cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hyperbaric Oxygen Suppresses NADPH Oxidase in a Rat Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Model

Background and Purpose— One of the major contributors to brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is oxidative stress, and 1 of the major enzymatic sources of superoxide anion production in the brain is NADPH oxidase. Therefore, we studied whether hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) suppresses neuronal NADPH oxidase in a rat model of SAH. Methods— Eighty-three Sprague-Dawley male rats were assigned to sham, SAH, and SAH treated with HBO groups. SAH was induced by endovascular perforation. HBO (2.8 atmospheres absolutes for 2 hours) was started at 1 hour after perforation. Rats were euthanized at 6 or 24 hours, and brains were collected for histology, biochemistry, and molecular biology studies including NADPH oxidase activity, gp91phox mRNA expression, and lipid peroxidation assays. Mortality and neurological scores were evaluated. Results— We observed an increased neuronal immunoreactivity of gp91phox at 24 hours after SAH. The upregulation of gp91phox mRNA was associated with increased oxidative stress. HBO...
Representational change and magnitude estimation: Why young children can make more accurate salary comparisons than adults

Development of estimation has been ascribed to two sources: (1) a change from logarithmic to linear representations of number and (2) development of general mathematical skills. To test the representational change hypothesis, we gave children and adults a task in which an automatic, linear representation is less adaptive than the logarithmic representation: estimating the value of salaries given in fractional notation. The representational change hypothesis generated the surprising (and accurate) prediction that when estimating the magnitude of salaries given in fractional notation, young children would outperform adults, whereas when estimating the magnitude of the same salaries given in decimal notation, adults would outperform children.
Vibrational Analyses of N-Substituted Aziridines. II. Sulfinylbis(1-Aziridine):

The normal vibrations of sulfinylbis(1-aziridine) have been assigned assuming Cs symmetry for the molecule. The ir absorption peaks arising from the sulfoxide group were identified from the measurement of frequency shifts produced by intermolecular association of the sulfoxide linkage with chloroform. The remainder of the spectra were assigned by comparison with the analogous carbonyl compound and with ethyleneimine. The spectra of sulfinylbis(1-aziridine) recorded at room temperature and 77°K suggest the existence of rotational isomers at room temperature.
High Spatial Resolution X-Ray Microanalysis of Radiation-Induced Segregation in Proton-Irradiated Stainless Steels

The spatial redistribution of alloying elements and impurities near grain boundaries in several stainless steel alloys arising from non-equilibrium processes have been measured by analytical electron microscopy (AEM) in a field emission scanning transmission electron microscope. Radiation-induced segregation (RIS) has been shown to result in significant compositional changes at point defects sinks, such as grain boundaries. The influence of irradiation dose and temperature, alloy composition, prior heat treatment, and post-irradiation annealing on the grain boundary composition profiles have been investigated. Understanding the importance of these microchemical changes relative to the radiation-induced microstructural change in irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of the irradiated materials is the primary goal of this study.
DLOOP: A Flash Translation Layer Exploiting Plane-Level Parallelism

A flash translation layer (FTL) is a software layer running in the flash controller of a NAND flash memory solid-state disk (hereafter, flash SSD). It translates logical addresses received from a file system to physical addresses in flash SSD so that the linear flash memory appears to the system like a block storage device. Since the effectiveness of an FTL significantly impacts the performance and durability of a flash SSD, FTL design has attracted significant attention from both industry and academy in recent years. In this research, we propose a new FTL called DLOOP (Data Log On One Plane), which fully exploits plane-level parallelism supported by modern flash SSDs. The basic idea of DLOOP is to allocate logs (updates) onto the same plane where their associated original data resides so that valid page copying operations triggered by garbage collection can be carried out by intraplane copy-back operations without occupying the external I/O bus. Further, we largely extend a validated simulation environment DiskSim3.0/FlashSim to implement DLOOP. Finally, we conduct comprehensive experiments to evaluate DLOOP using realistic enterprise-scale workloads. Experimental results show that DLOOP consistently outperforms a classical hybrid FTL named FAST and a morden page-mapping FTL called DFTL.
Use of a two-step Percoll gradient for separation of loggerhead sea turtle peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

In order to determine a suitable procedure for isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), blood was collected using three different anticoagulants (sodium heparin, sodium citrate or potassium EDTA) and separated using a single step commercially-prepared arabinogalactan gradient of 1.077 g/ml density or multiple step Percoll gradients between 1.053 and 1.076 g/ml density (40–60% stock isotonic Percoll suspension). Heparinized blood centrifuged over a two-step 45/55% (1.059/1.070 g/ml) Percoll gradient yielded 99 to 100% mononuclear cells at the 45/55% interface. Mononuclear cell viability ranged from 85 to 97% with cell yields up to 9.2 × 106 cells/mL. An unexpected finding was a population of low density granulocytes migrating to 40% (1.053 g/ml) and 45% Percoll layers in the multiple step gradients. These granulocytes could be eliminated from the PBMC preparation by use of the two-step 45/55% Percoll gradient. Isolated PBMCs can be used for cellula...
Worms under Pressure: Bulk Mechanical Properties of C. elegans Are Independent of the Cuticle.

