cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of the brain melanocortins in blood pressure regulation

Melanocortins play an important role in regulating blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity as well as energy balance, glucose and other metabolic functions in humans and experimental animals. In experimental models of hypertension with high SNS activity, blockade of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) reduces BP despite causing marked hyperphagia and obesity. Activation of the central nervous system (CNS) pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-MC4R pathway appears to be an important link between obesity, SNS activation and hypertension. Despite having severe obesity, subjects with MC4R deficiency exhibit reductions in BP, heart rate, and urinary catecholamine excretion, as well as attenuated SNS responses to cold stimuli compared to obese subjects with normal MC4R function. In this review we discuss the importance of the brain POMC-MC4R system in regulating SNS activity and BP in obesity and other forms of hypertension. We also highlight potential mechanisms and brain circuitry by which the melanocortin system regulates cardiovascular function.
Incidence and Predictors of Pericardial Effusion After Chemoradiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose Findings from Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0617 suggested that collateral radiation to the heart may contribute to early death in patients receiving chemoradiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, reports of cardiac toxicity after thoracic radiation therapy (RT) remain limited. Because pericardial disease is the most common cardiac complication of thoracic RT, we investigated the incidence of and risk factors for pericardial effusion (PCE) in patients enrolled in a phase 2 prospective randomized study of intensity modulated RT versus proton therapy for locally advanced NSCLC. Methods and Materials From July 2009 through April 2014, 201 patients were prospectively treated with proton beam therapy or intensity modulated RT to 60 to 74 Gy with concurrent chemotherapy. The primary endpoint (grade ≥2 PCE) was diagnosed on review of follow-up images. Clinical characteristics and cardiac dose-volume parameters associated with PCE were identified via Cox proportional hazards modeling and recursive partitioning analysis of null Martingale residuals. Reproducibility was evaluated in a separate retrospective cohort of 301 patients. Results The cumulative incidence rates of PCE among patients in the trial were 31.4% at 1 year and 45.4% at 2 years, with a median time to PCE of 8.9 months. Several cardiac dose-volume parameters (eg, V20 [volume receiving ≥20 Gy] to V65 [volume receiving ≥65 Gy]) predicted PCE, but heart volume receiving ≥35 Gy (HV35) was the most strongly associated, with a cutoff volume of 10%. On multivariate analysis, HV35 >10% independently predicted PCE (hazard ratio [HR], 2.14; P=.002), a finding that maintained reproducibility in the retrospective validation cohort. Other factors associated with PCE included receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy (HR, 2.82; P Conclusions PCE was common after RT for NSCLC, occurring in nearly half of patients even after moderate radiation doses to the heart. Adjuvant chemotherapy may increase the risk of PCE, and HV35 >10% may identify patients at risk of development of this cardiac toxicity.
Is It Time to Change the Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Paradigm? No! Metformin Should Remain the Foundation Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes

Most treatment guidelines, including those from the American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the International Diabetes Federation, suggest metformin be used as the first-line therapy after diet and exercise. This recommendation is based on the considerable body of evidence that has accumulated over the last 30 years, but it is also supported on clinical grounds based on metformin's affordability and tolerability. As such, metformin is the most commonly used oral antihyperglycemic agent in the U.S. However, based on the release of newer agents over the recent past, some have suggested that the modern approach to disease management should be based upon identification of its etiology and correcting the underlying biological disturbances. That is, we should use interventions that normalize or at least ameliorate the recognized derangements in physiology that drive the clinical manifestation of disease, in this circumstance, hyperglycemia. Thus, it is argued that therapeutic interventions that target glycemia but do not correct the underlying pathogenic disturbances are unlikely to result in a sustained benefit on the disease process. In our field, there is an evolving debate regarding the suggested first step in diabetes management and a call for a new paradigm. Given the current controversy, we provide a Point-Counterpoint debate on this issue. In the point narrative that precedes the counterpoint narrative below, Drs. Abdul-Ghani and DeFronzo provide their argument that a treatment approach for type 2 diabetes based upon correcting the underlying pathophysiological abnormalities responsible for the development of hyperglycemia provides the best therapeutic strategy. Such an approach requires a change in the recommendation for first-line therapy from metformin to a GLP-1 receptor agonist. In the counterpoint narrative below, Dr. Inzucchi argues that based on the medical community's extensive experience and the drug's demonstrated efficacy, safety, low cost, and cardiovascular benefits, metformin should remain the "foundation therapy" for all patients with type 2 diabetes, barring contraindications.-William T. CefaluChief Scientific, Medical & Mission Officer, American Diabetes Association.
Government Funded Research and Publishing

