cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approaches to the solution of coupled multiexponential transient-state rate kinetic equations: A critical review

The transient-state kinetic approach has failed to reach its full potential despite its advantage over the steady-state approach in its ability to observe mechanistic events directly and in real time. This failure has been due in part to the lack of any rigorously derived and readily applicable body of theory corresponding to that which currently characterizes the steady-state approach. In order to clarify the causes of this discrepancy and to suggest a route to its solution we examine the capabilities and limitations of the various forms of transient-state kinetic approaches to the mathematical resolution of enzymatic reaction mechanisms currently available. We document a lack of validity inherent in their basic assumptions and suggest the need for a potentially more rigorous analytic approach.
Study on mode and process of pipe blowing of 1 000 MW ultra-supercritical boiler

In order to select the suitable pipe blowing mode for ultra-supercritical boiler,this paper expounds the technological characteristics of pipe blowing,calculates pipe blowing coefficient by the example of a 1 000 MW ultra-supercritical boiler blower,and proposes to combine steady pressure and reduced pressure pipe blowing,which enhances the effect of pipe blowing. The result shows that when reduced pressure pipe blowing is adopted,it is hard for the coefficient to meet the request; when the pressure is at 6 MPa with the separator on,steady pressure pipe blowing adopted,the coefficient of superheater reaches above 1. 0 and that of reheater above 1. 2. The temperature of intermediate point of pipe blowing temperature is controlled by ratio of fuel and water,while steam temperature by spraying water.
Medical Interpreter Services Use at an Academic Neurology Outpatient Clinic (P1.351)

Objective: To examine attitudes and practices of outpatient neurology clinicians and staff when communicating with people who self-identify as preferring to speak a language other than English. Background: Health systems must be well prepared to provide meaningful access to language services for the more than 60 million Americans who prefer to speak a language other than English. Methods: We conducted an anonymous electronic-enabled survey of clinicians and patient services coordinators working at our neurology outpatient clinic. Participants were included if actively involved in outpatient care, excluded if they opened but did not answer the survey. Questions focused on interpreter services usage, satisfaction, and perceived utilization barriers. Results: A total of 82/235 (35[percnt]) clinicians and 24/52 (46[percnt]) coordinators met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of clinicians, 96[percnt] reported seeing non-English preferring patients at least once monthly and 85[percnt] reported using interpreter services at least once monthly; most common self-reported modalities of interpretation were in-person medical interpreters (39[percnt]) and patients’ family members or friends (28[percnt]). Among patient services coordinators, few reported consistently asking patients their preferred language (33[percnt]) and half consistently asking patients if they needed an interpreter for future appointments (50[percnt]). Most respondents were satisfied with interpreter services (77[percnt] clinicians, 71[percnt] coordinators). Clinicians’ most commonly cited barriers to use interpreters included time constraints (60[percnt]) and perceived lack of available in-person interpreters (51[percnt]). Respondents recommended having more available in-person interpreters and greater coordinated efforts to pre-schedule interpreters. Conclusions: Outpatient neurology clinicians and patient services coordinators often interacted with patients who needed interpreter services. Despite satisfaction with existing services, participants’ practices and perceived barriers indicate a need for updated policies and education to facilitate interpreter services use. Disclosure: Dr. Tran has received research support from Center for Community Health and Improvement. Dr. Mejia has nothing to disclose.
Designing Secure Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks

Over the years, a myriad of protocols have been proposed for resource-limited Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Similarly, security research for WSNs has also evolved over the years. Although fundamental notions of WSN research are well established, optimization of the limited resources has motivated new research directions in the field. In this paper, we seek to present general principles to aid in the design of secure WSN protocols. Therefore, building upon both the established and the new concepts, envisioned applications, and the experience garnered from the WSNs research, we first review the desired security services (i.e., confidentiality, authentication, integrity, access control, availability, and nonrepudiation) from WSNs perspective. Then, we question which services would be necessary for resource-constrained WSNs and when it would be most reasonable to implement them for a WSN application.
Combining MeSH Thesaurus with UMLS in pseudo relevance feedback to improve biomedical information retrieval

With the rapid increase in the volume of biomedical publications, developing an efficient search strategy to retrieve relevant biomedical documents that match the user search intention is a tremendous challenge. This paper proposes a novel pseudo relevance feedback technique which combines MeSH terms and UMLS concepts to improve the performance of retrieving biomedical documents from MEDLINE. The MeSH terms that annotate the feedback documents and the UMLS concepts derived from the feedback documents are used to help retrieve publications relevant to the user query. Extensive performance studies using the OHSUMED collection show that the proposed pseudo relevance feedback scheme using both MeSH terms and UMLS concepts improves the retrieval performance by 43.3% over the approach based on unexpanded query in terms of mean average precision. We have integrated the proposed strategy into G-Bean, which is publicly accessible at http://bioinformatics.clemson.edu:8080/G-Bean/index.jsp.
Effect of Zinc Content on the Rolling Texture And Annealing Texture of Alpha Brass

Quantitative texture determinations were made for rolled and for rolled and annealed strips of 3, 6, and 10 pct Zn brasses. The main components of the rolling texture gradually shift over a wide composition range from the orientation characteristic of copper to that of 70–30 brass. At least the main features of the corresponding gradual changes in the annealing texture may be accounted for qualitatively on the basis of the oriented growth theory of annealing textures. All the oriented nucleation-type theories are notably less successful in accounting for the observed textures.
A multichannel block-matching denoising algorithm for spectral photon-counting CT images.

