cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ubi-App: a ubiquitous application for universal access from handheld devices

Universal access from a handheld device (such as a PDA, cell phone) at any time or anywhere is now a reality. Ubicomp Assistant (UA) (Sharmin et al. in Proceedings of the 21st annual ACM symposium on applied computing (ACM SAC 2006), Dijon, France, pp 1013–1017, 2006) is an integral service of MARKS (Sharmin et al. in Proceedings of the third international conference on information technology: new generations (ITNG 2006), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, pp 306–313, 2006). It is a middleware developed for handheld devices, and has been designed to accommodate different types of users (e.g., education, healthcare, marketing, or business). This customizable service employs the ubiquitous nature of current short range, low-power wireless connectivity and readily available, low-cost lightweight mobile devices. These devices can reach other neighbouring devices using a free short-range ad hoc network. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the UA service is the only service designed for these devices. This paper presents the details of Ubi-App, a ubiquitous application for universal access from any handheld device, which uses UA as a service. The results of a usability test and performance evaluation of the prototype show that Ubi-App is useful, easy to use, easy to install, and does not degrade the performance of the device.
Effect of exogenous erythropoietin on juxtaglomerular cells.

SummaryExogenous erythropoietin (ESF) failed to influence indices of juxtaglomerular granules (JGI) or width of zona glomerulosa (ZGI) in normal rats or those subjected to hypoxia, unilateral renal artery constriction, or sodium depletion, stimuli associated with increased JGI and ZGI. Administration of renin, on the other hand, decreased JGI without reducing plasma ESF levels. These findings are interpreted as indirect evidence that the source of renal erythropoietin is not related to juxtaglomerular granules (JGG). Further, findings suggest that the increased JGI induced by hypoxia may be related to an increase in renal renin. Ultrastructural examination of JGG revealed their similar appearance in all situations suggesting that changes in JGI associated with various physiologic phenomena are most likely quantitative rather than qualitative.
A Model for Fluid Flow During Saturated Boiling on a Horizontal Cylinder

A model has been developed to represent the vapor removal pattern in the vicinity of a cylinder during nucleate flow boiling across a horizontal cylinder. The model is based on a potential flow representation of the liquid and vapor regions and an estimate of the losses that should occur in the flow. Correlation of the losses shows a weak dependence on the Weber number and a slightly stronger dependence on the saturated liquid-to-vapor density ratio. The vapor jet thickness, which is crucial to the prediction of the burnout heat flux, and the shape of the vapor film are predicted. Both are verified by qualitative experimental observations.
Predictors of vaginal stenosis after intravaginal high-dose-rate brachytherapy for endometrial carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose Intravaginal high-dose-rate brachytherapy is an effective adjuvant treatment for localized endometrial carcinoma. However, relatively little is known about risk factors of post-treatment vaginal stenosis (VS). Methods and Materials We included patients treated with brachytherapy for endometrial carcinoma from September 2011 to January 2014 with at least 3 months of followup. Patients who received external beam radiation therapy were excluded. VS was prospectively graded at each followup visit per Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.03. χ2 and t test analyses were used to assess the association of VS with various patient, tumor, treatment, and post-treatment factors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of VS Grade ≥1 and ≥2. Results All 101 patients were disease free at last followup. Mean followup was 12.9 months (range, 3–34). Highest VS grades were zero in 67%, one in 26%, two in 6%, and three in 1%. Borderline significant variables associated with Grade ≥1 VS included vagina length, proportion of vagina treated, and total dose. Dilator use was significantly associated with Grade ≥2. Multivariable analysis revealed that proportion of vagina treated >60% (odds ratio [OR], 3.48; p = 0.009) and total dose >14 Gy (OR, 4.27; p = 0.015) were independent predictors of Grade ≥1 VS, and lack of consistent dilator use was an independent predictor of Grade ≥2 VS (OR, 5.60; p = 0.047). Conclusions Patients treated with a higher total dose to a larger proportion of the vagina were more likely to develop Grade ≥1 VS. Consistent dilator use may also be protective against Grade ≥2 VS.
Lateral coherence of the electrocorticogram: a new measure of brain synchrony

As one test of the idea that compound field potentials in higher centers have a fine structure, the horizontal extent of coherence (C) was studied on the brain surface, with many closely spaced semimicroelectrodes in rabbits and rats. On the average C tends to fall with distance (D) in the 0.5–10 mm range; apart from driven rhythms, C usually falls to noise level at D > 10 nun. A useful measure is D (mm) where C has fallen to 0.5 (DC−0.5); for most F bands within the range 1–50 Hz this is usually 2.5–5 mm, averaging over the neocortex in both species.
Garbage collection using a dynamic threatening boundary

