cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SELAC—statistical error location and correction for secondary memory storage

Abstract In this paper a statistical approach to error location and correction for data stored in secondary memories is developed. The approach is based on the observation that the data records in secondary storage have some inherent redundancy of information. This redundancy cannot precisely be predicted as in the case of typical error correction scheme's artificial redundancy. However, the redundancy can be exploited to provide error correction with some degree of confidence. We use simple and weighted checksum schemes for error detection and present algorithms for single and multiple error correction using statistical error location and correction (SELAC). An implementation of SELAC will be described with an elaborate study of its error-correction capabilities. A conspicuous aspect of SELAC is that it will not cost any processor time and storage overhead until after an error is encountered, unlike the classical schemes using single error correcting-double error detecting (SEC-DED) and double error correcting-triple error detecting (DEC-TED) codes.
A highly integrated dual-band SiGe power amplifier that enables 256 QAM 802.11ac WLAN radio front-end designs

A highly integrated SiGe BiCMOS PA is presented that enables the emerging high throughput 802.11ac WLAN applications. The PA has two stages for the g-band and three stages for the a-band PA, and integrates matching circuitry, out of band rejection filters, power detectors, and bias controls in a 1.5 ×1.6 mm chip. The g-band PA achieves 28 dB gain with 2% EVM at 18 dBm and 3% at 19.5 dBm output power. The a-band PA achieves 32 dB gain with 2% EVM at 18 dBm and 3% EVM at 19 dBm output power. The design is verified meeting not only the regulatory out-of-band emission requirements but also the linearity requirement of the emerging 256 QAM 802.11ac standard.
Who we are: The perplexity of Iranian-American identity

This article conveys the Iranian experience in the United States by analyzing the formation of an Iranian identity in the United States. The author characterizes this dual identity and interprets t...
Synthesis and Characterization of Mono-, Bis-, and Tetrakis-Pyridyltriarylporphyrin Pd(II) and Pt(II) Supramolecular Assemblies. Molecular Structure of a Pd-Linked Bisporphyrin Complex1

A series of mono-, bis-, and tetrakisporphyrin assemblies was synthesized from 5-(p-pyridyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin, (pyPP)H2, 5-(p-pyridyl)-10,15,20-tri(p-tolyl)porphyrin, (pyTP)H2, (pyPP)Zn, (pyTP)Zn, and Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes. Porphyrin subunits assemble around the central metal ions through the pyridyl group. Treating trans-Pd(DMSO)2Cl2 with 2 equiv of the pyridyl porphyrins resulted in the formation of trans-bisporphyrin assemblies Pd[(pyPP)H2]2Cl, Pd[(pyTP)H2]2Cl2, Pd[(pyPP)Zn]2Cl2, and Pd[(pyTP)Zn]2Cl2. Treating cis-Pt(DMSO)2Cl2 with 1 equiv of each pyridylporphyrin produced the cis-monoporphyrin complexes Pt(DMSO)[(pyPP)H2]Cl2, Pt(DMSO)[(pyTP)H2]Cl2, Pt(DMSO)[(pyPP)Zn]Cl2, and Pt(DMSO)[(pyTP)Zn]Cl2. The treatment of Pt(DMSO)(pyPOR)Cl2 with one more equiv of pyridylporphyrin resulted in the formation of cis-bisporphyrin assemblies, Pt[(pyPP)H2]2Cl2, Pt[(pyTP)H2]2Cl2, Pt[(pyPP)Zn]2Cl2, and Pt[(pyTP)Zn]2Cl2. Also, the reaction of Pt(DMSO)(pyPOR)Cl2 and 4-pyridyl-4‘-methylpyridinium iodide ...
Ergo: a New Approach To Multidimensional Item Analysis:

Cliff (1977) suggests a series of indices, intended for a testing context, that establish a relation between dominance matrices and classical measurement. Cliff's index c derived from an item dominance matrix is utilized in a clustering approach (termed ERGO) to isolate Guttman-type item hierarchies. A comparison of factor analysis to the ERGO is made on social distance data involving multiple ethnic groups. The ERGO procedure surpassed the factor analysis by satisfactorily identifying both the number of hypothetical item hierarchies as well as the developmental order within each hierarchy.
Preliminary evaluation of histogram-based binarization algorithms

To date, most optical character recognition (OCR) systems process binary document images, and the quality of the input image strongly affects their performance. Since a binarization process is inherently lossy, different algorithms typically produce different binary images from the same gray scale image. The objective of this research is to study effects of global binarization algorithms on the performance of OCR systems. Several binarization methods were examined: the best fixed threshold value for the data set, the ideal histogram method, and Otsu's algorithm. Four contemporary OCR systems and 50 hard copy pages containing 91,649 characters were used in the experiments. These pages were digitized at 300 dpi and 8 bits/pixel, and 36 different threshold values (ranging from 59 to 199 in increments of 4) were used. The resulting 1,800 binary images were processed by all four OCR systems. All systems made approximately 40% more errors from images generated by Otsu's method than those of the ideal histogram method. Two of the systems made approximately the same number of errors from images generated by the best fixed threshold value and Otsu's method.
Improved inorganic media constituents for in vitro shoot multiplication of Vitis