Purpose We present a denoising algorithm designed for a whole-body prototype photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) scanner with up to 4 energy thresholds and associated energy-binned images. Methods Spectral PCCT images can exhibit low signal to noise ratios (SNRs) due to the limited photon counts in each simultaneously-acquired energy bin. To help address this, our denoising method exploits the correlation and exact alignment between energy bins, adapting the highly-effective block-matching 3D (BM3D) denoising algorithm for PCCT. The original single-channel BM3D algorithm operates patch-by-patch. For each small patch in the image, a patch grouping action collects similar patches from the rest of the image, which are then collaboratively filtered together. The resulting performance hinges on accurate patch grouping. Our improved multi-channel version, called BM3D_PCCT, incorporates two improvements. First, BM3D_PCCT uses a more accurate shared patch grouping based on the image reconstructed from photons detected in all 4 energy bins. Second, BM3D_PCCT performs a cross-channel decorrelation, adding a further dimension to the collaborative filtering process. These two improvements produce a more effective algorithm for PCCT denoising. Results Preliminary results compare BM3D_PCCT against BM3D_Naive, which denoises each energy bin independently. Experiments use a three-contrast PCCT image of a canine abdomen. Within five regions of interest, selected from paraspinal muscle, liver, and visceral fat, BM3D_PCCT reduces the noise standard deviation by 65.0%, compared to 40.4% for BM3D_Naive. Attenuation values of the contrast agents in calibration vials also cluster much tighter to their respective lines of best fit. Mean angular differences (in degrees) for the original, BM3D_Naive, and BM3D_PCCT images, respectively, were 15.61, 7.34, and 4.45 (iodine); 12.17, 7.17, and 4.39 (galodinium); and 12.86, 6.33, and 3.96 (bismuth). Conclusion We outline a multi-channel denoising algorithm tailored for spectral PCCT images, demonstrating improved performance over an independent, yet state-of-the-art, single-channel approach.
An unbiased in vivo functional genomics screening approach in mice identifies novel tumor cell-based regulators of immune rejection

The clinical successes of immune checkpoint therapies for cancer make it important to identify mechanisms of resistance to anti-tumor immune responses. Numerous resistance mechanisms have been identified employing studies of single genes or pathways, thereby parsing the tumor microenvironment complexity into tractable pieces. However, this limits the potential for novel gene discovery to in vivo immune attack. To address this challenge, we developed an unbiased in vivo genome-wide RNAi screening platform that leverages host immune selection in strains of immune-competent and immunodeficient mice to select for tumor cell-based genes that regulate in vivo sensitivity to immune attack. Utilizing this approach in a syngeneic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model, we identified 709 genes that selectively regulated adaptive anti-tumor immunity and focused on five genes (CD47, TGFβ1, Sgpl1, Tex9 and Pex14) with the greatest impact. We validated the mechanisms that underlie the immune-related effects of expression of these genes in different TNBC lines, as well as tandem synergistic interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate the impact of different genes with previously unknown immune functions (Tex9 and Pex14) on anti-tumor immunity. Thus, this innovative approach has utility in identifying unknown tumor-specific regulators of immune recognition in multiple settings to reveal novel targets for future immunotherapies.
Trends in the European Textile and Apparel Industries

Trends in the textile and apparel industries in Europe are described in this chapter. A case is made that these are industries that were affected by the 2008–2009 economic and financial crisis in Europe and are just beginning to recover.
Beamspace SMILE array for digital beamforming with a single RF receiver

A novel approach of beamspace SMILE array with a single RF receiver for digital beamforming is proposed in this paper. We use a set of orthogonal beams to transfer element space data to beamspace and then use a SMILE array with a single receiver for digital beamforming. The advantages of this method include the drastically reduction in the computational burden and RF hardware. Performance of an 8×4 5.8 GHz uniform cylindrical array was studied.
Modeling in STEM