The mechanical properties of cells and tissues play a well-known role in physiology and disease. The model or- ganism Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits mechanical properties that are still poorly understood, but are thought to be dominated by its collagen-rich outer cuticle. We use a microfluidic technique to reveal that the worm responds linearly to low applied hydro- static stress, exhibiting a volumetric compression with a bulk modulus, k ¼ 140 5 20 kPa; applying negative pressures leads to volumetric expansion of the worm, with a similar bulk modulus. Surprisingly, however, we find that a variety of collagen mutants and pharmacological perturbations targeting the cuticle do not impact the bulk modulus. Moreover, the worm exhibits dramatic stiffening at higher stresses—behavior that is also independent of the cuticle. The stress-strain curves for all conditions can be scaled onto a master equation, suggesting that C. elegans exhibits a universal elastic response dominated by the mechanics of pressurized internal organs.
Using a Malcolm Baldrige framework to understand high-performing clinical microsystems

Background, objectives and method: The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) provides a set of criteria for organisational quality assessment and improvement that has been used by thousands of business, healthcare and educational organisations for more than a decade. The criteria can be used as a tool for self-evaluation, and are widely recognised as a robust framework for design and evaluation of healthcare systems. The clinical microsystem, as an organisational construct, is a systems approach for providing clinical care based on theories from organisational development, leadership and improvement. This study compared the MBNQA criteria for healthcare and the success factors of high-performing clinical microsystems to (1) determine whether microsystem success characteristics cover the same range of issues addressed by the Baldrige criteria and (2) examine whether this comparison might better inform our understanding of either framework. Results and conclusions: Both Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics cover a wide range of areas crucial to high performance. Those particularly called out by this analysis are organisational leadership, work systems and service processes from a Baldrige standpoint, and leadership, performance results, process improvement, and information and information technology from the microsystem success characteristics view. Although in many cases the relationship between Baldrige criteria and microsystem success characteristics are obvious, in others the analysis points to ways in which the Baldrige criteria might be better understood and worked with by a microsystem through the design of work systems and a deep understanding of processes. Several tools are available for those who wish to engage in self-assessment based on MBNQA criteria and microsystem characteristics.
An Erythropoietin Autocrine/Paracrine Axis Modulates the Growth and Survival of Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Erythropoietin receptors have been identified on a variety of cancer-derived cell lines and primary cancer cells, including those of prostate cancer. The functional status of these extrahematopoietic erythropoietin receptors remains a matter of some dispute. The publication of several important clinical trials suggesting a direct effect of erythropoietin on the growth and survival of primary tumors adds further importance to the question of whether erythropoietin receptors on cancer cells are functional. We have reported previously that human prostate cancer cell lines and primary prostate cancer cells express functional erythropoietin receptors that respond to exogenous erythropoietin by increased cell proliferation and STAT5 phosphorylation. We now show that prostate cancer cell lines express both the EPO gene and the biologically active erythropoietin. The coexpression of functional receptor and biologically active ligand in the cells has led us to hypothesize an autocrine/paracrine mechanism, driven by endogenous erythropoietin, which may modulate the growth and progression of prostate cancer. To test our hypothesis, we have knocked down, independently, erythropoietin receptor and erythropoietin on prostate cancer cells by transfection with short hairpin RNAs. Erythropoietin receptor knockdown cells grow significantly more slowly than their erythropoietin receptor-bearing counterparts in monolayer culture, produce fewer, smaller colonies in soft agar, and do not exhibit erythropoietin-induced signaling. Erythropoietin knockdown cells exhibit dramatically slower rates of growth, which could be restored by transfecting the cells with a murine erythropoietin gene. Taken together, our data suggest that the coordinated regulation of a functional erythropoietin/erythropoietin receptor axis in prostate cancer cells may be integral to the growth and progression of prostate cancer. (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(7):OF1–8) (Mol Cancer Res 2009;7(7):1150–7)
Temporal Variations of Particulate Air Pollution: A Marker for Free Radical Dosage and Adverse Health Effects?