Abstract The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest biomedical research agency in the world. NIH's mission is to “seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.” In pursuing that mission, NIH's goal is to turn discovery into health. Publishing research findings is the cornerstone of meeting that goal. This chapter describes some key elements of the publishing process from NIH's perspective.
Micropropagation and Polyploid Induction of Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry

Protocols were developed for micropropagation and induction of autopolyploids in a fastigiate cultivar of Norway maple (A. platanoides L. ‘Crimson Sentry’). Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, woody plant medium (WPM), and Quoirin and Lepoivre medium were supplemented with 2 μM 6-benzylaminopurine (BA), meta-Topolin, 6-(γ,γ-dimethylallylamino) purine, kinetin, or thidiazuron to evaluate microshoot proliferation. Murashige and Skoog medium with 2 μM BA yielded the most microshoots (3.2) and longest microshoots (30.6 mm) per subsample after 5 weeks. The influence of BA concentration on proliferation was evaluated at 0, 2, 4, 8, or 16 μM. Optimal multiplication rate was achieved at 2 or 4 μM BA producing approximately 2.8 microcuttings per subsample after 5 weeks. To induce in vitro rooting, half-strength WPM was supplemented with 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 80 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Optimal in vitro rooting (70%), number of roots (2.5), and root length (15 mm) per subsample were achieved with 10 μM IBA after...
Cone Analysis of Pinus Taeda L. (Loblolly Pine) Clones

Loblolly pine is the most important forest tree species in the Southeastern United States, producing the major volume of both commercial timber and pulpwood for the region. Inadequate regeneration of this species has been identified as one of the causes of lower yields of softwood in the Southeast. Part of the solution would be a readily available seed supply for forest nurseries. In the mid 1950’s, an intensive program was initiated to produce genetically improved seeds from loblolly pine for reforestation of harvested stands. Scions from superior phenotypes in natural stands were grafted onto seedlings and clonal seed orchards were established (Zobel et al., 1958). Even with substantial insect and disease protection, annual seed losses are observed. Any seed loss has an economic effect because of the high value of the genetically improved seed. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate seed production efficiency in the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Arrowhead Seed Orchard, Pulaski County, Georgia. Here, we report data regarding analysis of cones collected from clones in the seed orchard. Analysis of 21 sample trees revealed that two clones, 558 and 593, were the most productive based upon seed efficiency data. In some ovules, the deterioration of the ovular contents began in June and resulted in the production of “empty seeds”.
Implicit Methods in Combustion and Chemical Kinetics Modeling

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that the purpose in modeling chemical kinetics is to predict and explain the evolution of chemical species in a reacting flow. There is an enormous payoff to be gained by understanding the complex chemical kinetics processes that govern the production and control of pollutants in combustion. The chapter describes the chemical kinetics equations that are stiff, and implicit numerical algorithms are needed for their solution. The solution of systems of chemical kinetics equations without spatial dependencies is accomplished routinely by the use of well-tested and documented software. The challenge for the future is to model the coupled effects of chemical kinetics and fluid transport. Chemical systems are usually characterized by the presence of widely disparate time scales. This is because some chemical species have reaction times that are extremely short compared with the reaction times of others. It also discusses the numerical solution of the large systems of nonlinear algebraic equations that are present in any implicit method.
The Evolution of Reversed Sexual Dimorphism in Size

Females are larger than males in most species of Falconiformes. This dimorphism can be great: the average weight of a female can be almost twice that of a male (Mueller et al., 1979; Newton and Marquiss, 1982). The first hypothesis on the functions of reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD) was probably advanced by Frederick II in the thirteenth century (Wood and Fyfe, 1943). Many hypotheses have been proposed in recent years; most have been supported only by theory or selected anecdotal evidence. As noted by Andersson and Norberg (1981), most hypotheses on RSD are extremely difficult (if not impossible) to test experimentally. The comparative method (Lack, 1968) appears to be simultaneously the best and easiest method of testing these hypotheses.
Factors in palaeoclimate analysis based on the marine biota of the Conejo Volcanics (Miocene), Santa Monica Mountains, California

ABSTRACTThe fossils in the middle Miocene Conejo Volcanics lived on a middle to outer shelf at approximately 100 m depth. They were redeposited with their substrate sediment into a basin where subm...
Infectious Mononucleosis and Lyme Disease as Confounding Diagnoses: A Report of 2 Cases

Lyme disease and infectious mononucleosis are common illnesses that share similar clinical presentations. Significant cross-reactivity is known to occur between Lyme and EBV serologic assays complicating the diagnosis. To date, no prior cases of concurrent acute Lyme and EBV infections have been reported. We describe the clinical presentation of two children with confirmed early Lyme disease and features suggestive of infectious mononucleosis, including one case of probable Lyme and EBV co-infection.
My life with lupus: contextual responses of African-American women with systemic lupus participating in a peer mentoring intervention to improve disease self-management.