Knowledge in sciences is traditionally derived inductively, whereas in mathematics and engineering it is derived deductively. One of the purposes of STEM projects is to blend science with mathematics and engineering into a coherent learning experience. While this book is an attempt to develop and put in practice a theoretical framework for exercising multidisciplinary STEM learning experiences, a need to discuss a strategy that would link all learning methods of the component STEM subjects emerged. Research shows that modeling is the most common approach exercised in all of these disciplines. However, the phases of modeling in mathematics might not parallel with the phases of modeling in science. To design a learning environment that would support multidisciplinary learning, a need for a modeling cycle that would integrate the features of all types of STEM modeling appeared as a necessary step before the multidisciplinary projects could be designed. The purpose of this chapter is to synthesize the characteristic features of currently applied modeling cycles in each of the STEM disciplines and select these features that can support STEM learning objectives exemplified in this book.
THE INTERACTION OF THE MACRO- AND MICROCLIMATIC FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESS OF WIND MACHINES FOR FROST PROTECTION IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Prevention of frost damage by using blowers has been tried in several localities in the U.S.A. and also in other countries. At present this method is in general use only in Southern California, for the winter protection of ripe or almost ripe citrus fruit. The temperatures produced at blower level (about 10 m above ground level) during this season on clear nights is 3–10°C higher than that measured in orange orchards, situated below the citrus trees. This strong inversion near the ground at night is due to three climatic factors: drop of temperature of the free atmosphere, greater turbulence due to local systems of winds above tree level, and suppressed turbulence inside the zone of trees.
Introduction: Quality Improvement and Databases in the Context of Professionalism

Throughout much of modern history, the physician has had two roles, “healer of the sick” and “member of a profession”. Although the distinction between these two roles has not been commonly appreciated, these roles have different historical origins and involve different activities. Viewed from this context, quality improvement is a fundamental responsibility of a profession, and databases and registries, created and maintained by professional groups that are focused on patient outcomes, are a critically important tool by which quality improvement can occur. Database/registry participation, careful review of the resulting outcomes data, and active attempts to improve the quality of our patients’ outcomes are thus fundamental to both being better “healers of the sick” and responsible “members of a profession.”.
Enhancement of ovarian responsiveness with microdoses of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist during ovulation induction for in vitro fertilization

Objective To determine if women who previously had demonstrated poor ovarian responsiveness during ovulation induction for IVF would obtain an improved follicular response by the administration of microdoses of GnRH agonist (GnRH-a). Design Prospective evaluation using the same patients' previous assisted reproductive technology cycles as historic controls. Setting Large military tertiary care center. Patients Thirty four patients who were low responders (peak E 2 Interventions Follicular phase administration of 20 μ g leuprolide acetate every 12 hours beginning on cycle day 3 and supplemented with exogenous gonadotropins beginning on cycle day 5. Main Outcome Measures Paired analysis of initial E 2 response, peak E 2 level attained, number of follicles ≥ 16 mm, duration of stimulation, ampules of gonadotropins required, late follicular LH levels, number of mature oocytes retrieved, and fertilization rates. Results Ovarian responsiveness was enhanced during the microdose GnRH-a stimulation cycle when compared with the previous stimulation cycle. Specifically, the patients had a more rapid rise in E 2 levels, much higher peak E 2 levels, the development of more mature follicles, and the recovery of larger numbers of mature oocytes at the time of retrieval. None of the patients had premature LH surges as evidenced by a significant rise in LH levels or a significant decline in E 2 levels. There were no differences in the fertilization rates. Conclusion Microdose GnRH-a administration beginning in the early follicular phase may result in an augmented ovarian response when compared with traditional GnRH-a-exogenous gonadotropin stimulations. Additionally, it may decrease gonadotropin requirements while effectively preventing premature LH surges.
Building a toolbox of protein scaffolds for future immobilization of biocatalysts

Biological materials that are genetically encoded and can self-assemble offer great potential as immobilization platforms in industrial biocatalysis. Protein-based scaffolds can be used for the spatial organization of enzymes, to stabilize the catalysts and provide optimal microenvironments for reaction sequences. In our previous work, we created a protein scaffold for enzyme localization by engineering the bacterial microcompartment shell protein EutM from Salmonella enterica. Here, we sought to expand this work by developing a toolbox of EutM proteins with different properties, with the potential to be used for future immobilization of enzymes. We describe the bioinformatic identification of hundreds of homologs of EutM from diverse microorganisms. We specifically select 13 EutM homologs from extremophiles for characterization, based on phylogenetic analyses. We synthesize genes encoding the novel proteins, clone and express them in E. coli, and purify the proteins. In vitro characterization shows that the proteins self-assemble into robust nano- and micron-scale architectures including protein nanotubes, filaments, and scaffolds. We explore the self-assembly characteristics from a sequence-based approach and create a synthetic biology platform for the coexpression of different EutM homologs as hybrid scaffolds with integrated enzyme attachment points. This work represents a step towards our goal of generating a modular toolbox for the rapid production of self-assembling protein-based materials for enzyme immobilization.
Algorithms for Subgame Abstraction with Applications to Cyber Defense