AbstractStatistical associations have been observed between human mortality and fine and sulfate particles. However, significant gaps in our knowledge exist in explaining the observed health effects based on results from controlled exposure studies. It is possible that the causative agent is a species that is correlated with particulate matter, but not measured by routine sampling of atmospheric aerosols. Free radicals, such as hydroxyl radicals, are responsible for the formation of fine and sulfate particles. They are also known to be damaging to lung tissue, as well as playing a role in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of disease states, including inflammation and cancer. These observations suggest that radicals may be at least partly responsible for adverse health effects, and that fine particle mass could serve as a marker for free radical dosage. Applying receptor models to time-series aerosol data to determine the temporal variations of source contributions may provide additional insight regarding...
SWIFT: system workbench for integrating and facilitating teams

There have been many R&D efforts in recent years to develop computer environments that directly enhance group problem-solving productivity. An example of such efforts is the computer-based virtual teaming technology (VTT) developed at the knowledge-based Engineering Sytems Research Laboratory (KESRL). The core software environment for KESRL's VTT is called SWIFT and is based on the knowledge processing technology (KPT) previously developed at KESRL to support various engineering design tasks. SWIFT is a flexible environment which enables the rapid development of collaborative applications, linking workers in distributed environments, of many domains. The paper presents the overall system architecture of SWIFT, and introduces the current and future R&D efforts at KESRL in realizing SWIFT for significant industrial applications. >
Morality shifting in the context of intergroup violence

We propose morality shifting as a mechanism through which individuals can maintain a moral image of the ingroup. We argue that a shift from the moral principles of harm and fairness to those of loyalty and authority occurs when assessing a potentially threatening event, particularly among high ingroup glorifiers. Three studies confirmed this hypothesis using three different methodologies. Study 1 compared the use of language related to four moral foundations formulated in moral psychology in response to ingroup- and outgroup-committed wrongdoings. Results showed that loyalty- and authority-related words were used more, whereas harm- and fairness-related words were used less in response to ingroup- compared with outgroup-committed wrongdoings. Study 2 replicated this effect with regards to the cognitive accessibility of these moral principles. Study 3 confirmed that morality shifting is a motivated response to social identity threat, rather than a response to mere activation of social identity. Finally, as predicted, Study 3 demonstrated the effect of morality shifting to be moderated by ingroup glorification but not ingroup attachment. Implications and consequences for intergroup and individual wrongdoings, as well as for intergroup relations, are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Berkeley extreme-ultraviolet airglow rocket spectrometer: BEARS

The Berkeley EUV airglow rocket spectrometer (BEARS) instrument is described. The instrument was designed in particular to measure the dominant lines of atomic oxygen in the FUV and EUV dayglow at 1356, 1304, 1027, and 989 A, which is the ultimate source of airglow emissions. The optical and mechanical design of the instrument, the detector, electronics, calibration, flight operations, and results are examined.
Recruitment and Training Issues from Selected Lay Health Advisor Programs among African Americans: A 20-Year Perspective:

The use of lay health advisors (LHAs) to address the health disparity among African Americans is well documented and considered a culturally appropriate model of community health promotion. The recruitment and training of LHAs are important components of the model but have not been fully explored in the LHA literature. Recruitment and training of LHAs should reflect both the existing roles they have in their respective communities and those proposed by the programs to which they are recruited. This article reviews and describes the components of recruitment and training as implemented in selected LHA programs among African Americans. The article will address the role and purpose of LHAs in health promotion among African Americans, a historical perspective of recruitment and training, recruitment and training methods in selected LHAs programs for African Americans, and recommendations for the recruitment and training of LHAs for health promotion among African Americans.
Peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte/monocyte ratio recovery during ABVD treatment cycles predicts clinical outcomes in classical Hodgkin lymphoma

The peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte/monocyte count ratio at diagnosis (ALC/AMC-DX) predicts survival in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). However, a limitation of the ALC/AMC-DX is the inability to assess sequentially the host/tumor interaction during treatment. Therefore, we retrospectively examined the ALC/AMC ratio, as a surrogate marker of host immunity (ALC) and tumor microenvironment (AMC), at each adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine treatment cycle as a predictor for clinical outcomes. From 1990 until 2008, 190 cHL patients were diagnosed, treated and followed at Mayo Clinic Rochester and qualified for the study. The ALC/AMC ratio at each treatment cycle was a predictor for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). An ALC/AMC ratio ⩾1.1 versus ALC/AMC <1.1 during treatment cycles was an independent predictor for OS (hazard ratio (HR)=0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04–0.40; P<0.0002) and for PFS (HR=0.19; 95% CI: 0.05–0.82; P<0.03). The ALC/AMC ratio during treatment cycles is a predictor for survival and provides a platform to develop therapeutic modalities to manipulate the ALC/AMC ratio during chemotherapy to improve clinical outcomes in cHL.
Dynamic void collapse in crystals: computational modelling and experiments