Generational techniques have been very successful in reducing the impact of garbage collection algorithms upon the performance of programs. However, all generational algorithms occasionally promote objects that later become garbage, resulting in an accumulation of garbage in older generations. Reclaiming this tenured garbage without resorting to collecting the entire heap is a difficult problem. In this paper, we describe a mechanism that extends existing generational collection algorithms by allowing them to reclaim tenured garbage more effectively. In particular, our dynamic threatening boundary mechanism divides memory into two spaces, one for shortlived, and another for long-lived objects. Unlike previous work, our collection mechanism can dynamically adjust the boundary between these two spaces either forward or backward in time, essentially allowing data to become untenured. We describe an implementation of the dynamic threatening boundary mechanism and quantify its associated costs. We also describe a policy for setting the threatening boundary and evaluate its performance relative to existing generational collection algorithms. Our results show that a policy that uses the dynamic threatening boundary mechanism is effective at reclaiming tenured garbage.
Correlation of unit cell angle with transport properties in Bi2Te3

Abstract It is shown how, by varying the rhombohedral unit cell angle α, or the hexagonal c - to a -axis ratio in Bi 2 Te 3 , a critical value, ( c a ) crit. , is reached. At that value many regularities appear in the reciprocal lattice of Bi 2 Te 3 . Four methods of changing the ( itc a ) ratio are discussed. It can be accomplished with excess tellurium, solid solutions with V A 2 −VI A 2 compounds and In 2 Te 3 , anisotropic thermal expansion, and unidirectional strain. ( c a ) crit. = √( 195 4 ), and materials with c a c a ) exhibit p -type behaviour, while materials with c a c a ) crit. exhibit n -type behaviour. No interpretation of this correlation has been attempted.
Virtual clay: a real-time sculpting system with haptic toolkits

In this paper we systematically develop a novel, interactive sculpting framework founded upon subdivision solids and physics-based modeling. In contrast with popular subdivision surfaces, subdivision solids have the unique advantage offering both the boundary representation and the interior material of a solid object. We unify the geometry of subdivision solids with the principle of physicsbased models and formulate dynamic subdivision solids. Dynamic subdivision solids respond to applied forces in a natural and predictive manner and give the user the illusion of manipulating semielastic virtual clay. We have developed a real-time sculpting system that provides the user with a wide array of intuitive sculpting toolkits. The flexibility of the subdivision solid approach allows users to easily modify the topology of sculpted objects, while the inherent physical properties are exploited to provide a natural interface for direct, force-based deformation. More importantly, our sculpting system is equipped with natural, haptic-based interaction to provide the user with a realistic sculpting experience. CR Categories: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Physics-based modeling; I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Modeling packages; I.3.6 [Computer Graphics]: Interaction techniques; H.5.2 [User Interfaces]: Haptic I/O; I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Virtual reality; I.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Animation.
LSU rDNA‐BASED RFLP ASSAYS FOR DISCRIMINATING SPECIES AND STRAINS OF ALEXANDRIUM (DINOPHYCEAE)1

In a previous study large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA) sequences from the marine dinoflagellates Alexandrium tamarense (Lebour) Balech, A. catenella (Whedon et Kofoid) Balech, A. fundyense Balech, A. affine (Fukuyo et Inoue) Balech, A. minutum Halim, A. lusitanicum Balech, and A. andersoni Balech were compared to assess inter- and intraspecific relationships. Many cultures compared in that study contained more than one class of LSU rDNA. Sequencing pooled clones of rDNA from single cultures revealed length heterogeneities and sequence ambiguities. This complicated sequence comparisons because multiple rDNA clones from a single culture had to be sequenced individually to document the different classes of molecules present in that culture. A further complication remained as to whether or not the observed intraculture sequence variations were reliable genetic markers or were instead artifacts of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, cloning, and/or sequencing methods employed. The goals of the present study were to test the accuracy of Alexandrium LSU rDNA sequences using restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and to devise RFLP-based assays for discriminating among representatives of that group. Computer-assisted examination of the sequences allowed us to identify a set of restriction enzymes that were predicted to reveal species, strain, and intraculture LSU rDNA heterogeneities. All groups identified by sequencing were revealed independently and repeatedly by RFLP analysis of PCR-amplified material. Five ambiguities and one length heterogeneity, each of which ascribes a unique group of Alexandrium species or strains, were confirmed by restriction digests. Observed intraculture LSU rDNA heterogeneities were not artifacts of cloning and sequencing but were instead a good representation of the spectrum of molecules amplified during PCR reactions. Intraculture LSU rDNA heterogeneities thus serve as unique genetic markers for particular strains of Alexandrium, particularly those of A. tamarense, A. catenella, and A. fundyense. However, some of these “signature heterogeneities” represented a smaller portion of PCR product than was expected given acquired sequences. Other deviations from predicted RFLP patterns included incomplete digestions and appearance of spurious products. These observations indicate that the diversity of sequences in PCR product pools were greater than that observed by cloning and sequencing. The RFLP tests described here are useful tools for characterizing Alexandrium LSU rDNA to define the evolutionary lineage of cultures and are applicable at a fraction of the time, cost, and labor required for sequencing.
Ohmic contacts to n + -GaN capped AlGaN /AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Investigations of Ti∕Al∕Mo∕Au Ohmic contact formation, premetallization plasma treatment effects, and interfacial reactions for n+-GaN capped AlGaN∕AlN∕GaN heterostructures are presented. Ti thickness played an important role in determining contact performance. Transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed that thick Ti layer was necessary to fully consume the GaN cap and the top of AlGaN to enable a higher tunneling current flow. A direct correlation of plasma treatment conditions with I-V linearity, current level, and contact performance was established. The plasma-affected region is believed to extend over 20nm into the AlGaN and GaN.
Synlophe Structure for Species of Longistrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea), Abomasal Parasites among Ungulates from Sub-Saharan Africa, with Comparisons to the Global Ostertagiine Fauna