It is typically infeasible to use automated intrusion detection systems to scan every single host in a network with high sensitivity and frequency due to high costs and large network sizes. We present a game-theoretic model between a network administrator and a worm using normal form games with a particular structure where the network admin wants to maximize the security of the network using limited resources, and the attacker wants to infect the network without getting caught. However, a large number of hosts in a network can result in a massive game, making it problematic to compute standard solutions like Nash equilibrium. We propose an abstraction approach for solving large games that have a subgame structure and show that it can be used to solve much larger instances of this cybersecurity scenario than standard algorithms.
On the Performance of Distributed MIMO With Full-Duplex Jamming

In this paper, we consider a distributed MIMO system with a set of geographically distributed nodes forming a multi-antenna source $S$ , and a set of geographically distributed full duplex (FD) nodes forming a multi-antenna destination $D$ . $S$ and $D$ each forms a transmit and a receive cluster, respectively. $D$ uses FD mode to jam the signal from $S$ at eavesdropper $E$ , incurring some residual self-interference. We assume that neither $S$ nor $D$ has knowledge of their instantaneous channel state information to $E$ . Furthermore, to simplify the system design, especially for the mobile case, we assume as well that $S$ has no knowledge of the ICSI of its channel to $D$ . Hence, adopting ergodic secrecy rate (ESR) as the performance metric, we are interested in evaluating the ESR averaged over the nodes’ locations, i.e., cluster averaged ESR. To accomplish this, we obtain a lower bound (LB) and an upper bound of the ESR. As part of our work, we also obtain bounds on the cluster averaged ergodic rate between the two clusters. We demonstrate by simulations that the LB can act as a good approximation of the ESR for practical purposes.
Orientalism and the Invention of Kashmiri Religion(s)

The sordid research process behind the Lallā-Vākyāni, the first major English translation of poetry attributed to the fourteenth-century saint Lal Ded, reveals strategies employed by George Grierson, Lionel Barnett, and Mukund Ram Shastri to recast Lal Ded and the cultural heritage of Kashmir as exclusively Hindu. Contradicting the earliest depictions of Lal Ded in sixteenth-century Persian hagiographies, the Lallā-Vākyāni was instrumental to the modern invention of Kashmiri Śaiva Hinduism as the true religion and culture of Kashmir completely devoid of any connection—religious, historical, or social—with Islam, simultaneously serving Orientalist agendas and politics of the Ḍogrā court.
Food Assistance Programmes and Food Insecurity in the United States

A central goal of the US Department of Agriculture is to reduce food insecurity among the US population. This is pursued both by agricultural policies that focus on food supply and, arguably of greater importance, through food and nutrition programmes. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the largest in terms of the number of participants and annual expenditure. SNAP is particularly well‐suited to alleviating food insecurity insofar as it is designed to target those most in need, is flexible enough to address geographical variations in food insecurity, has the ability to expand in times of increased need, such as economic downturns, and gives recipients the dignity and autonomy to make their own food choices. Due to its size – about US$ 70 billion in expenditures per year – the programme has generated proposals to impose direct and indirect restrictions on recipients in order to reduce expenditure. These proposals include removing the ability of states to set higher income thresholds for eligibility, imposing work requirements, and curtailing the food choices of recipients. In contrast, other proposals would build on the perceived successes of SNAP both to expand the number of recipients and to increase benefit levels.
Prenatal hypoxemia alters microglial morphology in fetal sheep.

Abstract Objective Neuroimmune cells, particularly microglia and astrocytes, play a critical role in neurodevelopment. Neurocognitive delays are common in children with congenital heart disease, but their etiology is poorly understood. Our objective was to determine whether prenatal hypoxemia, at levels common in congenital heart disease, induced neuroimmune activation to better understand the origins of neurobehavioral disorders in congenital heart disease. Methods Eight fetal sheep at gestational age 109 ± 3 days (term ∼145 days) were cannulated onto a pumpless extracorporeal oxygenator via the umbilical vessels and supported in a fluid environment for 22 ± 2 days under normoxic (n = 4) or hypoxic (n = 4) conditions. Control fetuses (n = 7) were harvested at gestational age 133 ± 4 days. At necropsy, brains were stained with ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies to quantify microglia and astrocytes, respectively, in gray and white matter in frontotemporal and cerebellar sections. Microglia were classified into 4 morphologic types based on cell shape. Data were analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance or Fisher exact test, as appropriate. Results Oxygen delivery was significantly reduced in hypoxic fetuses (15.6 ± 1.8 mL/kg/min vs 24.3 ± 2.3 mL/kg/min; P Conclusions Prenatal hypoxemia altered microglial morphology without significant gliosis. Additional studies characterizing these mechanisms may provide insight into the origins of neurobehavioral disabilities in children with congenital heart disease.
How old is your brain

Using data from 45,615 people, Kaufmann et al. compare the gaps between brain age and chronological age in a number of brain disorders and study the relationship of these gaps with genetics. Their research shows that the brains of individuals with a range of different brain disorders, such as dementia and schizophrenia, are aging faster than normal.
Range-based Cooperative Localization with Nonlinear Observability Analysis