Abstract The effects of inorganic media constituents on shoot multiplication in vitro were investigated with the Vitis hybrid ‘Remaily Seedless’. The explants were 1.5-cm sub-cultured shoot tips with 3–4 nodes. An improved medium for shoot multiplication was designed. It differs from others in its lack of added chloride and potassium iodide, and in a lower manganese sulfate concentration. The effects of KI on shoot production were also produced by MnSO4. Iodine, a non-essential element in growth and development of higher plants, can be withheld from culture media in our conditions. The effects of manganese and KI on shoot production are discussed in relation to their involvement in auxin metabolism and transport.
Physical properties of barium titanate-filled rubber-modified epoxies

Rubber-modified epoxies (RME) filled with different levels of barium titanate (BaTiO3) have been characterized by using DSC, TGA, and TMA. The presence of the filler does not affect the glass transition temperature or the activation energy of pyrolysis; however, it does change other thermal properties. The dielectric constant increases markedly, but the dissipation factor remains fairly constant with increasing BaTiO3 loading. The polymers, in MEK, exhibit slightly different degrees of swelling and their sol fractions vary. Mechanical properties, such as stress-strain relation, friction, abrasion, scratch hardness, and scrape adhesion of the polymers, will be described.
Plasma pinchlamp surface preparation

A high-pressure laser-guided gas-embedded plasma pinchlamp is described for the generation of intense UV radiation. It has been configured to optimize energy transfer from the storage PFN. The output energy peaks within the spectral range 150 - 250 nm with a pulsed power of 20 MW at 10 Hz. The device employs a working gas of argon at 3 AMAGAT and has a pulsewidth of 20 microseconds. The results of exploratory surface modification experiments with the pinchlamp are reported. These include the destruction of chemical warfare agent simulants, asbestos, petroleum, and insecticides on surfaces as well as semiconductor annealing. In addition it was determined that various aircraft coatings are able to be removed from aluminum and composite substrates. These coatings included primers, top coats, and anti-erosion materials. This pinchlamp technology potentially fills a performance gap in the hard ultraviolet between flashlamps and lasers. On the one hand it offers a peak power and brightness comparable to parameters customarily associated with laser technology. On the other hand it possesses the efficiency, simplicity, and scalability often encountered with conventional flashlamp systems.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ultra-high resolution mapping of protein-genome interactions using ChIP-exo

With the advent of high-throughput and high resolution genome-wide protein-DNA detection assays, the interrelationships between chromatin and the transcription machinery are now becoming clearer. Here I will discuss our recent findings using MNase ChIP-seq to map nucleosome positions, and a novel ultra-high resolution mapping technique called ChIP-exo that we recently developed [1]. What is apparent from these studies is the following: firstly, transcription factors bind to many more locations in the genome than previously appreciated. Secondly, PICs form at the interface between nucleosomes and nucleosome-free promoter regions. Finally, Chromatin remodeling complexes target specific nucleosome positions, working in concert to organize nucleosomes at the beginning and end of genes. Many remodeler subunits interact asymmetrically with the nucleosome core across the genome, which may be important for the directional passage of RNA polymerase II.
Dendronized Supramolecular Nanocapsules: pH Independent, Water-Soluble, Deep-Cavity Cavitands Assemble via the Hydrophobic Effect

At neutral pH, dendronized deep-cavity cavitands were shown to form supramolecular nanocapsules via assembly around a range of guest molecules.
Activation of Ground Blast‐Furnace Slag by Alkali‐Metal and Alkaline‐Earth Hydroxides

The effects of pH, time, valence, and radius of the activator cation on the reaction products and microstructure of ground granulated iron blast-furnace slag were studied by thermogravimetry and derivative thermogravimetry, X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Blast-furnace slag was activated by alkali-metal hydroxides of Li, Na, and K (12.34 pH 14.71) and alkaline-earth hydroxides of Ca, Sr, and Ba(12.47 pH 13.53) using a water/slag ratio of 0.4 and curing for 1 day to 26 months. Reactivity of the slag was more strongly dependent on pH than on time. The reaction products were mainly varieties of C─S─H, (C,M)4AH13, and minor amounts of Ca(OH)2 and C2ASH8 (stratlingite). The nature of C─S─H was dependent on pH. A 1.2-nm peak appeared in X-ray diffractograms only when the activation pH was ⌣14.7. Water was present in the C─S─H in a way similar to water in tobermorite and synthetic C─S─H. Leached Ca from unreacted blast-furnace slag was present around the glass particles as an amorphous layer which crystallized into Ca(OH)2 with time; Mg behaved similarly. The effect of the charge or ionic radius of the activator cation was insignificant.
Search for all renormalizable interactions