Abstract Localization of inelastic flow and crack initiation in fee single crystals are studied experimentally and by numerical simulations, focusing on the anisotropic inelastic response of the crystal, and the mechanism of possible crack initiation and growth, produced upon unloading by the residual inhomogeneous plastic strains. Hollow circular cylinders of single-crystal copper are subjected to externally applied explosive loads which cause the collapse of the cylinder; this procedure is called the thick-walled cylinder (TWC) method. Then, numerical simulations are performed to understand the deformation process which leads to localized deformation, and tensile cracking when partial collapse is followed by unloading. Various loads and initial orientations of the lattice are examined in these numerical simulations in order to study their effects on the flow localization and crack initiation phenomena.
Supplementary Factors in the Nutrition of Euplotes.

SUMMARY. Known chemical compounds have replaced the three supplementary factors previously necessary for the growth of Euplotes patella feeding on Chilomonas paramecium under bacteria-free conditions. The factor found in an extract of liver was identified as thiamine. The factor supplied by extracts of certain bacteria has been tentatively identified as folinic acid. A combination of 8-azaguanine and the riboflavin analog, flavotin, has been substituted for the factor found in yeast extracts. Inorganic salts and sodium acetate have been incorporated in the supplementary medium to promote the growth of the flagellate food organisms. Euplotes has also been cultured on Tetrahymena pyriformis in a medium containing 8-azaguanine and flavotin. The requirement for supplementary growth factors in this carnivorous ciliate has been interpreted as definitely involving intermediates in purine metabolism.
Molecular Characterization of a Subgroup Specificity Associated with the Rotavirus Inner Capsid Protein VP2

Group A rotaviruses are classified into serotypes, based on the reactivity pattern of neutralizing antibodies to VP4 and VP7, as well as into subgroups (SGs), based on non-neutralizing antibodies directed against VP6. The inner capsid protein (VP2) has also been described as a SG antigen; however, little is known regarding the molecular determinants of VP2 SG specificity. In this study, we characterize VP2 SGs by correlating genetic markers with the immunoreactivity of the SG-specific monoclonal antibody (YO-60). Our results show that VP2 proteins similar in sequence to that of the prototypic human strain Wa are recognized by YO-60, classifying them as VP2 SG-II. In contrast, proteins not bound by YO-60 are similar to those of human strains DS-1 or AU-1 and represent VP2 SG-I. Using a mutagenesis approach, we identified residues that determine recognition by either YO-60 or the group A-specific VP2 monoclonal antibody (6E8). We found that YO-60 binds to a conformationally dependent epitope that includes Wa VP2 residue M328. The epitope for 6E8 is also contingent upon VP2 conformation and resides within a single region of the protein (Wa VP2 residues A440 to T530). Using a high-resolution structure of bovine rotavirus double-layered particles, we predicted these epitopes to be spatially distinct from each other and located on opposite surfaces of VP2. This study reveals the extent of genetic variation among group A rotavirus VP2 proteins and illuminates the molecular basis for a previously described SG specificity associated with the rotavirus inner capsid protein.
Alkylaluminum halides : Lewis acid catalysts which are brønsted bases

Abstract Alkylaluminum halides react with Bronsted acids to liberate an alkane and generate a new Lewis acid. Using these reagents, Lewis acid catalyzed reactions can be run under aprotic conditions, even when acidic protons are produced in the reaction. The use of these reagents for Lewis acid catalyzed ene, Diels-Alder and cycloaddition reactions and Claisen rearrangements is described. These reagents are also useful initiators for cation-olefin addition reactions. In some cases the alkyl groups react as nucleophiles. While this is often undesirable, addition of an alkyl group to carbenium ion intermediates provides novel classes of compounds.
Hierarchical Online Control Design for Autonomous Resource Management in Advanced Life Support Systems

This paper presents a distributed, hierarchical control scheme for autonomous resource management in complex embedded systems that can handle dynamic changes in resource constraints and operational requirements. The developed hierarchical control structure handles the interactions between subsystem and system-level controllers. A global coordinator at the root of the hierarchy ensures resource requirements for the duration of the mission are not violated. We have applied this approach to design a three-tier hierarchical controller for the operation of a lunar habitat that includes a number of interacting life support components.
Two R Packages for Sensitivity Analysis in Observational Studies