Accurate localization of other cars in scenarios such as intersection navigation, intention-aware planning, and guardian systems is a critical component of safety. Multi-robot cooperative localization (CL) provides a method to estimate the joint state of a network of cars by exchanging information between communicating agents. However, there are many challenges to implementing CL algorithms on physical systems, including network delays, unmodeled dynamics, and non-constant velocities. In this work, we present a novel experimental framework for range-based cooperative localization that enables the testing of CL algorithms in realistic conditions, and we perform experiments using up to five cars. For state estimation, we develop and compare a particle filter, an Unscented Kalman Filter, and an Extended Kalman Filter that are compatible with nonlinear dynamics and the asynchronous reception of messages. We also model the relative transform between two unicycle models and perform a nonlinear observability analysis on the system, giving us insight into the measurements required to estimate the system’s state. Our approach enables relative localization of multiple vehicles in the absence of any global reference frame or joint map, and we demonstrate the effectiveness of our system in real-world experiments. Our results show that the UKF is likely the best candidate to use for the CL task.
New Results on Pb-Au Collisions at 40 AGeV from the CERES/NA45 Experiment

In 1999 the CERES/NA45 ran at the CERN SPS with a beam energy of 40 GeV/nucleon. The data set comprises about 8.7 millions Pb-Au events with a trigger selection corresponding to approximately the most central 30% of the geometrical cross section. Results on low-mass electron pair analysis are presented. The upgrade of the experimental setup with the radial drift TPC has allowed to enhance hadron physics capabilities of the experiment. New results on hadron spectra (including Lambda) and flow are presented.
Adsorption Heat Pump Cycles

Adsorption heat pumps are thermally driven heat pumps that compress low-temperature, low-pressure vapor to high temperature and pressure through adsorption, which is the formation of a reversible bond between adsorbate molecules and a solid adsorbent, and subsequent desorption. While all adsorption heat pumps share this thermally driven compression process, many different heat pump cycles have been studied. Modifications to the basic, single-bed adsorption heat pump cycle allow for continuous cooling or heating, improved COP, better matching of thermal energy resources to the cycle temperature requirements, and operation with extremely low-temperature driving heat. In this chapter, the single-bed adsorption heat pump cycle is presented in detail, and cycles that modify the cycle capabilities are discussed, along with their advantages and drawbacks. The chapter concludes by quantitatively comparing the performance of three of these cycle configurations for a common adsorbent and refrigerant.
Vulnerability of Drop Ceilings in Roadway Tunnels to Fire-Induced Damage:

Roadway tunnels often include a reinforced concrete drop ceiling that is hung from the liner to create a plenum that facilitates ventilation and houses utilities. Drop ceiling panels are lightweigh...
Mapping of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria

This study mapping civil society organizations in Nigeria was conducted on legally active civil society organizations drawn from across the 36 states of Nigeria working across all 17 sustainable development goals.
Clinical Course of Early Postoperative Hypothyroidism Following Thyroid Lobectomy in Pediatrics.

Introduction Thyroid lobectomy reduces risks of surgical complications and need for levothyroxine (LT4). We aimed to identify the clinical course and risk factors for post-lobectomy hypothyroidism to optimize surgical counseling and management in pediatric patients undergoing lobectomy. Methods Clinical and biochemical presentations pre- and post-lobectomy were retrospectively reviewed for 110 patients who underwent thyroid lobectomy between 2008 and 2020 at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Results Approximately 28.2% of patients (31/110) developed post-lobectomy hypothyroidism defined by an elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level, including 24.5% (27/110) with subclinical hypothyroidism (TSH > 4.5 and 10.0 mIU/L). LT4 was initiated in 12.7% (14/110) of cases. Most patients (81.6%; 84/103) recovered euthyroidism within 12 months post-lobectomy. When excluding patients with autonomous nodule(s), median preoperative TSH was 1.09 (IQR = 0.70-1.77) mIU/L and 1.80 (IQR = 1.02-2.68) mIU/L in euthyroid and hypothyroid patients, respectively, with multivariate logistic regression confirming the association between an increased preoperative TSH and post-lobectomy hypothyroidism (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.08-3.13; p = 0.024). Of the patients who underwent thyroid lobectomy and developed post-operative hypothyroidism (n = 31), 38.7% (12/31) had a pre-operative diagnosis of an autonomous thyroid nodule. Conclusions Thyroid function should be evaluated post-lobectomy to assess the need for LT4. LT4 should be considered if the TSH remains elevated, especially if an upward trend is observed or TSH is > 10.0 mIU/L. Suppressed preoperative TSH associated with autonomous nodule(s) is an independent risk factor for post-lobectomy hypothyroidism.
Whey Protein Use in Cottage Cheese Dressing

Cottage cheese whey protein concentrate prepared by heat precipitation and centrifugation was mixed with skimmilk, NaCl and xanthan gum and used as a dressing for cottage cheese curd. The resultant experimental cottage cheese contained more protein than a sample of commercial cottage cheese. The dressed curd particles of the experimental cheese tended to cling together and the flavor was somewhat flat. When evaluated by an 18-member sensory panel, it was given preference scores slightly below the commercial sample.
Leveraging IT resources, embeddedness, and dependence