This paper is a continuation of a systematic search for all renormalizable interactions of heavy vector bosons. It is argued that in any renormalizable theory the $S$ matrix must satisfy high-energy unitarity bounds in the tree approximation. In an earlier work it was shown that any massive vector interaction, containing four or fewer boson fields and derivatives in each term, is unitarily bounded at high energy if and only if it is equivalent to a spontaneously broken gauge theory (modulo Abelian vector mass terms). In this paper unitarity bounds are imposed on a general Lagrangian which contains any number of fields (vector and scalar) and derivatives. We show that such an interaction is unitarily bounded only if it is canonically equivalent to an interaction with three-field vertices of mass dimension less than or equal to 4. This result lends further support to the notion that gauge theories are the only renormalizable theories of vector particles and that the appearance of Lie groups of internal symmetries in particle physics can be traced to the requirement of renormalizability.
SMART UNIX SVR4 support for multimedia applications

Multimedia applications have dynamic and adaptive real-time requirements. Current scheduling practice, as typified by UNIX System V Release 4, lacks the necessary information and interfaces to meet these requirements. To address this problem, we have created the SMART (Scheduler for Multimedia And Real-Time) interface. It explicitly accounts for application-specific time constraints and provides dynamic feedback from the scheduler to applications to allow them to adapt to the system loading condition. This paper describes the design of the interface and its implementation in the Solaris UNIX operating system to provide an effective SVR4-conformant full featured environment for supporting multimedia applications.
Predictors of Reading Comprehension for Struggling Readers: The Case of Spanish-Speaking Language Minority Learners

This longitudinal study examined the process of English reading comprehension at age 11 years for 173 low-achieving Spanish-speaking children. The influence of growth rates, from early childhood (age 4.5 years) to pre-adolescence (age 11 years), in vocabulary and word reading skills on this complex process were evaluated with structural equation modeling. Standardized measures of word reading accuracy and productive vocabulary were administered annually, in English and Spanish, and English reading comprehension measures were administered at age 11 years. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that English skills accounted for all unique variance in English reading comprehension outcomes. Further, expected developmental shifts in the influence of word reading and vocabulary skills over time were not shown, likely on account of students' below-grade-level reading comprehension achievement. This work underscores the need for theoretical models of comprehension to account for students' skill profiles and abilities.
Glomerular cell death and inflammation with high-protein diet and diabetes

Background Overfeeding amino acids (AAs) increases cellular exposure to advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), a mechanism for protein intake to worsen diabetic kidney disease (DKD). This study assessed receptor for AGE (RAGE)-mediated apoptosis and inflammation in glomerular cells exposed to metabolic stressors characteristic of high-protein diets and/or diabetes in vitro with proof-of-concept appraisal in vivo. Methods Mouse podocytes and mesangial cells were cultured under control and metabolic stressor conditions: (i) no addition; (ii) increased AAs (4-6-fold>control); (iii) high glucose (HG, 30.5 mM); (iv) AA/HG combination; (v) AGE-bovine serum albumin (AGE-BSA, 300 µg/mL); (vi) BSA (300 µg/mL). RAGE was inhibited by blocking antibody. Diabetic (streptozotocin) and nondiabetic mice (C57BL/6J) consumed diets with protein calories of 20 or 40% (high) for 20 weeks. People with DKD and controls provided 24-h urine samples. Results In podocytes and mesangial cells, apoptosis (caspase 3/7 activity and TUNEL) increased in all metabolic stressor conditions. Both inflammatory mediator expression (real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction: serum amyloid A, caspase-4, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1) and RAGE (immunostaining) also increased. RAGE inhibition prevented apoptosis and inflammation in podocytes. Among mice fed high protein, podocyte number (WT-1 immunostaining) decreased in the diabetic group, and only these diabetic mice developed albuminuria. Protein intake (urea nitrogen) correlated with AGE excretion (carboxymethyllysine) in people with DKD and controls. Conclusions High-protein diet and/or diabetes-like conditions increased glomerular cell death and inflammation, responses mediated by RAGEs in podocytes. The concept that high-protein diets exacerbate early indicators of DKD is supported by data from mice and people.
Developmental control of lateralized neuron size in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Background Nervous systems are generally bilaterally symmetric on a gross structural and organizational level but are strongly lateralized (left/right asymmetric) on a functional level. It has been previously noted that in vertebrate nervous systems, symmetrically positioned, bilateral groups of neurons in functionally lateralized brain regions differ in the size of their soma. The genetic mechanisms that control these left/right asymmetric soma size differences are unknown. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers the opportunity to study this question with single neuron resolution. A pair of chemosensory neurons (ASEL and ASER), which are bilaterally symmetric on several levels (projections, synaptic connectivity, gene expression patterns), are functionally lateralized in that they express distinct chemoreceptors and sense distinct chemosensory cues.
Anthrax Lethal Toxin Impairs Innate Immune Functions of Alveolar Macrophages and Facilitates Bacillus anthracis Survival