Two R packages for sensitivity analysis in observational studies are described. Package sensitivitymw is for matched pairs with one treated subject and one control, or matched sets with one treated subject and a fixed number, K 2, of controls. Package sensitivitymv is for matched sets with variable numbers of controls. The packages offer conventional statistics, such as the permutational t-test and M -statistics using Huber’s weights, but they also offer less familiar test statistics that have higher power in sensitivity analyses. The packages provide several tools useful in sensitivity analyses, such as an aid, amplify, to the interpretation of the value of the sensitivity parameter, and a device for combining evidence from several independent sensitivity analyses, truncatedP, for instance, several evidence factors or several subgroups.
Practical Tips for Academic Employers

Practical tips to help the academic law library make a great impression and hire the best librarian for the job as seen through the lens of the job seeker or applicant.
A complexity science-based framework for global joint operations analysis to support force projection: LDRD Final Report

The military is undergoing a significant transformation as it modernizes for the information age and adapts to address an emerging asymmetric threat beyond traditional cold war era adversaries. Techniques such as traditional large-scale, joint services war gaming analysis are no longer adequate to support program evaluation activities and mission planning analysis at the enterprise level because the operating environment is evolving too quickly. New analytical capabilities are necessary to address modernization of the Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise. This presents significant opportunity to Sandia in supporting the nation at this transformational enterprise scale. Although Sandia has significant experience with engineering system of systems (SoS) and Complex Adaptive System of Systems (CASoS), significant fundamental research is required to develop modeling, simulation and analysis capabilities at the enterprise scale. This report documents an enterprise modeling framework which will enable senior level decision makers to better understand their enterprise and required future investments.
Imaging Mie scattering from spheres in a fluid: the effects of refraction at an interface and high numerical aperture optics

We have modeled the effects of a high numerical aperture microscope (phase transformation, scaling and polarization rotation) and refraction at an interface upon the Mie scattering from spheres in a fluid. Model predictions agree with CCD based measurements.
Hacking the lights out

The article discusses cybersecurity and the potential for a cyberattack on the U.S. electric power grid. According to the author, computers control every facet of the modern electrical grid and is the greatest example of physical infrastructure interlinked with electronics. Topics include an overview of the Stuxnet virus that infected Iran's nuclear program, which according to the author, revealed how vulnerable machines could be to a well-developed electronic virus, similar vulnerabilities in the U.S. grid, and efforts by the U.S. to increase security to prevent an attack on the U.S. electrical grid. INSET: Holes in the Grid.
Intrinsic viscosity of a suspension of cubes.

We report on the viscosity of a dilute suspension of cube-shaped particles. Irrespective of the particle size, size distribution, and surface chemistry, we find empirically that cubes manifest an intrinsic viscosity $[\ensuremath{\eta}]=3.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$, which is substantially higher than the well-known value for spheres, $[\ensuremath{\eta}]=2.5$. The orientation-dependent intrinsic viscosity of cubic particles is determined theoretically using a finite-element solution of the Stokes equations. For isotropically oriented cubes, these calculations show $[\ensuremath{\eta}]=3.1$, in excellent agreement with our experimental observations.
Phenomenological Model for He 3 near the Critical Point

A modification of a previously discussed model for condensation in Fermi systems is applied phenomenologically to $^{3}\mathrm{He}$. The modified model contains an infinite sum of simple many-body interactions. Upon comparison of the model with experiment, good agreement is obtained for the exponents ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, $\ensuremath{\beta}$, and $\ensuremath{\delta}$. The exponent ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ describes a slightly stronger singularity than is observed, and the exponents $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ retain their classical values.
Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, resulting in an estimated 40,000 deaths in 2014.1 Metastasis, a complex, multi-step process, remains the primary cause of death for these patients. Although the mechanisms involved in metastasis have not been fully elucidated, considerable evidence suggests that metastatic spread is mediated by rare cells within the heterogeneous primary tumor that acquire the ability to invade into the bloodstream. In the bloodstream, they can travel to distant sites, sometimes remaining undetected and in a quiescent state for an extended period of time before they establish distant metastases in the bone, lung, liver, or brain. These occult micrometastatic cells (circulating tumor cells, CTCs) are rare, yet their prognostic significance has been demonstrated in both metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer patients. Because repeated tumor tissue collection is typically not feasible and peripheral blood draws are minimally invasive, serial CTC enumeration might provide "real-time liquid biopsy" snapshots that could be used to identify early-stage breast cancer patients with micrometastatic disease who are at risk for disease progression and monitor treatment response in patients with advanced disease. In addition, characterizing CTCs might aid in the development of novel, personalized therapies aimed at eliminating micrometastases. This review describes current CTC isolation, detection, and characterization strategies in operable breast cancer.
Knowledge creation in an introductory technology education course