Objective The current article seeks to examine the ways in which African-American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) describe their disease experience and how they cope with their disease. This qualitative study provides deeper insight into whether experiences of African-American women with SLE differ from previous qualitative study findings. Methods Qualitative data were gathered using interviews and a focus group, from participants in the Peer Approaches to Lupus Self-management (PALS) programme. Data were analysed for themes related to disease experience and how participants cope with their disease. Twenty-seven African-American women with SLE were recruited into the peer mentoring programme, of which 7 served as mentors and 20 served as mentees. A 12-week peer mentoring intervention delivered by phone and based on the Chronic Disease Self-Management and Arthritis Self-Management Programs. Results Three categories encompassing a total of 10 subcategories emerged from analyses: (A) interpersonal, familialandromantic relationships; (B) individual experiences of living with SLE; and (C) physician–patient relationships. Conclusion We gained insight on several issues related to patient perspectives of African-American women with SLE, and the context surrounding their thoughts and feelings related to lupus, including their providers, families and other social support networks. Additional research efforts could explore and address the thematic domains and respective subthemes identified here. Although limited due to the preliminary nature of the study, this information can be used to create future evidence-based interventions to decrease the impact of SLE on African-American patients.
Design and Construction of Functional Supramolecular Metalloprotein Assemblies

Nature puts to use only a small fraction of metal ions in the periodic table. Yet, when incorporated into protein scaffolds, this limited set of metal ions carry out innumerable cellular functions and execute essential biochemical transformations such as photochemical H2O oxidation, O2 or CO2 reduction, and N2 fixation, highlighting the outsized importance of metalloproteins in biology. Not surprisingly, elucidating the intricate interplay between metal ions and protein structures has been the focus of extensive structural and mechanistic scrutiny over the last several decades. As a result of such top-down efforts, we have gained a reasonably detailed understanding of how metal ions shape protein structures and how protein structures in turn influence metal reactivity. It is fair to say that we now have some idea-and in some cases, a good idea-about how most known metalloproteins function and we possess enough insight to quickly assess the modus operandi of newly discovered ones. However, translating this knowledge into an ability to construct functional metalloproteins from scratch represents a challenge at a whole different level: it is one thing to know how an automobile works; it is another to build one. In our quest to build new metalloproteins, we have taken an original approach in which folded, monomeric proteins are used as ligands or synthons for building supramolecular complexes through metal-mediated self-assembly (MDPSA, Metal-Directed Protein Self-Assembly). The interfaces in the resulting protein superstructures are subsequently tailored with covalent, noncovalent, or additional metal-coordination interactions for stabilization and incorporation of new functionalities (MeTIR, Metal Templated Interface Redesign). In an earlier Account, we had described the proof-of-principle studies for MDPSA and MeTIR, using a four-helix bundle, heme protein cytochrome cb562 (cyt cb562), as a model building block. By the end of those studies, we were able to demonstrate that a tetrameric, Zn-directed cyt cb562 complex (Zn4:M14) could be stabilized through computationally prescribed noncovalent interactions inserted into the nascent protein-protein interfaces. In this Account, we first describe the rationale and motivation for our particular metalloprotein engineering strategy and a brief summary of our earlier work. We then describe the next steps in the "evolution" of bioinorganic complexity on the Zn4:M14 scaffold, namely, (a) the generation of a self-standing protein assembly that can stably and selectively bind metal ions, (b) the creation of reactive metal centers within the protein assembly, and (c) the coupling of metal coordination and reactivity to external stimuli through allosteric effects.
Novel anomaly detection and classification schemes for Machine-to-Machine uplink

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) networks being connected to the internet at large, inherit all the cyber-vulnerabilities of the standard Information Technology (IT) systems. Since perfect cyber-security and robustness is an idealistic construct, it is worthwhile to design intrusion detection schemes to quickly detect and mitigate the harmful consequences of cyber-attacks. Volumetric anomaly detection have been popularized due to their low-complexity, but they cannot detect low-volume sophisticated attacks and also suffer from high false-alarm rate. To overcome these limitations, feature-based detection schemes have been studied for IT networks. However these schemes cannot be easily adapted to M2M systems due to the fundamental architectural and functional differences between the M2M and IT systems. In this paper, we propose novel feature-based detection schemes for a general M2M uplink to detect Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, emergency scenarios and terminal device failures. The detection for DDoS attack and emergency scenarios involves building up a database of legitimate M2M connections during a training phase and then flagging the new M2M connections as anomalies during the evaluation phase. To distinguish between DDoS attack and emergency scenarios that yield similar signatures for anomaly detection schemes, we propose a modified Canberra distance metric. It basically measures the similarity or differences in the characteristics of inter-arrival time epochs for any two anomalous streams. We detect device failures by inspecting for the decrease in active M2M connections over a reasonably large time interval. Lastly using Monte-Carlo simulations, we show that the proposed anomaly detection schemes have high detection performance and low-false alarm rate.
Smartsupply: Smart Contract Based Validation for Supply Chain Blockchain