Alveolar macrophages (AM) are very important for pulmonary innate immune responses against invading inhaled pathogens because they directly kill the organisms and initiate a cascade of innate and adaptive immune responses. Although several factors contribute to inhalational anthrax, we hypothesized that unimpeded infection of Bacillus anthracis is directly linked to disabling the innate immune functions contributed by AM. Here, we investigated the effects of lethal toxin (LT), one of the binary complex virulence factors produced by B. anthracis, on freshly isolated nonhuman primate AM. Exposure of AM to doses of LT that killed susceptible macrophages had no effect on the viability of AM, despite complete MEK1 cleavage. Intoxicated AM remained fully capable of B. anthracis spore phagocytosis. However, pretreatment of AM with LT resulted in a significant decrease in the clearance of both the Sterne strain and the fully virulent Ames strain of B. anthracis, which may have been a result of impaired AM secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Our data imply that cytolysis does not correlate with MEK1 cleavage, and this is the first report of LT-mediated impairment of nonhuman primate AM bactericidal activity against B. anthracis.
What is Theological Interpretation? An Ecclesiological Reduction

This article addresses ‘theological interpretation’, first, by constructing a coherent narrative framework to account for its recent popularity via key players, common practices and a genealogy. Second, by addressing disagreements that remain within this movement via a kind of ‘ecclesiological reduction’, the article's descriptive starting point brings theological implications. In particular, strong parallels surface between the fortunes of theological interpretation and another essentially contested concept –‘postliberal’ theology. Both ‘postliberalism’ and ‘theological interpretation’ have fuzzy boundaries precisely due to their character as trans-denominational forms of scholarly ecumenism through which God may help renew the church's engagement with Scripture in the post-Christian West.
Normal and abnormal thymus in childhood: MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies of 47 children without thymic disease were compared with those of 14 children with proved thymic abnormalities (eg, lymphoma, leukemia, hyperplasia) to evaluate the spectrum of MR features of the normal and abnormal thymus and to determine the best indicators of thymic disease. In healthy children younger than 5 years of age, the thymus had a quadrilateral shape and biconvex lateral contours. Older children and adolescents had a triangular thymus with straight lateral margins. The thymus appeared homogeneous with a signal intensity slightly greater than that of muscle on T1-weighted images and close to that of fat on T2-weighted images. Qualitative evaluation of gross thymic morphology (size, shape, margins, and signal intensity) usually was sufficient for distinguishing between the normal and abnormal thymus. The abnormal thymus generally was enlarged, multilobular, or inhomogeneous because of the presence of cystic degeneration, hemorrhage, septations, fibrosis, or calcification on pathologic sections. In patients with lymphoma, the presence of associated lymphadenopathy also was helpful in distinguishing the normal from the abnormal thymus.
X-chromosome effects on female brain: a magnetic resonance imaging study of Turner's syndrome

Many neuropsychiatric disorders differ between the sexes in incidence, symptoms, and age at onset. To investigate the effects of X-chromosome aneuploidy and of sex steroid deficiency during childhood on brain structure and function, we used neuropsychological tests and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of eighteen women with Turner's syndrome (TS) and nineteen healthy control women of similar age. Nine TS subjects had mosaic 45,X karyotypes, and 9 had non-mosaic 45,X. The TS group had significantly lower scores than the controls for all the Wechsler adult intelligence scale tests, except verbal comprehension and reading level. The greatest difference was in visuospatial construction (mean 90 [SD12] vs 118 [13], p < 0.0001). The TS subjects also had a greater discrepancy than controls between verbal and performance intelligence quotients (9 [8] vs -5 [9], p < 0.001). We found that TS subjects had significantly smaller values than controls in MRI-measured volumes of hippocampus, caudate, lenticular, and thalamic nuclei, and parieto-occipital brain matter, on both sides. Women with mosaic TS had values between the full TS and control groups for cerebral hemisphere and lenticular and thalamic nuclei volume and for verbal ability. Within the mosaic TS group, visuospatial ability was significantly correlated with the percentage of lymphocytes that had the 45,X karyotype. Hippocampal volume and memory test scores were significantly lower in mosaic and non-mosaic 45,X TS subjects than in controls. We postulate that in human beings the X chromosome plays an important part in the development and ageing of grey matter in striatum, diencephalon, and cerebral hemispheres.
Family-Centered Care and Continuous Labor Support

Creating a family-centered approach to prenatal and intrapartum care has potential to lead to positive maternal and neonatal outcomes. Continuous labor support (CLS) for families is paramount to positive outcomes for mothers and their babies. Combining family-centered maternity care and CLS during prenatal care, and labor and delivery has been discussed throughout the literature, but implementing this model has been challenging. Registered nurses in labor and delivery are often the primary source of support for families; however, the registered nurse has many roles to fulfill during a labor and delivery admission, and oftentimes, family-centered care and CLS are easily relegated to the fringes of his/her responsibilities. Given the somewhat predictable nature of labor and delivery care, routine integration of doulas for CLS has the potential to provide the support and family-centered care that families need. Providing CLS during birth experience has the potential to increase confidence and fosters a holistic foundation for the new family.
Bis­[2‐(2‐pyridinio)­ethyl]­ammonium triperchlorate