The synlophe, or system of longitudinal cuticular ridges characteristic of some trichostrongyloid nematodes, is examined in detail for 6 of 8 species in Longistrongylus (Ostertagiinae) that occur in ungulates across sub-Saharan Africa. Among the species of Longistrongylus examined, 5 are characterized by a tapering pattern laterally in the cervical zone (anterior to the esophageal-intestinal junction), which is largely consistent among multiple male and female specimens; in contrast, for Longistrongylus meyeri the lateral pattern is parallel. The synlophe is bilaterally symmetrical, with ridges extending from the base of the cephalic expansion to near the caudal extremity in males and females. Ridges are acutely pointed, with perpendicular orientation and absence of gradient as viewed in transverse section. Species-specific patterns in conjunction with the numbers of ridges may serve to augment an array of diagnostic characters for species of Longistrongylus and contribute to increasingly accurate identification of female specimens. Among 5 of 6 species examined in the current study, the numbers of ridges in males was equal to or exceeded that observed in females, a pattern seen only in Africanastrongylus among the 15 genera of the Ostertagiinae. The differential numbers of ridges in males and females may represent another character among the suite of attributes that in part diagnose the genus Longistrongylus.
Pseudo relative velocity spectra of earthquake ground motion at long periods

Abstract This paper analyses the processes which govern structural response, and uses observations of strong earthquake ground motion to propose quantitative extrapolation of pseudo relative velocity spectral amplitudes to long (100 > T > 1 s) periods. This will eliminate the current difficulties with rough estimation of long period spectral amplitudes and will open new possibilities by enabling the strong motion hazard calculations to be extended to the same long period band. So far, the scaling equations of response spectrum amplitudes have been valid only up to periods less than several seconds. The design of long structures and of structures on multiple distant supports requires knowledge and specification of design ground motions well beyond 1–10 s periods. With the results presented in this paper it will be possible to compute site-specific uniform hazard spectra and associated synthetic accelograms for essentially all long period response problems.
Wind-Generated Electrical Energy Using Flexible Piezoelectric Mateials

Electrical energy can be harvested from the wind using flag-like membranes (termed piezoelements or bimorphs) composed of flexible piezoelectric materials. The flapping of the membrane caused by the wind induces bending stresses that generate a voltage across electrodes positioned on the surfaces of the material via the piezoelectric properties of the material. The best results to date using PVDF (polyvinyledene fluoride) as the piezoelectric material are 10 mW of dc power (50 Vdc across 250 kΩ) obtained from a single bimorph element (size about 8"X11"X 0.02") flapping a frequency of 5 Hz in a wind speed of 15 mph. The overall efficiency was low (estimated at 0.1%) and to improve this figure, three specific areas of improvement are targeted. The efficiency of the piezoelement in converting wind energy into stored elastic energy will be optimized by determining the best geometry and dimensions for the element in conjunction with upwind bluff bodies using wind tunnel tests. A novel circuit, termed a quasi-resonant rectifier, for extracting the electric energy from the piezoelectric has been developed which can extract several times more power from the piezoelement than a conventional full-wave rectifier. A number of piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials including PZT fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix (termed active fiber composites or macro fiber composites) which may have higher generation efficiencies than PVDF will be examined for this application.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Introduction to this 14th International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions

The history of this conference series together with related cosmic ray conferences are reviewed. The historic role of emulsion chambers and the increasing liaison with the particle accelerator community are also discussed.
Mechanical model for longitudinally excited sloshing motion.