Blockchain based supply chain systems benefit from immutability and auditability properties. We develop and implement a blockchain based supply chain system in Ethereum platform. We find and address several challenges both in system design and performance issues. We focus on system design for transaction validation, information retrieval efficiency and fault-tolerant query mechanism. We describe our implementation details to bypass some of the limitations in Ethereum and smart contracts. We design a smart contract to efficiently organize miners' local data structure for transaction validation and information retrieval. We design Ethereum smart contract that allows transaction validation based on a priori knowledge of product life cycle. Our system achieves constant time latency per query independent of the blockchain length. We also consider supply chain systems with malicious miners that respond with false data upon query. We develop a sampling query and majority voting method accordingly. We evaluate our system's performance in emulated setting and show that even with 30% malicious miners, we still achieve reasonable accuracy in only 0.0723 seconds response time on average.
Unsupervised Word Influencer Networks from News Streams

In this paper, we propose a new unsupervised learning framework to use news events for predicting trends in stock prices. We present Word Influencer Networks (WIN), a graph framework to extract longitudinal temporal relationships between any pair of informative words from news streams. Using the temporal occurrence of words, WIN measures how the appearance of one word in a news stream influences the emergence of another set of words in the future. The latent word-word influencer relationships in WIN are the building blocks for causal reasoning and predictive modeling. We demonstrate the efficacy of WIN by using it for unsupervised extraction of latent features for stock price prediction and obtain 2 orders lower prediction error compared to a similar causal graph based method. WIN discovered influencer links from seemingly unrelated words from topics like politics to finance. WIN also validated 67% of the causal evidence found manually in the text through a direct edge and the rest 33% through a path of length 2.
Psychological primitives can make sense of biopsychosocial factor complexity in psychopathology

Many agree that the biopsychosocial contributions to psychopathology are complex, yet it is unclear how we can make sense of this complexity. One approach is to reduce this complexity to a few necessary and sufficient biopsychosocial factors; although this approach is easy to understand, it has little explanatory power. Another approach is to fully embrace complexity, proposing that each instance of psychopathology is caused by a partially unique set of biopsychosocial factors; this approach has high explanatory power, but is impossible to comprehend. Due to deficits in either explanatory power or comprehensibility, both approaches limit our ability to make substantial advances in understanding, predicting, and preventing psychopathology. Thus, how can we make sense of biopsychosocial factor complexity? There is a third possible approach that can resolve this dilemma, with high explanatory power and high comprehensibility. This approach involves understanding, predicting, and preventing psychopathology in terms of a small set of psychological primitives rather than biopsychosocial factors. Psychological primitives are the fundamental and irreducible elements of the mind, mediating all biopsychosocial factor influences on psychopathology. All psychological phenomena emerge from these primitives. Over the past decade, this approach has been successfully applied within basic psychological science, most notably affective science. It explains the sum of the evidence in affective science and has generated several novel research directions. This approach is equally applicable to psychopathology. The primitive-based approach does not eliminate the role of biopsychosocial factors, but rather recasts them as indeterminate causal influences on psychological primitives. In doing so, it reframes research away from factor-based questions (e.g., which situations cause suicide?) and toward primitive-based questions (e.g., how are suicidality concepts formed, altered, activated, and implemented?). This is a valuable shift because factor-based questions have indeterminate answers (e.g., infinite situations could cause suicide) whereas primitive-based questions have determinate answers (e.g., there are specific processes that undergird all concepts). The primitive-based approach accounts for biopsychosocial complexity, ties clinical science more directly to basic psychological science, and could facilitate progress in understanding, predicting, and preventing psychopathology.
Fatigue Behavior of SAC-Bi and SAC305 Solder Joints With Aging

Reliability of microelectronic assemblies is typically limited by the fatigue failure of one of the interconnected solder joints. The fatigue behavior of the lead-free solder joints doped with bismuth under different stress loading and aging conditions is not yet understood. This article investigates the effect of adding bismuth on the mechanical reliability of SAC alloys considering different loading and aging conditions. The fatigue behavior and shear strength of individual SAC305 (Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu) and SAC-Q (Sn–3.4Ag–0.5Cu–3.3Bi) solder joints are examined and compared. A unique experiment is designed to test the individual solder joints using a micromechanical testing system. The results show that the fatigue life and shear strength of SAC-Q with Bi are much higher than SAC305 regardless of the aging and stress conditions. It was also found that increasing stress amplitude leads to a decrease in the fatigue life for both alloys. The aging time has a negative effect on the fatigue life and shear strength of both alloys. The impact of aging on SAC-Q solder joints is significantly less than that for SAC305. Microstructure analysis shows a substantial amount of precipitates coarsening with aging for SAC305 compared with SAC-Q. Hysteresis loop analysis shows that increasing the cycling stress amplitude and aging time leads to an increase in the work per cycle and plastic strain. Common fatigue models, such as Morrow energy model and Coffin–Manson model, fail to predict the life considering the effect of aging; aging affects the constants of both models.
Control of a distillation column with side stripper and side rectifier