In the title compound, C14H20N33+·3ClO4−, all three N atoms (one amine and two pyridyl) are protonated. At least one ClO4− ion is hydrogen bonded to each of the three N atoms. The H atom on the amine N atom shows the greatest distance to a ClO4− O atom (2.47 A), while those on the two pyridyl N atoms are at distances ranging from 1.87 to 2.38 A.
Knowledge modeling and its application in life sciences: a tale of two ontologies

High throughput glycoproteomics, similar to genomics and proteomics, involves extremely large volumes of distributed, heterogeneous data as a basis for identification and quantification of a structurally diverse collection of biomolecules. The ability to share, compare, query for and most critically correlate datasets using the native biological relationships are some of the challenges being faced by glycobiology researchers. As a solution for these challenges, we are building a semantic structure, using a suite of ontologies, which supports management of data and information at each step of the experimental lifecycle. This framework will enable researchers to leverage the large scale of glycoproteomics data to their benefit.In this paper, we focus on the design of these biological ontology schemas with an emphasis on relationships between biological concepts, on the use of novel approaches to populate these complex ontologies including integrating extremely large datasets ( 500MB) as part of the instance base and on the evaluation of ontologies using OntoQA [38] metrics. The application of these ontologies in providing informatics solutions, for high throughput glycoproteomics experimental domain, is also discussed. We present our experience as a use case of developing two ontologies in one domain, to be part of a set of use cases, which are used in the development of an emergent framework for building and deploying biological ontologies.
A composite high-frame-rate system for clinical cardiovascular imaging

High frame-rate ultrasound RF data acquisition has been proved to be critical for novel cardiovascular imaging techniques, such as high-precision myocardial elastography, pulse wave imaging (PWI), and electromechanical wave imaging (EWI). To overcome the frame-rate limitations on standard clinical ultrasound systems, we developed an automated method for multi-sector ultrasound imaging through retrospective electrocardiogram (ECG) gating on a clinically used open architecture system. The method achieved both high spatial (64 beam density) and high temporal resolution (frame rate of 481 Hz) at an imaging depth up to 11 cm and a 100% field of view in a single breath-hold duration. Full-view imaging of the left ventricle and the abdominal aorta of healthy human subjects was performed using the proposed technique in vivo. ECG and ultrasound RF signals were simultaneously acquired on a personal computer (PC). Composite, full-view frames both in RF- and B-mode were reconstructed through retrospective combination of seven small (20%) juxtaposed sectors using an ECG-gating technique. The axial displacement of the left ventricle, in both long-axis and short-axis views, and that of the abdominal aorta, in a long-axis view, were estimated using a RF-based speckle tracking technique. The electromechanical wave and the pulse wave propagation were imaged in a cineloop using the proposed imaging technique. Abnormal patterns of such wave propagation can serve as indicators of early cardiovascular disease. This clinical system could thus expand the range of applications in cardiovascular elasticity imaging for quantitative, noninvasive diagnosis of myocardial ischemia or infarction, arrhythmia, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and early-stage atherosclerosis.
Convolution of vectors over the real field of constants by evaluation-interpolation algorithms

Abstract Multiplication of an m th-degree polynomial by an n th-degree polynomial (i.e., the convolution of two vectors), if done by evaluation-interpolation algorithms over the fields of real or integer constants, always involves constants whose magnitudes grow exponentially with m + n .
A generic content-based image search model and its key factors

Despite the popularity of text-based image search engines like Google Image Search and Yahoo Image Search, their incapability of catching the real content/ sense of images makes content-based image search engines necessary. However, currently efficient and popular content-based image search engines are rare. This may be due to unfriendly user interface, low precision ratio, low recall ratio, etc. This paper presents a generic content-based image search model and briefly analyzes its key factors.
Modulation of potassium channel gating by coexpression of Kv2.1 with regulatory Kv5.1 or Kv6.1 α-subunits

We have determined the effects of coexpression of Kv2.1 with electrically silent Kv5.1 or Kv6.1 α-subunits inXenopus oocytes on channel gating. Kv2.1/5.1 selectively accelerated the rate of inactiv...
The VMH-dietary obese rat: a new model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