The purpose of this research is to examine the quality of knowledge creation and the formation of social networks in an online discussion forum for an introductory technology teacher education course. The focus of the study is tri-fold and structured around the core areas of technology education. First, the study aims to examine the quality of knowledge creation in an online discussion forum where learners build knowledge around core areas of technology areas Second, the study seeks to examine the state of social network as learners engage in shared creation of knowledge and advancement of digital artifacts such as images and videos. Third, the study seeks to identify interaction patterns across levels of knowledge creation and illuminate the types of social dynamics that are likely to promote knowledge advancement. At the time of this submission, data collection has just been concluded and the planned coding and social network analysis has yet to begin. Descriptive statistics is derived as part of the preliminary analysis process and reveals the intensity of participation in the discussion forums. Preliminary findings suggest students are afforded opportunities to participate in an artifact-rich environment that promotes engagement with one another and sharing of digital artifacts. This research effort can be a helpful source of information to STEM educators who seek to support and assess knowledge creation in online learning environments. Future work for this work-in-progress include content analysis of discussion messages and social network analysis of interactions in the forums.
A Binocular Vision Simplified System for the Surgical Navigation

In view of the complexity in the calibration process and the discrepancy in point matching,a simplified binocular vision positioning system for surgical navigation was developed.The system could calculate the 24 parameters once and for all with the coordinate transformation method.In addition,the gridiron pattern marker and the principle of similarity measure were adopted to simplify the stereo matching process and to improve the stereo matching accuracy.Then,the calibrated system detected the distance between the pairs of markers which were within 1.5 m distance from the binocular vision sensing units,and the error was less than 1 mm.The new system was tested in the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.It is proved that the system is stable,reliable,easy to be calibrated with sufficient accuracy and high positioning precision,and can meet the requirements of surgical navigation.
Design and Realization of Several Stored Procedures in a SNP Process

This paper describes the theory and scheduler method of oracle 8 job queue.Based on the characteristic of collection data,it puts forward a design architecture of executing several stored procedures in a SNP process,which solves the problem of limited SNP processes and difficulties in job management caused by a great amout of data and complicated data sources in mobile network management system,makes schedulers of job queue more systemic and improves the efficiency of running system.
Resolution dependence of precipitation statistical fidelity in hindcast simulations

Author(s): O'Brien, TA; Collins, WD; Kashinath, K; Rubel, O; Byna, S; Gu, J; Krishnan, H; Ullrich, PA | Abstract: Numerous studies have shown that atmospheric models with high horizontal resolution better represent the physics and statistics of precipitation in climate models. While it is abundantly clear from these studies that high-resolution increases the rate of extreme precipitation, it is not clear whether these added extreme events are “realistic”; whether they occur in simulations in response to the same forcings that drive similar events in reality. In order to understand whether increasing horizontal resolution results in improved model fidelity, a hindcast-based, multiresolution experimental design has been conceived and implemented: the InitiaLIzed-ensemble, Analyze, and Develop (ILIAD) framework. The ILIAD framework allows direct comparison between observed and simulated weather events across multiple resolutions and assessment of the degree to which increased resolution improves the fidelity of extremes. Analysis of 5 years of daily 5 day hindcasts with the Community Earth System Model at horizontal resolutions of 220, 110, and 28 km shows that: (1) these hindcasts reproduce the resolution-dependent increase of extreme precipitation that has been identified in longer-duration simulations, (2) the correspondence between simulated and observed extreme precipitation improves as resolution increases; and (3) this increase in extremes and precipitation fidelity comes entirely from resolved-scale precipitation. Evidence is presented that this resolution-dependent increase in precipitation intensity can be explained by the theory of Rauscher et al. (), which states that precipitation intensifies at high resolution due to an interaction between the emergent scaling (spectral) properties of the wind field and the constraint of fluid continuity.
The Environmental Justice Debate: A Commentary on Methodological Issues and Practical Concerns

Over the last decade, environmental sociology has produced a tremendous stream of research pertaining to environmental justice issues. In general, we now know that low income groups and communities of color are disproportionately exposed to toxic wastes. In this paper, I argue that future research requires a shift in methodological approach. Learning how groups come to be exposed to toxic wastes requires an understanding of the organizational processes that shape decisions regarding production practices and regulatory enforcement strategies. I conclude by making three claims: (1) Documenting that disempowered groups are exposed to toxic wastes more than other groups is important. Disentangling whether race or class matters more is more dubious. (2) If we want to make claims about process, we should study process and not outcomes. (3) Insofar as we have to study outcomes, we should be more aware of which outcomes we want to study and what types of inferences we are able to draw from outcomes.
Acute cognitive impact of antiseizure drugs in naive rodents and corneal-kindled mice