Abstract A recent paper developed a complex divided-wall column with two walls in a single vessel that was capable of separating a four-component mixture into four high-purity products. The walls created three internal sections in the middle of the column. One section was sealed at the bottom and had a small reboiler from which the lighter of the intermediate-boiling components was withdrawn. A second section was sealed at the top and had a small condenser and reflux drum from which the heavier of the intermediate components was withdrawn. The feed was introduced into the middle of the third section that was open at both ends. The top of this section was connected to the rectifying section of the vessel, which had a main condenser and reflux drum from which the lightest component was produced in the overhead distillate. This section was also open at the bottom and connected to the stripping section of the vessel, which had a main reboiler from which the heaviest component was produced as the bottoms. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the process conceptual design and the practical plumbing is much more straightforward by using a conventional main column that has a side-stripper connected to the upper part of the column and a side-rectifier connected to the lower part of the column. Separating the functions into three vessels simplifies the design, has equivalent economics and improves the dynamic controllability.
Visual mode switching learned through experience

Abstract When the environment changes, vision adapts to maintain accurate perception. For repeatedly encountered environments, learning to switch immediately to prior adaptive states would be beneficial, but past work remains inconclusive. We tested if the visual system can learn such visual mode switching for a strongly tinted environment, where adaptation causes the dominant hue to fade over time. Eleven observers wore red glasses for five one-hour periods per day, for five days. Color adaptation was measured by asking observers to identify “unique yellow”, appearing neither reddish nor greenish. As expected, the world appeared less and less reddish during the one-hour periods of glasses wear. Critically, across days the world also appeared significantly less reddish immediately after donning the glasses. This indicates that the visual system learned to shift rapidly to a partially adapted state, switching modes to stabilize color vision. Mode switching likely provides a general strategy to optimize perceptual processes.
Particle Astrophysics in NASAʼs Long Duration Balloon Program

Abstract A century after Viktor Hessʼ discovery of cosmic rays, balloon flights still play a central role in the investigation of cosmic rays over nearly their entire spectrum. We report on the current status of NASA balloon program for particle astrophysics, with particular emphasis on the very successful Antarctic long-duration balloon program, and new developments in the progress toward ultra-long duration balloons.
Analytical modeling of NoCs for fast simulation and design exploration (invited)

Networks-On-Chip are widely used in modern System-on-Chips to provide necessary communication between growing number of IP blocks. They are paramount to performance and power as they constitute primary shared resources in the systems. Modern system-level simulators and design exploration tools integrate cycle-accurate models of the NoCs which are notoriously slow and therefore severely impact the design process. To maintain design agility, there is a need for scalable, fast, and accurate simulation and design exploration frameworks. In this talk I will discuss recent research on the fast and accurate analytical models that can replace slow cycle-accurate models of the NoCs in system-level models. This research leverages queuing theory for quick automatic generation of the analytical models for systems with many traffic classes, priority arbitration and bursty traffic. I will conclude with future research directions.
Effect of Reducing Sedentary Behavior on Blood Pressure (RESET BP): Rationale, design, and methods.

Sedentary behavior (SB) has recently been recognized as a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, with new guidelines encouraging adults to 'sit less, move more.' Yet, there are few randomized trials demonstrating that reducing SB improves cardiovascular health. The Effect of Reducing Sedentary Behavior on Blood Pressure (RESET BP) randomized clinical trial addresses this gap by testing the effect of a 3-month SB reduction intervention on resting systolic BP. Secondary outcomes include other BP measures, pulse wave velocity, plasma renin activity and aldosterone, and objectively-measured SB (via thigh-mounted activPAL) and physical activity (via waist-worn GT3X accelerometer). RESET BP has a targeted recruitment of 300 adults with desk jobs, along with elevated, non-medicated BP (systolic BP 120-159 mmHg or diastolic BP 80-99 mmHg) and physical inactivity (self-reported aerobic physical activity below recommended levels). The multi-component intervention promotes 2-4 fewer hours of SB per day by replacing sitting with standing and light-intensity movement breaks. Participants assigned to the intervention condition receive a sit-stand desk attachment, a wrist-worn activity prompter, behavioral counseling every two weeks (alternating in-person and phone), and twice-weekly automated text messages. Herein, we review the study rationale, describe and evaluate recruitment strategies based on enrollment to date, and detail the intervention and assessment protocols. We also document our mid-trial adaptations to participant recruitment, intervention deployment, and outcome assessments due to the intervening COVID-19 pandemic. Our research methods, experiences to date, and COVID-specific accommodations could inform other research studying BP and hypertension or targeting working populations, including those seeking remote methods.
An Analysis of Multi-hop Iterative Approximate Byzantine Consensus with Local Communication.