A model of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) has been developed in adult rats by combining bilateral electrolytic lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and high fat-high sucrose diets. VMH-dietary obese rats showed fasting hyperinsulinemia (> or = 540 pM) and hypertriglyceridemia (> or = 180 mg/dl) generally within 3 wk on the protocol. Fasting hyperglycemia (> or = 10 mM) was observed in the majority of animals in seven consecutive experiments. Hyperglycemic animals showed impaired glucose tolerance despite high prevailing insulin levels. Pancreatic islets isolated from VMH-dietary obese rats showed a loss of insulin secretory response to glucose by week 5, before the onset of hyperglycemia. Islets from hyperglycemic rats no longer responded to an increase in glucose concentration and failed to suppress insulin release normally in response to 15 nM norepinephrine or to a decrease in glucose concentration. This model mimics the major characteristics of obesity-associated human NIDDM as well as several stages of its progression, rendering it useful for studying the etiology of the metabolic and secretory defects in the syndrome.
Expression of GRP78, Master Regulator of the Unfolded Protein Response, Increases Chemoresistance in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

The prognosis for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is dismal. Although gemcitabine (GEM) is the standard chemotherapeutic agent for adjuvant therapy of resectable PDAC, recurrent disease is observed in an alarming number of GEM-treated patients. Regardless of the adjuvant therapy, the vast majority of patients treated with chemotherapy after surgical resection show tumor recurrence. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to chemoresistance would aid the development of more effective treatment strategies. GRP78 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone protein that primarily resides in the lumen of the ER and is the master regulator of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Here, we report that expression of GRP78 is significantly higher in GEM-resistant PDAC compared to GEM-sensitive PDAC patient samples. We show that GRP78 induces chemoresistance in PDAC cells. Our results also show that knockdown of GRP78 reduces chemoresistance in PDAC. Finally, we found that IT-139, a ruthenium-based anticancer drug, can overcome GRP78-mediated chemoresistance. In vitro, IT-139 restores sensitivity to cytotoxic drugs in drug-resistant PDAC cells and induces twice as much cell death in combination treatment compared with GEM alone. In vivo, a single weekly IT-139 treatment in combination with GEM caused a 35% increase in median survival and a 25% increase in overall survival compared to GEM alone. Collectively, our data show that GRP78 expression promotes chemoresistance in PDAC and therapeutic strategies, blocking the activity of GRP78 increases the efficacy of currently available therapies. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(5); 1043-52. ©2016 AACR.
Design A Spreader Swale System for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem

Design A Spreader Swale System for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem Hsin-Chi Jerry Lin1 (601) 634-3023, Hsin-chi.J.lin@erdc.usace.army.mil Hwai-Ping Cheng1 (601) 634-3699, Hwai-Ping.Cheng@erdc.usace.army.mil Earl V. Edris1 (601) 634-3378, Earl.V.Edris@erdc.usace.army.mil Jing-Ru Cheng2 (601) 634-4052, Jing-Ru.Cheng@erdc.usace.army.mil Gour-Tsyh Yeh3 (407) 823-2318, gyeh@mail.ucf.edu 1Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199, USA 2Information Technology Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199, USA 3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2450, USA Abstract Restoration of the South Florida ecosystem is a major task for the US Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District. The objective of the task is to redistribute the available water from the South Florida watershed into the Biscayne Bay, the Manatee Bay, and the Barnes Sound. In an effort to restore the natural wetlands, several structures and management plans, and scenarios are considered. One of the plans is to deliver fresh water from the existing canals through a shallow spreader swale system into the eastern and southeastern coastal areas of South Florida. The spreader swale system consists of a delivery canal and shallow swales where water flows across the swale banks and becomes a more natural overland sheet flow. The spreader swale system includes 1D canal network routing, 2D overland flow, 3D subsurface flow, and flow through the interface of any two sub- domain of the spreader system. The physics-based watershed model, WASH123D will be used to simulate the complex hydrologic process in the South Florida watershed with flat terrain and strong surface water and groundwater interactions. The paper presents an example of the spreader swale system and demonstrates the flexibility and efficiency of the model as applied to a project-level small-scale problem.
Skype Fingerprint

The wealth of data available about a person's computer activity is immense. Digital forensic sciences have progressed such that tools are readily available to recover deleted data, identify data hidden through obfuscation and other information hiding techniques, and construct usage profiles for each user. Each of these areas provides unique information about the target of the investigation. The third area, usage profiles, requires continual evaluation as new applications and services emerge. This goal of this paper is not to completely reverse engineer the Skype client. This paper will document a fingerprint for the widely popular Skype application. The fingerprint analysis will document profile information on a Windows system that is resident in the Windows registry and the hard disk file system.
Intimate Partner Violence, Gender and Lethality: A Case Analysis of Two Fatalities

Deaths caused by intimate partner violence (IPV) are an area of significant concern for advocates, practitioners, and experts. As part of collaborative community interventions to curb violence, the creation of multi-agency fatality review teams has shown effectiveness in reducing IPV and concomitant homicides. The following study is deviant case analysis of 2 female perpetrators within a multi-phasic fatality review of 22 felony cases of IPV resulting in homicide in a city in the southeastern United States. This study was designed to effectively gauge whether gender is a variable for those accused of felony murder as a result of IPV. Results indicate gender disparities for women, including inability to act as free agents within increasingly violent relationships; disparate characterization of violent women as more egregious than those of male counterparts within law enforcement and behavioral health and the pressing need for legal and therapeutic rehabilitative services provided to violent women offenders.
Everybody Talks: Evaluating the Admissibility of Coercively Obtained Evidence in Trials by Military Commission