Translational excitation mechanical model applied to space vehicle longitudinal excitation, examining sloshing phenomena
Economic Assessment of an Anti-HCV Screening Program in Italy

Abstract Background The progression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease usually occurs over a 10-year period. HCV-related complications as well as the highly debilitating effects on patients represent a significant item of expenditure for the National Health Service. Early detection of HCV infection is an excellent opportunity to improve patients' quality of life and to rationalize resource allocation. Objective The aim of this study was to provide a cost-effectiveness evaluation of an anti-HCV screening program in the Italian National Health Service perspective. Methods We built a Markov model made up of two arms. The ‘‘Test Strategy'' arm involves a screening program based on the enzyme immunoassay for detection of antibodies as first-level test and the research of HCV RNA as second-level detection; patients with positive test results are treated with peg-interferon alfa in combination with ribavirine. Parameters were derived from the literature and validated through experts' opinion. Costs and benefits were discounted by 3.5%. Results were expressed as cost/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained through the screening program compared with the treatment of symptomatic patients. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Results The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the ‘‘Test Strategy'' is €5171/QALY, definitively below the cost/QALY of other approved treatments in Italy. Model results turned out as sensitive to the age of the target population, the prevalence of HCV infection, and the time horizon adopted. Conclusions The anti-HCV screening program is a valid health-related investment improving patients' quality of life and survival with an acceptable expenditure increase for the National Health Service.
Pricking the Bubble

Our special section in this issue, “The Higher Education Bubble,” continues the discussion that we began in our previous number. The idea is spreading that the college degree no longer delivers enough bang for the considerable buck it costs, and therefore demand for it will shortly decline. In the Fall 2011 AQ we made a case that a college bubble exists. In this issue, six of our writers offer ideas on what higher education might look like if and when the bubble bursts or deflates. Perhaps with a dash of contrariety, however, we begin with “The Liberal Arts Bubble,” by John Agresto, who doubts that we will see a bubble bursting anytime soon. Agresto believes that “the federal government will continue to pour billions into higher education—not because it’s rational, but because the American people have been persuaded that it’s somehow disgraceful not to give all a society can to the education industry. Anything less is to shortchange the next generation and consign America to permanent international second-class status.” What Agresto does discuss is the bubble before the bubble, so to speak—the one that has already deflated—the collapse of the liberal arts as predominant among student majors today:
Children’s acquisition of language: General linguistic competence or dimensions of style?

Previous studies have described children’s acquisition of language as reflecting either a referential or an expressive style. A multivariate approach, characterizing “referentiality” and “expressivity” as partially dissociable dimensions, is advantageous because it allows children to vary along one dimension as they vary along another, allowing children to have high or low degrees of both characteristics simultaneously. The present study applies multivariate techniques to an “exploratory” sample of 87 children, all of whom were 20 months old, and by subsequently validating the exploratory phase with 56 of the original children seen one month later. Using parental reports to assess children’s multiword productions, exploratory factor analyses revealed two correlated dimensions of language style which indeed reflected referential and expressive characteristics. Confirmatory factor analyses “confirmed” these factors in the test sample. This two-dimensional model of language acquisition was superior to a unidimensional, general linguistic competence model. There is also strong short-term stability for both dimensions across the one-month period.
Effect of Adrenalectomy on Rate of Fat Absorption

SummaryThe methyl esters of the fatty acids of corn oil are absorbed at the same rate as unaltered corn oil. Adrenalectomy has no significant effect on the absorption of either of these two fats. The rate of absorption of both methyl esters of corn oil fatty acids, and unaltered corn oil is the same for each hour up to 6 hours after feeding.
Defining Moments, Presidential Debates, and the Dynamics of Quotability

News coverage of presidential debates often focuses on a single defining moment which is taken to epitomize the debate in its entirety. This is a case study of the central defining moment of the 1988 vice presidential debate—the dramatic exchange culminating in Lloyd Bentsen's assertion that Dan Quayle is “no Jack Kennedy.” The study documents the degree to which this particular excerpt dominated news coverage of the debate, explains why it received so much attention, and explores how it has survived and evolved in the media over time. More generally, it is argued that journalists select quotations and sound bites by reference to three basic considerations: (a) narrative relevance, (b) conspicuousness, and (c) extractability. These considerations guide processes of extract selection generally, and they can explain the genesis and survivability of prominent defining moments.
Use of a Web-Based Game to Teach Pediatric Content to Medical Students