Iterative Approximate Byzantine Consensus (IABC) is a fundamental problem of fault-tolerant distributed computing where machines seek to achieve approximate consensus to arbitrary exactness in the presence of Byzantine failures. We present a novel algorithm for this problem, named Relay-IABC, which relies on the usage of a multi-hop relayed messaging system and crytographically secure message signatures. The use of signatures and relays allows the strict necessary network conditions of traditional IABC algorithms to be circumvented. In addition, we show evidence that Relay-IABC achieves faster convergence than traditional algorithms even under these strict network conditions with both theoretical analysis and experimental results.
Sustainable capitalism or ethical transnationalism: Offshore production and economic development

Abstract Multinational firms are increasingly facing pressures from consumer groups and activists to become more socially responsible. These pressures include calls for more environmentally safe production, improved labor conditions, and fair trade among transnational subsidiaries. While some describe the effects of globalization and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement as ratcheting up transnational social standards, others claim that these efforts merely serve as a legitimizing mechanism of global capitalism, which sustains unequal distributional effects under the rhetoric of human rights. By tracing CSR activism surrounding the apparel industry (focused on Nike) and the mass-retail industry (focusing on Wal-Mart), this article offers a more nuanced analysis of recent developments in the quest for socially and environmentally responsible global production.
Optimizing network microsegmentation policy for cyber resilience

This paper describes an approach for improving cyber resilience through the synthesis of optimal microsegmentation policy for a network. By leveraging microsegmentation security architecture, we ca...
Counseling patients about the prevention of AIDS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging that physicians and other health professionals help educate patients about ways to prevent the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It should be stressed to patients that because acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD), sexual abstinence or a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is the best insurance against acquiring the disease (except when one partner is an intravenous drug abuser, in which case mutual monogamy offers no protection).
Frequency as Determinant of Linguistic Changes in the Ethiopian Languages

(1969). Frequency as Determinant of Linguistic Changes in the Ethiopian Languages. WORD: Vol. 25, Linguistic Studies Pesented to Andre Martinet: Part Three, Non-Indo-European Linguistics, pp. 180-189.
Notochord to Nucleus Pulposus Transition

A tissue that commonly deteriorates in older vertebrates is the intervertebral disc, which is located between the vertebrae. Age-related changes in the intervertebral discs are thought to cause most cases of back pain. Back pain affects more than half of people over the age of 65, and the treatment of back pain costs 50-100 billion dollars per year in the USA. The normal intervertebral disc is composed of three distinct regions: a thick outer ring of fibrous cartilage called the annulus fibrosus, a gel-like material that is surrounded by the annulus fibrosus called the nucleus pulposus, and superior and inferior cartilaginous end plates. The nucleus pulposus has been shown to be critical for disc health and function. Damage to this structure often leads to disc disease. Recent reports have demonstrated that the embryonic notochord, a rod-like structure present in the midline of vertebrate embryos, gives rise to all cell types found in adult nuclei pulposi. The mechanism responsible for the transformation of the notochord into nuclei pulposi is unknown. In this review, we discuss potential molecular and physical mechanisms that may be responsible for the notochord to nuclei pulposi transition.
Applications of Thermoelectric Refrigeration

The coefficient of performance of a thermoelectric refrigerator is much smaller than that of a conventional compressor-type refrigerator when the required cooling capacity is high. However, whereas the coefficient of performance of the conventional unit falls off rapidly as the cooling capacity is decreased, that of the thermoelectric unit remains almost constant. Thus, generally speaking, a conventional refrigerator is preferred when the required cooling capacity is high and a thermoelectric refrigerator should be chosen when a low cooling capacity is needed.
The Feedback Approach to Cartographic Areal Text Placement

For proper labeling of a bounded region in a geographic map, the label (text) should normally be placed (and spread out) so as to conform to the size and shape of the region and be easily perceived. To accomplish this automatically has proved to be a challenging task because of the infinite variations in shape and size that can be encountered and the requirement for avoiding overlap with other text or features. This paper describes a new approach toward solving this problem. Rather than attempting to develop an algorithm for directly accomplishing the task, the method employs a feedback approach, wherein an initial placement is made using a general placement algorithm, the result is evaluated according to established placement criteria, and the placement is then progressively modified to reduce deviation from the ideal. The technique has potential application also to other complex, two-dimensional shape-understanding problems.
A Vast Yet Limited Gift; Werner Loewenstein’s New Book, Physics in Mind: A Quantum View of the Brain

