption and green brand equity is contingent on the weighted valence of the respective rewards. The paper is the first study to examine green product consumption and green brand equity from an expectancy theory perspective.
Analysis and Prediction of Endorsement-Based Skill Assessment in LinkedIn

In LinkedIn, skill endorsements are used as a key indicator to assess a user's skill level so that a recruiter can find right candidates. However, the simple counting of skill endorsements has shown serious limitations to correctly assess a user's skill level particularly when false endorsements prevail for self-promotion or collusive promotion. To address this issue, we propose a framework using regression analysis to evaluate assessment methods under varying the degree of false endorsements. We define two types of assessment scores: authority score (AS) and credit score (CS). The AS is calculated based on an endorser's expertise level in a particular skill set while the CS is estimated based on the endorser's trustworthiness. Based on these two types of skill assessments, we define a hybrid method that calculates AS based on CS, which is called credit-based AS, or namely CAS. We conduct performance analysis by comparing the AS and CAS with the endorsement count (EC) as a baseline model, which is currently used in LinkedIn. Through the extensive regression analysis, under varying the degree of false endorsements from 10% to 25%, we observe that the CAS outperforms AS and EC with less than 10% of false endorsements. On the other hand, the AS performs the best among three methods with 10%–25% of false endorsements. Based on the regression analysis of the skillset assessment framework, the real dataset collected for this study is likely to have 4%–6% of false endorsements. This finding implies that an endorser's expertise appears more critical than the endorser's trustworthiness under more presence of false endorsements because the unqualified endorser's endorsement may not be necessarily true.
Acoustic imaging at the planetary scale

In 1984, Dziewonski and Anderson wrote: ‘The first three-dimensional models of the Earth’s structure promise to answer some basic questions of geodynamics and signify a revolution in Earth science.’ We can ask now, seven years later, whether this promise has been kept. The answer, with some correction for subjectivity, is ‘yes.’
Selective Regulation of G Proteins by Cell Surface Receptors

A typical cell must respond appropriately to multiple hormonal signals. These signals, which may be mutually potentiative or antagonistic, must be integrated with each other and with the cell’s current status to yield appropriate intracellular metabolic signals. Although receptors are responsible for detecting extracellular signals, integration and initial amplification of the signal frequently utilizes a group of GTP- binding transducer proteins known as G proteins.
History of Liver Transplantation

For millennia, we have known that the liver is essential to life. And yet, curing a failing liver was not possible until just 50 years ago. The fathers of liver transplantation were not only brilliant clinicians and surgeons but also dedicated scientists who made key contributions to unraveling our entire immune system. The once-insurmountable barriers of immune rejection, vascular anastomosis, organ preservation, and donor shortages were overcome with landmark breakthroughs after decades of experimentation and setbacks. This chapter presents the dramatic story of how liver transplantation evolved from a dangerous, experimental, and desperate procedure to a standard of care for a multitude of previously incurable ailments.
Increasing the sensitivity and resolution of single plane light sheet microscopy with multi-pulse pumping and time-gated detection (Conference Presentation)

Optical microscopes have proven their use as a powerful tool for studying a variety of biological samples. In spite of many successes, there are still numerous obstacles limiting practical applications. Most limiting are the inherent background of physiological samples, photobleaching, and phototoxicity. To allow studies of long lasting processes such as drag delivery, three-dimensional cellular structures, embryogenesis, we have combined a technique called Single Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM) with Multi-Pulse Pumping with Time-Gated Detection (MPP-TGD) in order to enhance the signal relative to background. This new method allows for a decrease in light exposure times and improves image quality. This combination allows a new outlook into a variety of important, long-lasting biological processes at a level of detection previously unattainable. Multi-pulse pumping is a burst of excitation pulses instead of a single pulse which enhances the excited state population of a long-lived label. This label is chosen so that its lifetime is at least 5 times longer than that of typical autofluorescence. The pulse separation within the burst is chosen so that it is at least 5 times shorter than the lifetime of the label. In this case only the population of the fluorescent label is increased and the background remains the same. By subtracting the image acquired with the burst from an image with a single pulse, we were able to increase the signal-to-background ratio of about 100 fold.
FROM THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE AND FIBONACCI TO PEDAGOGY AND PROBLEM POSING

THERE is a wealth of valuable material on the golden section, and "fallout" from it as well. Indeed, the problem of constructing the golden rectangle with straightedge and a pair of compasses, and its relationship to constructing the regular pentagon with similar tools, is documented in Euclid's Elements (Euclid 1956; vol. 1, bk. 2, prop. 11; vol. 2, bk. 4, prop. 11). In the thirteenth century, the Italian mathe matician Leonardo Fibonacci found con nections between that aspect of geometry and number theory, and today there is a mathematical journal that is devoted exclu sively to such issues. The golden section has appeared not only in mathematics but in architecture and art as well. The Parthenon
Propagation of S. aureus Phage K in Presence of Human Blood

The specter of antimicrobial resistance has been present as far back as antibiotic treatment for bacterial infections has been available [1].
Association of Midlife Hypertension with Late-Life Hearing Loss.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of midlife hypertension with late-life hearing impairment.Study DesignData from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, an ongoing prospective longitu...
Carbon Bonding State Has a Small Effect on Melting of Direct-Reduced Iron

The concentration and chemical bonding state of carbon in direct-reduced iron (DRI) might affect DRI melting temperature and rate. The effects of carbon bonding state and concentration were evaluated with high-temperature confocal microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and by monitoring the carbon monoxide generation rate from reaction between DRI pellets and a laboratory slag-steel melt. In industrial steelmaking, DRI melting is likely controlled by heat transfer; the concentration and bonding state of carbon play secondary roles.
Challenges and opportunities of wireless network-on-chip for manycore architectures

Increasing core count heralds the arrival of massive shared-memory chip multiprocessors. For such a scenario, traditional on-chip networks have been proven to not scale well neither in terms of transmission latency nor in terms of energy consumption. The Wireless Network-on-Chip (WNoC) paradigm holds considerable promise for the implementation of fast and efficient on-chip networks in such massive multi-core chips. In this talk, we will first provide an overview of the multiple opportunities that WNoC opens up from the computer architecture perspective. The talk will then move on to enumerate the different challenges that WNoC architectures currently face in each of the multiple layers of the stack, which we will have to overcome before the first integrated prototype becomes a reality. Overall, this talk aims to make a case for NoC-WNoC hybrid architectures, and hopes to motivate researchers from multiple disciplines to work towards its mainstream adoption.