Objective The aim of this study was to assess, using a Web-based format, third-year medical students' pediatric knowledge and perceptions of game playing with faculty facilitation compared with self-study computerized flash cards. Methods This study used a repeated-measures experimental design with random assignment to a game group or self-study group. Pediatric knowledge was tested using multiple choice exams at baseline, week 6 of the clerkship following a 4-week intervention, and 6 weeks later. Perceptions about game playing and self-study were evaluated using a questionnaire at week 6. Results The groups did not differ on content mastery, perceptions about content, or time involved in game playing or self-study. Perceptions about game playing versus self-study as a pedagogical method appeared to favor game playing in understanding content ( P P P Conclusions Games can be an enjoyable and motivating method for learning pediatric content, enhanced by group interactions, competition, and fun. Computerized, Web-based tools can facilitate access to educational resources and are feasible to apply as an adjunct to teaching clinical medicine.
Why are genes encoded on the lagging strand of the bacterial genome

Genomic DNA is used as the template for both replication and transcription, whose machineries may collide and result in mutagenesis, among other damages. Because head-on collisions are more deleterious than codirectional collisions, genes should be preferentially encoded on the leading strand to avoid head-on collisions, as is observed in most bacterial genomes examined. However, why are there still lagging strand encoded genes? Paul et al. recently proposed that these genes take advantage of the increased mutagenesis resulting from head-on collisions and are thus adaptively encoded on the lagging strand. We show that the evidence they provided is invalid and that the existence of lagging strand encoded genes is explainable by a balance between deleterious mutations that bring genes from the leading to the lagging strand and purifying selection purging such mutants. Therefore, the adaptive hypothesis is neither theoretically needed nor empirically supported.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION: AN ANALYSIS OF REORGANIZATION OPTIONS

Responding to his 1976 campaign pledge, President Carter has reorganized the federal government's enforcement of equal employment opportunity(EEO) laws. He has done so by shifting some EEO responsibilities from the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Labor to create a “Super-EEOC”. This article examines why President Carter chose the EEO reorganization that he did from the standpoint of advantages and disadvantages. Also presented are alternative reform options that the President could have selected that would have involved increasing EEO coordination or reorganization entailing new legislation that would have gone far beyond the creation of a “Super-EEOC.”
Nitric oxide in the gracile nucleus mediates depressor response to acupuncture (ST36)

The purpose of these studies was to determine the role of gracile nucleus and the effects of l-arginine-derived nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in the nucleus on the cardiovascular responses to electro...
Efficient Transient-Fault Tolerance for Multithreaded Processors Using Dual-Thread Execution

Reliability becomes a key issue in computer system design as microprocessors are increasingly susceptible to transient faults. Many previously proposed schemes exploit simultaneous multithreaded (SMT) architectures to achieve transient-fault tolerance by running a program concurrently on two threads, a main thread and a redundant checker thread. Such schemes however often incur high performance overheads due to resource contention and redundancy checking. In this paper, we propose dual-thread execution (DTE) for SMT processors to efficiently achieve transient-fault tolerance. DTE is derived from the recently proposed fault-tolerant dual-core execution (FTDCE) paradigm, in which two processor cores on a single chip perform redundant execution to improve both reliability and performance. In this paper, we apply the same principles as in FTDCE to SMT architectures and explore fetch policies to address the critical resource-sharing issue in SMT architectures. Our experimental results show that DTE achieves an average of 56.1% speedup over the previously proposed simultaneously and redundantly threaded processor with recovery (SRTR). More impressively, even compared to single-thread execution, DTE achieves full-coverage transient-fault tolerance along with an average of 15.5% performance improvement.
Intermittency, metastability and coarse graining for coupled deterministic-stochastic lattice systems

We study the role of strong particle/particle interactions and stochastic fluctuations emanating from the micro-/sub-grid scale, in the context of a simple prototype hybrid system consisting of a scalar linear ordinary differential equation (ODE), coupled to a microscopic spin flip Ising lattice system. Due to the presence of strong interactions in the lattice model, the mean-field approximation of this system is a Fitzhugh–Nagumo-type system of ODE. However, microscopic noise and local interactions will significantly alter the deterministic and spatially homogeneous mean-field Fitzhugh–Nagumo behaviours (excitable, bistable and oscillatory) and will yield corresponding regimes with phenomena driven by the interaction of nonlinearity and noise across scales, such as strong intermittency, metastability and random oscillations. Motivated by these observations we consider a class of stochastic numerical approximations based on systematic coarse-grainings of stochastic lattice dynamics. The resulting stochastic closures give rise to computationally inexpensive reduced hybrid models that capture correctly the transient and long-time behaviour of the full system; this is demonstrated by detailed time series analysis that includes comparisons of power spectra and auto- and cross-correlations in time and space, especially in examples dominated by strong interactions between scales and fluctuations, such as nucleation, intermittent and random oscillation regimes.
VisMashup: Streamlining the Creation of Custom Visualization Applications