Werner Loewenstein's 2013 book, Physics in Mind: A Quantum View of the Brain (New York, Basic Books, 325 pp.), is a welcome and much needed addition to the existing literature on quantum neurodynamics. Professor Loewenstein's qualifications as a principle pioneering researcher into the nature of intercellular communication and as emeritus director of Columbia University's Cell Physics Laboratory lend previously lacking mainstream gravitas to considerations of quantum perspectives on brain function.
Constant-Time Hough Transform on a 3D Reconfigurable Mesh Using Fewer Processors

The Hough transform has many applications in image processing and computer vision, including line detection, shape recognition and range alignment for moving imaging objects. Many constant-time algorithms for computing the Hough transform have been proposed on reconfigurable meshes [1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10]. Among them, the ones described in [1, 10] are the most efficient. For a problem with an N × N image and an n×n parameter space, the algorithm in [1] runs in a constant time on a 3D nN × N × N reconfigurable mesh, and the algorithm in [10] runs in a constant time on a 3D n2 × N × N reconfigurable mesh. In this paper, a more efficient Hough transform algorithm on a 3D reconfigurable mesh is proposed. For the same problem, our algorithm runs in constant time on a 3D n log2 N × N × N reconfigurable mesh.
Response time analysis of two server fork-join systems

This paper gives an exact analysis of mean response time of fork-join systems. The response time is shown to be the sum of parallel wait and parallel service times which are analogous to wait and service times in non-parallel systems. It is shown that the parallel service time of a job is dependent on the state at arrival time of the job. A formal parallel wait time analysis, similar to the wait time analysis of non-parallel systems is also given. The analysis is carried out using event/time sequence (ET-S) trees, a simple modeling technique introduced in this paper.
Promising parenting programs for reducing adolescent problem behaviors

Purpose – Adolescent problem behaviours (substance use, delinquency, school dropout, pregnancy, and violence) are costly not only for individuals, but for entire communities. Policy makers and practitioners that are interested in preventing these problem behaviours are faced with many programming options. The purpose of this review is to discuss two criteria for selecting relevant parenting programmes, and provide five examples of such programmes. Design/methodology/approach – The first criterion for programme selection is theory based. Well-supported theories, such as the social development model, have laid out key family-based risk and protective factors for problem behaviour. Programmes that target these risk and protective factors are more likely to be effective. Second, programmes should have demonstrated efficacy; these interventions have been called “evidence-based programmes” (EBP). This review highlights the importance of evidence from rigorous research designs, such as randomised clinical trials...
Vaccinia virus recombinants expressing an 11-kilodalton beta-galactosidase fusion protein incorporate active beta-galactosidase in virus particles.

Abstract Recombinant plasmids in which vaccinia virus transcriptional regulatory sequences were fused to the Escherichia coli lacZ gene were constructed for insertion of the lacZ gene into the vaccinia virus genome. beta-Galactosidase (beta-gal) was found in some purified recombinant vaccinia virions. By enzyme activity, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and microscopic techniques, the evidence suggested that beta-gal accounted for 5% of the total protein in the virion. These recombinant viruses were constructed so that a portion of the coding sequences of a late vaccinia virus structural polypeptide was fused to the amino terminus of beta-gal to produce the fusion protein. Removal of the coding sequences resulted in the complete loss of beta-gal activity. This demonstrated that a vaccinia virus DNA segment from a late structural gene is responsible for the incorporation of beta-gal into the virion.
Reliability of flight critical system components and their "history of abuse"

Application of TSMD facilitates diagnostic procedures capable of assessment of the technical status of aircraft electronics on the basis of recorded operational and environmental conditions. This paper investigates logistic regression, cluster analysis and Bayes technique as statistical tools suitable for the analysis of the effects of adverse environmental conditions on failures of electronic components.
Identification of targeting peptides for ischemic myocardium by in vivo phage display

Therapies selectively targeting ischemic myocardium could be applied by intravenous injection. Here, we report an approach for ischemic tissue-selective targeting based on in vivo screening of random peptide sequences using phage display. We performed in vivo biopanning using a phage library in a rat model of ischemia-reperfusion and identified three peptide motifs, CSTSMLKAC, CKPGTSSYC, and CPDRSVNNC, that exhibited preferential binding to ischemic heart tissue compared to normal heart as well as other control organs. The CSTSMLKAC sequence was capable of mediating selective homing of phage to ischemic heart tissue. The CSTSMLKAC peptide was then made as a fusion protein with Sumo-mCherry and injected intravenously in a mouse model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury; subsequently, bio-distribution of Sumo-mCherry-CSTSMLKAC was measured with quantitative ELISA. The targeting peptide led to a significant increase in homing to ischemic left ventricle compared to tissues from non-ischemic left ventricle, the right ventricle, lung, liver, spleen, skeletal muscle, and brain (all p<0.001). These results indicate that the peptide sequence CSTSMLKAC represents a novel molecular tool that may be useful in targeting ischemic tissue and delivering bioengineered proteins into the injured myocardium by systemic intravenous administration.
Ground-dwelling Beetle Responses to Long-term Precipitation Alterations in a Hardwood Forest