Modern coercive interrogation techniques are devastatingly effective. Skilled interrogators can break even the most hardened subject by engaging in a concerted attack on his psyche. Notorious torture machines such as the rack or the iron maiden have been replaced by an ingenious system that relies on psychological coercion and self-induced physical pain to break a subject's resistance. Techniques such as sensory deprivation, stress positions, environmental manipulation, exploitation of individual phobias and weaknesses, attacks on cultural and religious sensibilities, or endless marathons of interrogation sessions eventually shatter the psychological walls that separate the will of the interrogator from the subject's ability to resist.Given the effectiveness of coercive interrogation in extracting confessions and admissions, a question naturally arises concerning the evidentiary value and admissibility of this evidence at trial. This article specifically examines admissibility issues pertaining to this evidence in trials by military commission and suggests an analytical template for use in evaluating coercively obtained evidence at trial.
Use of Value Clarification Techniques in Nuclear Medicine

Value clarification techniques, an important adjunct to nuclear medicine technology instruction, give the student an opportunity to clarify and place value assessments on the material he is being taught. For example, a student who does not believe in the dangers of radiation and the necessity for radiation safety presents a problem that can lead to serious consequences. Through value clarification techniques, examples as well as theory are provided to the students. The motivation to learn and to incorporate material into a value complex is thus accomplished and nuclear medicine becomes a safer and more efficient field in which to work. Examples of various techniques that can be modified for use in other situations are demonstrated.
The Clinical Value of Laryngeal Tomographies in Unilateral Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis

As compared to conventional indirect laryngoscopy and the lately developed endonasal fiberscopy, laryngeal tomographies may prove more useful in terms of a precise understanding of the contour of the ventricle, level difference of bilateral vocal cords, the thickness and also the direction of a paralyzed cord and finally, the subglottic angle formed by either the adduction or fixation of the vocal cord during phonation. The results of a laryngeal tomographic analysis on 47 cases with unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis were summarized as follows. Every analysis was made on tomograms taken during phonation and also compared with hemilarynx of the healthy side as well as indirect laryngoscopic findings.1) An apparent enlargement of the paralyzed ventricle appears to be related to the paralyzed vocal cord fixed at the intermediate position in 61 per cent of the cases.2) A higher level for the paralyzed vocal cord was observed in 23 cases (49 per cent). The paralyzed vocal cord showing fixation at the intermediate position, as well as bowing in the mirror, tends to be located at a higher level in the tomograms than the fixed vocal cord at the paramedian position and of straight appearance. The consistency of these findings as to the level of a paralyzed vocal cord may be only 50 per cent when comparing indirect laryngoscopic views with the tomographic studies.3) Twenty nine cases (62 per cent) showed a significantly thinner vocal cord on the paralyzed side and also an upward direction for the median edge of the paralyzed vocal cord.4) A significantly greater angle of the subglottis on the paralyzed side was demonstrated in 45 cases (95 per cent).These results stress the medical and/or surgical aspects of not only the median displacement but also the sagittal correction of a paralyzed vocal cord to achieve vocal improvement.
Don Yo in America: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's Second Visit to the United States

On May 5, 1865, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento returned to the United States as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the Argentine Republic. A more accurate title would have been Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Peripatetic, for no other minister or ambassador has ever spent as much time traveling through the United States, talking to its people, and studying its institutions. He was fifty-four years old now, an aging man whose clothes were formal but untidy, whose manner was truculent and conceited, a passionately opinionated man who stated his beliefs with fire and vigor and was rude to the point of insolence to those who sought to waste his time with frivolity—and yet who managed to form many warm friendships and to arouse in many Americans a personal liking for himself and an interest in his country. He was to spend three years and four months in the United States, and they were to be years crammed with work—studying, collecting information to send to Argentina, traveling, and writing. He wrote constantly. Dozens of letters came to him every day, and he wrote dozens himself. He reported often to Argentina's Minister of Foreign Relations, and he wrote constantly to friends and advisers in the United States. During his stay in America he wrote numerous newspaper articles, on topics as varied as grape culture, votes for women, and export laws. He started a periodical, Ambas Americas, whose mission was to draw the United States and all Latin American countries closer together. He wrote and published two books: Vida de Abran Lincoln, the first biography of Lincoln in Spanish, and Las escuelas: base de la prosperidad y la republica en los Estados Unidos. He translated a book on school architecture and a biography of Horace Mann into Spanish.
Serum enzyme determinations in diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. Pitfalls in application.