Visualization is essential for understanding the increasing volumes of digital data. However, the process required to create insightful visualizations is involved and time consuming. Although several visualization tools are available, including tools with sophisticated visual interfaces, they are out of reach for users who have little or no knowledge of visualization techniques and/or who do not have programming expertise. In this paper, we propose VisMashup, a new framework for streamlining the creation of customized visualization applications. Because these applications can be customized for very specific tasks, they can hide much of the complexity in a visualization specification and make it easier for users to explore visualizations by manipulating a small set of parameters. We describe the framework and how it supports the various tasks a designer needs to carry out to develop an application, from mining and exploring a set of visualization specifications (pipelines), to the creation of simplified views of the pipelines, and the automatic generation of the application and its interface. We also describe the implementation of the system and demonstrate its use in two real application scenarios.
Divining Proportions in the Information Age

The process of reverse engineering proportional systems of historic buildings has long been fraught with problems. One cannot assume, without knowing the specific conditions of acquisition, that existing plans are accurate enough to sustain the scrutiny necessary to resolve differences among potential proportional schemes. Yet producing a new survey with conventional measurement instruments could take weeks, if not months, and only in the best of situations would it be possible to acquire data in the upper reaches of the building—information required to avoid arbitrary dimensional rectification. With the advent of high-speed and high-precision laser scanning, however, the situation has changed dramatically.
Effects of Chirality and Diameter on Electron Transport Properties in Individual Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

We report on the effects of chirality and diameter on the electron transport properties in individual semiconducting, single wall carbon nanotubes. The Boltzmann transport equation is solved indirectly by the Ensemble Monte Carlo method and directly by Rode's iterative technique. Results show considerable effects of chirality and group on band structure and transport properties of tubes with small diameters. However the effects of chirality and group become negligible for tubes with large diameters. Diameter affects these properties more strongly than either chirality or group.
AKAPs: The Architectural Underpinnings of Local cAMP signaling

The cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) is targeted to specific compartments in the cardiac myocyte by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs), a diverse set of scaffold proteins that have been implicated in the regulation of excitation-contraction coupling and cardiac remodeling. AKAPs bind not only PKA, but also a large variety of structural and signaling molecules. In this review, we discuss the basic concepts underlying compartmentation of cAMP and PKA signaling, as well as a few of the individual AKAPs that have been shown to be functionally relevant in the heart. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Local Signaling in Myocytes".
Ownership, experience and defects: a fine-grained study of authorship

Recent research indicates that "people" factors such as ownership, experience, organizational structure, and geographic distribution have a big impact on software quality. Understanding these factors, and properly deploying people resources can help managers improve quality outcomes. This paper considers the impact of code ownership and developer experience on software quality. In a large project, a file might be entirely owned by a single developer, or worked on by many. Some previous research indicates that more developers working on a file might lead to more defects. Prior research considered this phenomenon at the level of modules or files, and thus does not tease apart and study the effect of contributions of different developers to each module or file. We exploit a modern version control system to examine this issue at a fine-grained level. Using version history, we examine contributions to code fragments that are actually repaired to fix bugs. Are these code fragments "implicated" in bugs the result of contributions from many? or from one? Does experience matter? What type of experience? We find that implicated code is more strongly associated with a single developer's contribution; our findings also indicate that an author's specialized experience in the target file is more important than general experience. Our findings suggest that quality control efforts could be profitably targeted at changes made by single developers with limited prior experience on that file.
Abstract 3224: Reasons for Disability after “Mild” Ischemic Strokes: A Retrospective, Exploratory Analysis

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have reported that approximately one-third of patients with strokes perceived as mild at onset and not treated with IV rtPA have significant disability at three months. Di...
Comparative evaluation of the effect of methyl bromide fumigation and phytosanitary irradiation on the quality of fresh strawberries

Abstract Fresh strawberries are highly perishable and have a short shelf-life especially when the cold chain is not maintained. Strawberries exported to Asia are currently fumigated with methyl bromide for phytosanitary purposes, which exposes strawberries to warm temperatures for several hours and air freight without temperature control, resulting in a shelf life of just a few days in the destination country. Irradiation offers an efficacious alternative to fumigation and can be performed on cold fruit. This study was conducted to compare the quality of strawberries subject to methyl bromide fumigation or irradiation followed by simulated commercial air freight shipment of strawberries to Asian markets and ambient temperature retail display. ‘Amado’ and ‘Marquee’ strawberries were treated with methyl bromide fumigation or gamma irradiation at 400 Gy. The strawberries were wrapped with insulated foil and ice packs for 24 h to mimic commercial air freight conditions then maintained at ambient temperature for two days to simulate retail display. The strawberries lasted only 2 days at ambient temperature, however berries treated with methyl bromide had the highest severity of decay. Irradiated berries were an average of 20% softer than fumigated strawberries and 23% softer than control fruit, however, consumer sensory panels showed no difference in liking for irradiated, fumigated, or control strawberries. Titratable acidity, soluble solids content, color values, and ascorbic acid content were unchanged due to treatments. The marketability of irradiated strawberries was similar to the control and better than the fumigated berries, thus, irradiation at 400 Gy could serve as a viable alternative to methyl bromide fumigation for export of air freighted strawberries.
Better Performance Through Thread-local Emulation