Supplier-buyer relationships often exhibit power differentials and dependence.Relation-specific IT, embeddedness and dependence lead to supplier benefits.Embeddedness does not result in a supplier appropriating benefits.A supplier must use a buyer's dependence on a supplier to appropriate benefits. The relationships between suppliers and buyers are often simultaneously characterized by power differentials and dependence. In such relationships, a powerful buyer is able to benefit more from the relationship than the supplier. We examine how a supplier can strengthen its use of relation-specific information technology (IT) with embeddedness to appropriate its share of relational benefits. We developed and tested a model of supplier relation-specific IT use, embeddedness, and buyer's dependence on a supplier. The results showed that embeddedness did not lead directly to the sharing of relational benefits; the appropriation of relational benefits is instead derived from buyer dependence.
Ad5 but not Ad26 induces an IFN-γ+IL-10+ CD4+ T cell population following immunization (VAC12P.1023)

Adenovirus-based vaccines have arisen as an attractive method to elicit robust cellular and humoral immune responses. Multiple vector serotypes have been developed, but the CD4+ regulatory T cell responses generated by these vectors have not previously been compared. We therefore, compared the functionality of antigen-specific CD4+ regulatory T cells induced following Ad5 or Ad26 immunization. C57BL/6 mice were immunized intramuscularly with 1010vp of Ad5-SIVgag or Ad26-SIVgag. Spleen cells were harvest at day 10, and SIVgag-specific CD4+ regulatory T cell responses were evaluated. Immunization with 1010vp of Ad5-SIVgag induced a population of IL-10+ producing cells that comprised 30% of gag-specific IFN-γ+ CD4+ T cells. In contrast, the number of CD4+ T cells that co-produced IFN-γ and IL-10 was 8 times lower following Ad26 immunization. These cells were T-bet+ and FoxP3-. In addition, Ad5 immunization induced a substantially larger fraction of IL-10+ cells that co-express PD-1 than Ad26 immunization. Moreover, a larger fraction of IFN-γ+ CD4+ T cells were Tim-3+ following Ad5 versus Ad26 immunization. We also observed increasing frequency of IFN-γ+IL-10+ CD4+ T cells with increasing doses of Ad5. These data suggest that Ad5 vectors, but not Ad26 vectors, induce a large population of CD4+ T cells that co-produce IFN-γ and IL-10, an immunosuppressive cytokine that may potentially limit vaccine efficacy.
'What' and 'where' processing in auditory cortex.

Tracing of auditory cortical connections suggests that the primate auditory system, like the visual and somatosensory systems, may be organized into 'what' and 'where' pathways.
Short segment aortic endarterectomy – a technique to aid cannulation in donors with severe aorto‐iliac disease

Cannulation of the abdominal aorta in older donors with advanced atherosclerotic disease is challenging and may lead to dissection or plaque embolization. We describe a different technique, short segment aortic endarterectomy, which can be a useful alternative during organ procurement. It permits safer cannulation and securing of atherosclerotic infrarenal aortas, thereby allowing us to flush and safely use organs that otherwise would have been discarded.
Enhancing 911 Systems A Usability Test Plan.

This study is the development of a usability test plan for implementation of an Enhanced 911 Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system by emergency response dispatch centers. Enhanced 911 system technologies will allow emergency response personnel to locate cellular 911 callers in distress by pinpointing the latitude and longitude of their location, and mapping it through the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS). This usability test plan has been developed through research within a dispatch center to ensure that the dispatchers, who receive the 911 calls and dispatch the appropriate emergency response personnel, are receptive to the new technology, and the new interface with the GIS capability does not impede their ability to assistance callers. Through this usability test plan the dispatchers will be involved in the entire process to integrate an additional window into the CAD screen that contains a GIS map to optimize the usability of the emergency response system. After analysis of the usability test results the emergency response dispatch center personnel will be able to develop methods to enhance the operational efficiency of the emergency response dispatch system allowing for a seamless integration of the new Enhanced 911 CAD/GIS system components.
Panel Discussion: Phases of the Interstellar Medium

This article summarizes the panel discussion on “Phases of the Interstellar Medium”. The panelists were asked to identify key issues related to the structure of the ISM, and the audience participated in a two-hour discussion. Beginning with a summmary of the physics of thermal phases, I provide some background on the observations and theories of 2-phase and 3-phase models. While the 3-phase model has had many successes, several recent observations disagree with its predictions. The major unresolved issue is whether the model can be “fixed” by tinkering with cloud geometries and supernova rates and by including a galactic fountain. The Milky Way supernova rate may have been overestimated, many supernovae may be less than 1051 ergs, and modelers have probably neglected important physics in mass transport, cloud formation and halo input.
Assessing impact-tool vibration damage of tissues in a rat-tail model