The SGOT test is said to have greater sensitivity than electrocardiography in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. The LDH test is of particular aid when testing is started several days following the infarction. The temporal relationship betiveen infarction and enzyme elevations has an important bearing on the determinations. Consideration must also be given to the many extracardiac factors that affect the enzyme levels.
104 Cases of Infantile Pneumonia in Diabetic Clinical Curative Effect Analysis

Objective To explore and research of insulin pump used in the treatment of pediatric diabetes merged pneumonia symptoms of clinical value. Methods Will be our hospital pediatric during November to January 2015, 2013 of 104 cases of diabetes treated by combined children with pneumonia, randomly divided into observation group(50 cases) and control group(54 cases), all patients taking conventional anti-infective therapy. At the same time, the group of children continue to adopt the way of pumping insulin, control group patients were taken before meals for subcutaneous insulin injection way,contrast to observe the clinical efficacy of two groups of children. Results After a course of treatment, the control group 22 cases patient basic returned to normal, 21 cases of patients with symptoms improve, clinical effective rate was 79.63%,while the observation group powerfully and effectively 31 cases and 18 cases respectively, and the clinical effective rate was98.00%, two groups of patients with the treatment data of differences, there are statistically significant(P0.05, χ2=7.068).Conclusion For the consolidation of pediatric diabetes patients with pneumonia, using pumping children with insulin to control blood sugar levels, and better able to improve the effect of clinical treatment of children with diabetes, can significantly improve the prognosis of pneumonia in children with diabetic.
Growth Modulation for Angular and Length Correction

Children who present with pathologic and progressive angular deformity and/or limb length discrepancy often require surgical treatment, sometimes repeatedly, in order to be fully corrected by skeletal maturity. For decades, the preferred choice has involved osteotomies. However, hospitalization, immobilization, and delayed weight-bearing are typically required. Associated risks include under- or overcorrection, nonunion, and recurrent deformity, each requiring salvage surgery. Rather than committing to acute correction by such invasive and relatively costly means, a suitable alternative is to undertake guided growth of one or more physes, employing extra-periosteal tension bands, to redirect or restrict designated physes. The ultimate goal is to restore the mechanical axis to neutral and achieve equal limb lengths by maturity, without resorting to osteotomy.
NGO Publicity and Reinforcing Path Dependencies: Explaining the Persistence of Media-Centered Publicity Strategies

Previous research finds that nongovernmental organization (NGO) publicity strategies—despite digital technologies—continue to focus heavily on garnering coverage in the mainstream news media. Drawi...
The Enlightenment: History of an Idea

Vincenzo Ferrone, professor of history at the University of Turin, has written an impressive defense of the Enlightenment against the charges of philosophers and postmodern critics. Arguing that th...
1967 Island Biogeography

The number of species on an island depends on the distance of the island from the mainland and on the size of the island. This knowledge allows scientists to predict the number of species on islands. By analogy, these predications can be made in habitats that are island-like because they are isolated from other similar habitats. Some species have life history characteristics that make them particularly successful immigrants to unpopulated islands (r-selection).
Computational Nanomechanics of Quasi-one-dimensional Structures in a Symmetry-Adapted Tight Binding Framework

The success of many nanotechnologies depends on our ability to understand and control the mechanics of nano objects, such as nanotubes and nanobelts. Because of the numerous experimental difficulties encountered at this scale, simulation can emerge as a powerful predictive tool. For this, new multiscale simulation methods are needed in which a continuum model emerges from a precise, quantum mechanical description of the atomic scale. Because computing nanomechanical responses requires large systems, computationally affordable but less accurate classical atomistic treatments of the atomic scale are widely adopted and only multiscale classical atomistic-to-continuum bridging is achieved. As a first step towards achieving accurate multiscale models for nano objects, based on a quantum-mechanical description of chemical bonding, here we present an ingenious symmetry-adapted atomistic scheme that performs calculations under helical boundary conditions. The utility of the microscopic method is illustrated with examples discussing the nanomechanical response of carbon nanotubes and thermodynamical stability of silicon nanowires.
Attenuation of Lg waves in the New Madrid seismic zone of the central United States using the coda normalization method

Abstract Unique properties of coda waves are employed to evaluate the frequency dependent quality factor of Lg waves using the coda normalization method in the New Madrid seismic zone of the central United States. Instrument and site responses are eliminated and source functions are isolated to construct the inversion problem. For this purpose, we used 121 seismograms from 37 events with moment magnitudes, M , ranging from 2.5 to 5.2 and hypocentral distances from 120 to 440 km recorded by 11 broadband stations. A singular value decomposition (SVD) algorithm is used to extract Q values from the data, while the geometric spreading exponent is assumed to be a constant. Inversion results are then fitted with a power law equation from 3 to 12 Hz to derive the frequency dependent quality factor function. The final results of the analysis are Q V Lg ( f ) = (410 ± 38) f 0.49 ± 0.05 for the vertical component and Q H Lg ( f ) = (390 ± 26) f 0.56 ± 0.04 for the horizontal component, where the term after ± sign represents one standard error. For stations within the Mississippi embayment with an average sediment depth of 1 km around the Memphis metropolitan area, estimation of quality factor using the coda normalization method is not well-constrained at low frequencies ( f