Mobile platforms are shifting away from managed code and toward native code. For example, the most recent versions of Android compile Dalvik bytecodes to native code at install-time, and apps frequently use third-party native libraries. The trend toward native code on mobile platforms calls us to develop new ways of building dynamic taint-tracking tools, such as TaintDroid, that achieve good performance. In this paper, we argue that the key to good performance is to track only when necessary, e.g., when an app handles sensitive data. We argue that thread-local emulation is a feature that captures this goal. In this paper, we discuss the motivation for thread-local emulation, the software and hardware techniques that may be used to implement it, results from preliminary work, and the many challenges that remain.
Abstract P4-11-21: Dosimetric Comparison of Radiotherapy for Left Sided Breast Cancer: Breath-Hold Versus Free-Breathing

Background: Radiotherapy for left sided breast cancer potentially increases risk for late toxicity to the heart. The simple technique of breath-hold (BH) can be instituted in an attempt to reduce volume of lung and heart irradiated in tangential fields. We report on patients with left sided breast cancer that were planned both with conventional free-breathing (FB) and BH radiation techniques from a single institution. Methods: From 10/2006 to 5/2010, 20 patients with node-negative, early stage breast cancer underwent CT simulation for left sided breast cancer and were selected for analysis in this report. FB and BH CT scans were obtained and treatment plans using opposed tangential fields were created to compare various dosimetric indices. Results: BH plans resulted in lower doses to the heart (max dose 1774 vs. 4560cGy, P 25 0 vs. 1.85%, P 20 13.32 vs. 20.32%, P Conclusions: Treatment of early stage left sided breast cancer with BH technique is a simple method for minimizing cardiac and ipsilateral lung dose. Long term follow-up is necessary to demonstrate if these dosimetric differences translate into clinically meaningful differences. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-11-21.
Release and restoration of pituitary lactogen in response to nursing stimuli in lactating rats.

Summary1) The effects of nursing stimuli upon release and subsequent restoration of lactogenic hormone from the hypophysis has been studied in 2 strains of lactating rats on 14th day postpartum. 2) Wistar lactating rats produced litters which, when 14 days old, were almost as heavy as those of the much larger Sprague-Dawley mothers. There was 15% more pituitary gland/100 g in Wistar rats which, after 10 hours isolation of mother and litter assayed 30% more lactogen than pituitaries of Sprague-Dawley mothers (3.50 and 2.44 units/100 g, respectively). The Reece-Turner pigeon intradermal method of assay was used. Following 30 minutes nursing there was a greater discharge of lactogen (33%) in Wistar (1.16 units/100 g) than in Sprague-Dawley rats (0.78 unit/100 g). About one-half prenursing level was restored in both strains within 2 1/2 hours postnursing but in one strain tested (Sprague-Dawley) restoration to prenursing level did not occur even 9 1/2 hours postnursing. The influence of amounts of lactogen re...
Stepwise Progression of Embryonic Patterning

It is long established that the graded distribution of Dorsal transcription factor influences spatial domains of gene expression along the dorsoventral (DV) axis of Drosophila melanogaster embryos. However, the more recent realization that Dorsal levels also change with time raises the question of whether these dynamics are instructive. An overview of DV axis patterning is provided, focusing on new insights identified through quantitative analysis of temporal changes in Dorsal target gene expression from one nuclear cycle to the next (‘steps’). Possible roles for the stepwise progression of this patterning program are discussed including (i) tight temporal regulation of signaling pathway activation, (ii) control of gene expression cohorts, and (iii) ensuring the irreversibility of the patterning and cell fate specification process.
How Much do we Know about Consumer Protection Laws

Cunningham and Cunningham recently examined how much individuals from various sectors of society know about consumer protection laws and their rights as consumers.1 Their finding that consumer knowledge does not vary across income segments was based on a survey of six hundred respondents, primarily women. This study is particularly significant since its results are at odds with conventional wisdom. The changing definition of appropriate roles for males and females in our society, however, raises serious questions about the usefulness of studies which assume that women are the primary decision makers in consumer goods purchases. Their findings would take on even greater interest if they could be duplicated using a broader population. The purpose of the present paper is to report such a replication and extension of the Cunningham and Cunningham study. In the replication and extension the same questionnaire was used, but was administered to a sample of men and women. In cooperation with the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington State Attorney Generals Office, questions covering familiarity with state laws were added to the questionnaire.
Null Objects in Old French