A rat-tail vibration injury model was developed to test the effects of sinusoidal vibration in the 30 to 800 Hz range. An Atlas Copco riveting hammer (RRHO4P) accelerated a fan-shaped, steel tool bit that served as the vibration platform. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups impact vibration immediate, vibration 4-day recovery, immediate sham control and 4-day sham control. Tail flick response times, measured before vibration treatment, are found to be similar for the vibration and sham groups. Tail flick times for the vibration immediate rats are 34% shorter than the pie-vibration values. The sham controls are unchanged from the pre-vibration values. Exposure of the rat tail to a single period of impact shock vibration produces profound changes in the function and structure of the innervation.
Women, Work and Public Spaces: Conflict and Coexistence in Karachi's Poor Neighborhoods.

This article focuses on how working-class women encounter and negotiate economic uncertainty, social vulnerability and sexually threatening public spaces in contemporary Karachi, showcasing women's everyday experiences of social and physical violence as a microcosm of the city's life in order to explore the possibilities of a future politics for cities like Karachi that are haunted by the possibility of violent eruptions. By concentrating on people's everyday practices, it proposes a different register by which to understand cities and their politics, a register constituted by an emergent politics that is not always dependent on an analysis of conflict and friction, but which instead focuses on living with disagreements. Hence the article uses the ethnographic depiction of women's lives to understand the mechanisms through which people continue to coexist, share resources and work together, despite the endemic personal, social and political violence in Karachi's working-class neighborhoods. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
DISTRIBUTION OF NUCLEOTIDE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO RANDOMLY CHOSEN CISTRONS IN A FINITE POPULATION

Watterson's (1975) formula for the steady-state distribution of the number of nucleotide differences between two randomly chosen cistrons in a finite population has been extended to transient states. The rate for the mean of this distribution to approach its equilibrium value is 1/2N and independent of mutation rate, but that for the variance is dependent on mutation rate, where N denotes the effective population size. Numerical computations show that if the heterozygosity (i.e., the probability that two cistrons are different) is low, say of the order of 0.1 or less, the probability that two cistrons differ at two or more nucleotide sites is less than 10 percent of the heterozygosity, whereas this probability may be as high as 50 percent of the heterozygosity if the heterozygosity is 0.5. A simple estimate for the mean number (-d) of site differences between cistrons is d = h/(1 - h) where h is the heterozygosity. At equilibrium, the probability that two cistrons differ by more than one site is equal to h2, the square of heterozygosity.
SU‐E‐T‐616: Plan Quality Assessment of Both Treatment Planning System Dose and Measurement‐Based 3D Reconstructed Dose in the Patient

Purpose: Systematic radiotherapy plan quality assessment promotes quality improvement. Software tools can perform this analysis by applying site-specific structure dose metrics. The next step is to similarly evaluate the quality of the dose delivery. This study defines metrics for acceptable doses to targets and normal organs for a particular treatment site and scores each plan accordingly. The input can be the TPS or the measurement-based 3D patient dose. From this analysis, one can determine whether the delivered dose distribution to the patient receives a score which is comparable to the TPS plan score, otherwise replanning may be indicated. Methods: Eleven neuroblastoma patient plans were exported from Eclipse to the Quality Reports program. A scoring algorithm defined a score for each normal and target structure based on dose-volume parameters. Each plan was scored by this algorithm and the percentage of total possible points was obtained. Each plan also underwent IMRT QA measurements with a Mapcheck2 or ArcCheck. These measurements were input into the 3DVH program to compute the patient 3D dose distribution which was analyzed using the same scoring algorithm as the TPS plan. Results: The mean quality score for the TPS plans was 75.37% (std dev=14.15%) compared to 71.95% (std dev=13.45%) for the 3DVH dose distribution. For 3/11 plans, the 3DVH-based quality score was higher than the TPS score, by between 0.5 to 8.4 percentage points. Eight/11 plans scores decreased based on IMRT QA measurements by 1.2 to 18.6 points. Conclusion: Software was used to determine the degree to which the plan quality score differed between the TPS and measurement-based dose. Although the delivery score was generally in good agreement with the planned dose score, there were some that improved while there was one plan whose delivered dose quality was significantly less than planned. This methodology helps evaluate both planned and delivered dose quality. Sun Nuclear Corporation has provded a license for the software described.
Overexpression of multi-heme C-type cytochromes.

ABSTRACT-Because they contain covalently attached hemes, c-type cytochromes, especially those with multi-heme, are difficult to over-express. The gram negative bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has been successfully used for over-expression of multi-heme c-type cytochromes...
Peritubular Capillary Congestion in Renal Allograft Biopsies May be an Unreliable Marker for Cyclosporine Nephrotoxicity

E XTENSIVE AGGREGATION of inflammatory cells in peritubular capillaries (peritubular capillary congestion, PCC), as the principal abnormality encountered in a renal transplant biopsy, is an uncommon finding. l To our knowledge, only one transplantation center has reported extensively on their experience with this entity2; that group has strongly suggested that this lesion may be a specific manifestation of cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. Our experience has instead suggested that this pattern of injury can be the principal histologic manifestation of underlying or developing vascular rejection and is not necessarily related to cyclosporine therapy. We report a pertinent example, because we believe that it may be misleading to use this histopathologic finding as a criterion for reduction of cyclosporine dosage in a patient with acute allograft dysfunction.
Was over-exploitation the cause of the decline of the American plaice stock off Labrador and northeast Newfoundland?