Summary Objective Some antiseizure drugs (ASDs) are associated with cognitive liability in patients with epilepsy, thus ASDs without this risk would be preferred. Little comparative pharmacology exists with ASDs in preclinical models of cognition. Few pharmacologic studies exist on the acute effects in rodents with chronic seizures. Predicting risk for cognitive impact with preclinical models may supply valuable ASD differentiation data. Methods ASDs (phenytoin [PHT]; carbamazepine [CBZ]; valproic acid [VPA]; lamotrigine [LTG]; phenobarbital [PB]; tiagabine [TGB]; retigabine [RTG]; topiramate [TPM]; and levetiracetam [LEV]) were administered equivalent to maximal electroshock median effective dose ([ED50]; mice, rats), or median dose necessary to elicit minimal motor impairment (median toxic dose [TD50]; rats). Cognition models with naive adult rodents were novel object/place recognition (NOPR) task with CF-1 mice, and Morris water maze (MWM) with Sprague-Dawley rats. Selected ASDs were also administered to rats prior to testing in an open field. The effect of chronic seizures and ASD administration on cognitive performance in NOPR was also determined with corneal-kindled mice. Mice that did not achieve kindling criterion (partially kindled) were included to examine the effect of electrical stimulation on cognitive performance. Sham-kindled and age-matched mice were also tested. Results No ASD (ED50) affected latency to locate the MWM platform; TD50 of PB, RTG, TPM, and VPA reduced this latency. In naive mice, CBZ and VPA (ED50) reduced time with the novel object. Of interest, no ASD (ED50) affected performance of fully kindled mice in NOPR, whereas CBZ and LEV improved cognitive performance of partially kindled mice. Significance Standardized approaches to the preclinical evaluation of an ASD's potential cognitive impact are needed to inform drug development. This study demonstrated acute, dose- and model-dependent effects of therapeutically relevant doses of ASDs on cognitive performance of naive mice and rats, and corneal-kindled mice. This study highlights the challenge of predicting clinical adverse effects with preclinical models.
Climate science strategy of the US National Marine Fisheries Service

Abstract Changes to our climate and oceans are already affecting living marine resources (LMRs) and the people, businesses, and economies that depend on them. As a result, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has developed a Climate Science Strategy (CSS) to increase the production and use of the climate-related information necessary to fulfill its LMR stewardship mission for fisheries management and protected species conservation. The CSS establishes seven objectives: (1) determine appropriate, climate-informed reference points; (2) identify robust strategies for managing LMRs under changing climate conditions; (3) design decision processes that are robust to climate-change scenarios; (4) predict future states of ecosystems, LMRs, and LMR-dependent human communities; (5) determine the mechanisms of climate-change related effects on ecosystems, LMRs, and LMR-dependent human communities; (6) track trends in ecosystems, LMRs, and LMR-dependent human communities and provide early warning of change; and (7) build and maintain the science infrastructure required to fulfill NMFS mandates under changing climate conditions. These objectives provide a nationally consistent approach to addressing climate-LMR science needs that supports informed decision-making and effective implementation of the NMFS legislative mandates in each region. Near term actions that will address all objectives include: (1) conducting climate vulnerability analyses in each region for all LMRs; (2) establishing and strengthening ecosystem indicators and status reports in all regions; and (3) developing a capacity to conduct management strategy evaluations of climate-related impacts on management targets, priorities, and goals. Implementation of the Strategy over the next few years and beyond is critical for effective fulfillment of the NMFS mission and mandates in a changing climate.
Extracellular peptidases in subsurface sediments of the White Oak River estuary, NC, suggest microbial community adaptation to oxidize degraded organic matter

Microbial communities inhabiting subsurface sediments contain abundant heterotrophs, which oxidize organic matter to obtain carbon and energy. Subsurface sediments contain very low concentrations of canonically bioavailable compounds, and it is not clear what fraction of sedimentary organic matter the community metabolizes. To gain a more mechanistic understanding of subsurface heterotrophy, we studied both the genetic potential encoded within metagenomes for extracellular peptidase production, and experimentally assayed the potential activities of a wide range of extracellular peptidases in sediments of the White Oak River estuary, NC. Deeply sequenced metagenomes revealed genes coding for at least 15 classes of extracellular peptidases. We observed enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of 11 different peptidase substrates in subsurface sediments. Potential activities (Vmax) of extracellular peptidases decreased downcore, but cell-specific Vmax was relatively constant and similar to values observed in seawater phytoplankton blooms. Decreases in half-saturation constants and relative increases in activities of D-phenylalanyl aminopeptidase and ornithyl aminopeptidase with depth indicate a community of heterotrophs that is adapted to access degraded organic matter. These results suggest a subsurface heterotrophic community that converts degraded organic matter into a bioavailable form, rather than a surface-adapted community relying on ever-decreasing concentrations of more labile organic matter.
A combinatorial proof of Jacobi’s triple product identity

In this paper, we present a simple combinatorial proof of Jacobi’s triple product identity.
Determining the Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Depressive Symptoms among Adults in Nepal.