Despite claims to the contrary, it has been shown that a number of modern Romance varieties—including European and Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and French—allow omission of the object of a verb, even when the object has a definite referent. Taking as a point of departure Arteaga’s (On null objects in Old French. In: Schwegler A, Tranel B, Uribe-Etxebarria M (eds) Romance linguistics: theoretical perspectives. Benjamins, Amsterdam, pp 1–11, 1997) study of null objects in Old French, this paper discusses contexts in which null objects are attested in Old French, including some not discussed by Arteaga, and including instances of manuscript variation. In addition, drawing on recent theories of null objects, and using the nature of the antecedent to the null object as a diagnostic, it is proposed that Old French possessed both null pronominals and null variables. The wide range of contexts in which Old French evinced null objects is taken to suggest that the ability to license object drop is not an innovation in Modern or even Middle French. Given that null objects are also attested in Latin, the data point to the continual availability of object drop from the earliest stages of French to the modern language.
Awareness and Perception of the Effects of EEC Expansion: A Comparison

The European Common Market (EEC), established in 1958 by the six member countries Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany, vas expanded by admitting Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom (UK) on January 1, 1973. The expansion of EEC from “six” to “nine” member countries was a milestone in the process of European integration since the end of World War II. By 1980, the EEC plans to accomplish a full economic monetary union. As the Community moves toward “ever closer union of the people of Europe,” a new political entity, the United States of Europe (USE), is emerging.
Flowcache: A cache-based approach for improving SDN scalability

Today, the transition of traditional networking model to SDN-type architectures poses several major challenges. In typical SDN settings, the routers and switches frequently generate requests to the controller which ensures the proper and efficient operation of the network. Increased workload on the controller results in larger control plane response times, which, in turn, leads to a delayed response to the data plane events. As a result, the controller can become a major performance bottleneck which will negatively affect the performance of the overall system. This problem is important in access and edge networks where a controller is expected to serve a large number of remote switches. In this paper, we propose to address this problem by applying the principle of caching to the control plane of the SDN framework. In particular, we propose to augment an SDN architecture with a transparent layer in between the controller and switch, referred to as a flowcache. Flowcache acts as a software cache for the control traffic, by temporarily storing the content of recent flow table entries modified by the switch. This results in a significant reduction of the access time for future requests of similar flows. We analyze different design choices for the flowcache, analyze its properties, and evaluate the benefits of introducing a flowcache in an SDN architecture.
Adverse Events Involving Radiation Oncology Medical Devices: Comprehensive Analysis of US Food and Drug Administration Data, 1991 to 2015.

Purpose Radiation oncology relies on rapidly evolving technology and highly complex processes. The US Food and Drug Administration collects reports of adverse events related to medical devices. We sought to characterize all events involving radiation oncology devices (RODs) from the US Food and Drug Administration's postmarket surveillance Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database, comparing these with non–radiation oncology devices. Methods and Materials MAUDE data on RODs from 1991 to 2015 were sorted into 4 product categories (external beam, brachytherapy, planning systems, and simulation systems) and 5 device problem categories (software, mechanical, electrical, user error, and dose delivery impact). Outcomes included whether the device was evaluated by the manufacturer, adverse event type, remedial action, problem code, device age, and time since 510(k) approval. Descriptive statistics were performed with linear regression of time-series data. Results for RODs were compared with those for other devices by the Pearson χ 2 test for categorical data and 2-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for distributions. Results There were 4234 ROD and 4,985,698 other device adverse event reports. Adverse event reports increased over time, and events involving RODs peaked in 2011. Most ROD reports involved external beam therapy (50.8%), followed by brachytherapy (24.9%) and treatment planning systems (21.6%). The top problem types were software (30.4%), mechanical (20.9%), and user error (20.4%). RODs differed significantly from other devices in each outcome ( P P P Conclusions Compared with other devices, RODs may experience adverse events sooner after manufacture and market approval. Close postmarket surveillance, improved software design, and manufacturer–user training may help mitigate these events.
Protein Chemistry and the Biotechnology of the Future

The striking advances in biotechnology over the past 15 years have changed the practice of biology and of protein chemistry. These biotechnologies include the development of recombinant DNA techniques (1), monoclonal antibody techniques (2), and instruments for the analysis and synthesis of proteins and genes (3). It is these technological developments and in particular the powerful new techniques of DNA sequence analysis that have changed the mission of protein sequence analysis over the past 15 years.