Abstract The population of American plaice in the waters off Labrador and on the northeast Newfoundland shelf declined substantially during the mid to late 1980s, early 1990s at a time when reported catches were very low. An earlier study examined the overlap in distribution between American plaice and cod in research vessel survey data and concluded that unreported bycatch in the cod fishery could explain the decline of the Div. 2J portion of the Subarea 2+ Div . 3 K stock of American plaice. We evaluate the method proposed in that study and use reported and observer estimates of catch to investigate potential catch levels relative to survey estimates of population biomass. This method does not appear to be a good predictor of American plaice bycatch in the cod fishery as most of the regressions were not significant and it requires extrapolation well beyond the range of the data used to build the regressions. Furthermore, there was little overlap between the extent of the commercial cod fishing grounds and the distribution of American plaice in the autumn surveys. For this stock, catch to survey biomass ratios were low regardless of the source of information used to estimate catch and suggest an exploitation rate that should be well below sustainable levels. These analyses support the conclusion that fishing was not the cause of the decline in this population of American plaice.
Effect of Multiple Testing Adjustment in Differential Item Functioning Detection.

In a typical differential item functioning (DIF) analysis, a significance test is conducted for each item. As a test consists of multiple items, such multiple testing may increase the possibility of making a Type I error at least once. The goal of this study was to investigate how to control a Type I error rate and power using adjustment procedures for multiple testing, which have been widely used in applied statistics. In the simulation, four distinct DIF methods were performed under various testing conditions. The methods were the Mantel–Haenszel (MH) method, the logistic regression (LR) procedure, the Differential Functioning Item and Test (DFIT) framework, and Lord’s chi-square test. As an adjustment procedure, the Bonferroni correction, Holm’s procedure, or the Benjamini and Hochberg (BH) false discovery rate was applied. The results showed the MH and the LR clearly benefited from Holm’s and the BH adjustments, whereas the DFIT and Lord’s chi-square test did not require adjustments for conditions und...
FlCRhR/cyclic AMP signaling in myenteric ganglia and calbindin-D28 intrinsic primary afferent neurons involves adenylyl cyclases I, III and IV

Abstract The aims of this study were to improve insight into cAMP signaling in myenteric neurons and glia and identify the adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms expressed in myenteric ganglia of the guinea-pig small intestine. An increase in the intracellular cAMP levels was measured indirectly by an increase in the 520 nm/580 nm fluorescence emission ratio of the protein kinase A fluorosensor FlCRhR. Forskolin or pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating peptide caused an increase in cAMP levels in cell somas and neurites and elicited a slow EPSP-like response in myenteric AH/Type 2 neurons, whereas the inactive form of forskolin was without these effects. Glia displayed similar cAMP responses. Immunoblot analysis showed that AC I, III and IV were present in myenteric ganglia, with AC I being detected as two bands of 160 kDa and 185 kDa, AC III as two bands near 220 kDa, and AC IV as two bands of greater than 220 kDa. Pretreatment with N -ethylmaleimide and N -glycosidase F revealed an AC IV band at 115 kDa. Preabsorption with specific blocking peptides prevented detection of AC I or AC IV immunoreactive proteins. In ganglia which expressed strong AC IV immunoreactivity, no immunoreactive bands were detected for AC II, AC V/VI, AC VII or AC VIII. The amount of AC isoforms expressed in myenteric ganglia followed the order of AC IV≫III>I. Immunofluorescent labeling studies revealed that AC I, AC III and AC IV were variably expressed in myenteric neurons and glia of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. In the guinea-pig ileum, AC I, III and IV immunoreactivities were respectively present in 26%, 58% and 89% of calbindin-D 28 —colabeled myenteric neurons. These findings suggest that (1) AC I, AC III and AC IV variably contribute to cAMP signaling in myenteric ganglia, (2) AC I, AC III and AC IV may be differentially expressed in distinct subsets of calbindin-D 28 neurons which may represent intrinsic primary afferent myenteric neurons. Our study also provides direct evidence for activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.
Location of burmester synthesis solutions with fully rotatable cranks

Abstract A method is developed for locating regions of the Burmester circle-point curve which give the driving cranks of crank-rocker or drag-link linkages when combined with a given driven crank. The technique used is a graphical iteration procedure. When used as suggested convergence is rapid. The technique is compatible with the author's procedure for avoiding solutions requiring branch changes and ensuring correct order of progression through the design positions.