It is widely predicted that regional precipitation patterns may be altered due to climate change, and these changes may affect areas with extensive forests. Therefore, studies investigating the role of this climate driver on forest floor fauna are timely. We examined the impact of precipitation alteration over 13 years on Coleoptera (specifically Family Carabidae) communities in a temperate forest by testing the effects of dry (33% precipitation interception), ambient (control), and wet (33% precipitation addition) treatments. We collected insects in pitfall traps and quantified forest-floor physical and chemical parameters. Beetle abundance and Carabidae tribe richness were significantly reduced in dry plots. Community similarity was substantially higher between wet and ambient plots compared to dry plots due to the substantial reduction of three dominant carabid tribes. Litter mass increased overall, litter nitrogen decreased, and carbon:nitrogen ratio (C:N) and total phenolics increased in the dry-plot Oi horizon. Beetle abundance and tribe richness were positively related to soil moisture, and beetle abundance was negatively related to litter mass. Microarthropod abundance was highest in the dry treatment. This study provides evidence that shifting precipitation patterns predicted with climate change could alter important ground-fauna communities in extensive ecosystems such as temperate forests.
Stress development during supercritical drying

Although supercritical drying eliminates the capillary stresses that cause damage during conventional drying, there are other sources of stress and strain that can destroy aerogels. During heating in the autoclave, expansion of the pore liquid causes dilatation of the gel network. The effect depends on the heating rate, and can cause cracking if the rate is excessive. Syneresis is also accelerated during heating, and can cause considerable differential shrinkage and stress. The most severe stresses occur when the gel is in contact with its container, so that radial expansion and radial flow of liquid are prevented. Methods of calculating these stresses are discussed, and the magnitudes of the stresses are estimated. The results are shown to be consistent with experimental observations.
Prices, incentives and choice of management form

Abstract Firms choose between two forms for the day-to-day management of real estate assets: owner managed (OM) and third party managed (TPM). We apply incentives theory to analyze the property owner's choice of management scheme. The theoretical model reveals that management structure affects performance and that the OM-TPM choice is driven by the trade-off between TPM incentives inefficiencies and gains from superior management skills. Using apartments as an example, the empirical results are consistent with the theoretical model: rents are higher for OM firms and the choice of management form is affected by profit considerations.
A plausible reaction pathway of asphaltene under ultrasound

Abstract In an earlier report [Energy Fuels, 7 (1993) 111], the potential benefits of a refining process for heavy oil through the chemical assisted ultrasound method at room temperature and ambient pressure were presented. Specifically, with the effects of cavitation and added surfactant, within 15 min from the original bitumen, 35% of asphaltene was converted into gas oil and resin fractions. The present investigation is a continuous effort to provide more information about this conversion process, particularly studying the role of water during the ultrasound conversion process. The question to be answered is: “To what degree is the participation of hydrogen, which was used for the conversion process, a result from the water medium?” In order to trace the fate of hydrogen in a water medium, deuterium oxide was chosen to compare with the water medium, and sodium borodeuteride was chosen to compare with sodium borohydride as a source of the reducing agent. Adopting nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a tool, the results were tentatively concluded that both dehydrogenation and cracking reactions occurred under ultrasound. It was also observed, in the case of the water medium without the presence of hydrogen sources, that the principle reaction is dehydrogenation accompanied with minor cracking. The cracking increases considerably only after a hydrogen source is introduced. Simultaneous cracking and dehydrogenation are involved at the expanses of the naphthenic hydrogen type in asphaltene of the reaction pathway scheme.
Three-View Surveillance Video Based Face Modeling for Recogniton

3D face recognition has been researched intensively in recent decades. Most 3D data (so called range facial data) are obtained from 3D range imaging systems. Such data representations have been proven effective for face recognition in 3D space. However, obtaining such data requires subject cooperation in a constrained environment, which is not practical for many real applications of video surveillance. It is therefore in high demand to use regular video cameras to generate 3D face models for further classification. The goal of our research is to develop a method of tracking feature points on a face in multiple views in order to build 3D models of individual faces. We proposed a three-view based video tracking and model creation algorithm, which is based on the active appearance model and a generic facial model. We will describe how to build useful individual models over time, and validate the created dynamic model sequences. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed work through the application for face recognition.