Context: Nepal is currently experiencing a rapid growth in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Depression has previously been associated with NCDs in South Asia; however, data regarding its prevalence and risk factors are lacking in Nepal. Aims: This study aims to describe the prevalence of and risk factors for depressive symptoms in a suburban population of adults within Nepal. Setting and Design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected from participants enrolled in the Dhulikhel Heart Study, a population-based, longitudinal cohort study investigating cardiovascular risk factors in Dhulikhel, a suburban town outside Kathmandu. Subjects and Methods: Baseline questionnaire data from 1073 adults age 18 years and older included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). A score of 16 or greater on the CES-D has been shown to indicate major depressive symptomatology. Statistical Analysis: Using STATA 13, we conducted Pearson's Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regressions to examine associations between the binary CES-D score and gender, age, education, marital status, body mass index, physical activity, and hypertensive status. Results: The mean CES-D score in the sample was 11.7 (standard deviation: 5.3), with 21.3% scoring 16 or greater. Age over 60 and lack of formal education were associated with increased risk of depressive symptoms. Being physically active was associated with decreased risk of depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The estimated prevalence of depression among adults in Dhulikhel was 21.3%. Significant risk factors for increased depressive symptoms included lack of formal education, age over 60, and physical inactivity.
Discovery of rare, diagnostic AluYb8/9 elements in diverse human populations.

Polymorphic human Alu elements are excellent tools for assessing population structure, and new retrotransposition events can contribute to disease. Next-generation sequencing has greatly increased the potential to discover Alu elements in human populations, and various sequencing and bioinformatics methods have been designed to tackle the problem of detecting these highly repetitive elements. However, current techniques for Alu discovery may miss rare, polymorphic Alu elements. Combining multiple discovery approaches may provide a better profile of the polymorphic Alu mobilome. AluYb8/9 elements have been a focus of our recent studies as they are young subfamilies (~2.3 million years old) that contribute ~30% of recent polymorphic Alu retrotransposition events. Here, we update our ME-Scan methods for detecting Alu elements and apply these methods to discover new insertions in a large set of individuals with diverse ancestral backgrounds. We identified 5,288 putative Alu insertion events, including several hundred novel AluYb8/9 elements from 213 individuals from 18 diverse human populations. Hundreds of these loci were specific to continental populations, and 23 non-reference population-specific loci were validated by PCR. We provide high-quality sequence information for 68 rare AluYb8/9 elements, of which 11 have hallmarks of an active source element. Our subfamily distribution of rare AluYb8/9 elements is consistent with previous datasets, and may be representative of rare loci. We also find that while ME-Scan and low-coverage, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) detect different Alu elements in 41 1000 Genomes individuals, the two methods yield similar population structure results. Current in-silico methods for Alu discovery may miss rare, polymorphic Alu elements. Therefore, using multiple techniques can provide a more accurate profile of Alu elements in individuals and populations. We improved our false-negative rate as an indicator of sample quality for future ME-Scan experiments. In conclusion, we demonstrate that ME-Scan is a good supplement for next-generation sequencing methods and is well-suited for population-level analyses.
Keynote: Human-Centric Cyber

In this keynote, I will discuss the importance of human factors in cyber security and highlight lessons learned from conducting user-centered design activities with cyber security analysts.As network traffic volume, interconnectedness of devices, and sophistication of cyber threats all continue to increase, so do concerns about the complexity of providing cyber security. Many research efforts focus on the technology aspects of cyber security; few focus on studying the challenges faced by the human ecosystem of analysts, operators, and senior leaders. User-centered design can help uncover unmet needs and gather requirements to build effective systems to support those that perform cyber security work. Design methods in this domain can help establish user needs, identify opportunities for technology to assist, and evaluate concepts - in this, talk we will discuss examples of each. Ultimately, by embracing the human element of cyber, and positioning the human as the focal point of the research process, we can help the technology community be more efficient at building effective tools. We encourage future cyber security projects to broaden the research methodologies, methods, and techniques at their disposal in order to more completely explore this space.The talk will draw from research experience and field work with users on a number of cyber security research projects. Topics covered will include formative user research and the user-centered design process [1, 2], situation awareness prototyping efforts [3, 4], and evaluation methods for cyber security visualization tools [5].
Measuring the Presence of Roman Rhetoric: An Intertextual Analysis of Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana IV

This article examines the intertextual relationship between Augustine’s De Doctrina Christiana IV and Cicero’s Orator. We use quantitative methods to compare Augustine’s level of engagement with Or...