cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1528 HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF ANGIOTENS1N CDNVERTINB ENZYME INHIBITOR (CEI) IN CHRONIC PARTIAL URETERAL OBSTRUCTION (CPUO) OF THE NEWBORN GUINEA PIG

Unilateral CPUO results in significant vasoconstriction of the ipsilateral kidney (Pediatr Res 18:359A, 1984). To evaluate the role of endogenous angiotensin II (A II) in this vasoconstriction, guinea pigs subjected to constriction of the left ureter during the first 2 days of life were given enalapril, a CEI, 6 mg/day for 7-12 days prior to study. These were compared to a control group of littermates receiving no drug. Renal blood flow (RBF, ml/min), number of perfused glomeruli (NPG, thousands), glotnerular perfusion rate GPR, nl/min) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR, ml/min) were measured at 21-26 days of age (mean ± SE, ns = P>0.05): While the intact kidney was unaffected by enalapril administration, a 26% increase in NPG and 46% increase in GPR were associated with marked increase in RBF and GFR of the the left kidney. We conclude that A II plays a significant role in reduction of renal function during CPUO, and acts in part by diminishing the proportion of perfused glomeruli.
Coronal suture pathology and synostotic progression in rabbits with congenital craniosynostosis.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to describe coronal suture pathology and cross sectional synostotic progression in an inbred strain of rabbits with congenital craniosynostosis. Calvaria from 102 perinatal rabbits (39 unaffected; 63 bilateral or unilateral synostosis) were collected at fetal days 21 (n = 12), 25 (n = 20), 27 (n = 22), 30 (term) (n = 32), and 3 days post-term (n = 16) for gross morphologic and histologic examination. Synostotic foci, the extent of relative bony bridging, and suture morphology were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Of the 204 coronal sutures examined, 91 sutures were synostosed, and 113 were patent. All synostosed sutures showed similar foci by day 25, which originated as bony bridges in the middle of each suture on the ectocortic surface. Bony bridging width increased significantly (p < .001) from day 25 through 3 days post-term, and was best described by a linear regression equation. Osteogenic front areas of synostosed sutures were up to 2.5 times ...
Identification of high noise time series signals using hybrid ARMA modeling and neural network approach

A novel approach for time series signal identification with high noise background is proposed. The approach takes advantage of both the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) spectrum estimator and artificial neural networks (ANNs). The dynamic data system (DDS) modeling strategy and ARMA spectrum estimator are used to provide a high resolution spectrum estimate, and the backpropagation ANN is used as the feature pattern classifier. Simulation experiments based on vibration signal diagnosis are presented. The approach demonstrates a better performance than the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT)-ANN approach in high noise environments. >
Ploidy levels among species in the 'Oxalis tuberosa alliance' as inferred by flow cytometry.

The ‘Oxalis tuberosa alliance’ is a group of Andean Oxalis species allied to the Andean tuber crop O. tuberosa Molina (Oxalidaceae), commonly known as ‘oca’. As part of a larger project studying the origins of polyploidy and domestication of cultivated oca, flow cytometry was used to survey DNA ploidy levels among Bolivian and Peruvian accessions of alliance members. In addition, this study provided a first assessment of C-values in the alliance by estimating nuclear DNA contents of these accessions using chicken erythrocytes as internal standard. Ten Bolivian accessions of cultivated O. tuberosa were confirmed to be octoploid, with a mean nuclear DNA content of approx. 3·6 pg/2C. Two Peruvian wild Oxalis species, O. phaeotricha and O. picchensis, were inferred to be tetraploid (both with approx. 1·67 pg/2C), the latter being one of the putative progenitors of O. tuberosa identified by chloroplast-expressed glutamine synthetase data in prior work. The remaining accessions (from 78 populations provisionally identified as 35 species) were DNA diploid, with nuclear DNA contents varying from 0·79 to 1·34 pg/2C. a 2002 Annals of Botany Company
Steering nonholonomic systems using sinusoids

Methods for steering systems with nonholonomic constraints between arbitrary configurations are investigated. R.W. Brockett (1981) derived the optimal controls for a set of canonical systems in which the tangent space to the configuration manifold is spanned by the input vector fields and their (first-order) Lie brackets. Using Brockett's result as motivation, the authors derive suboptimal trajectories for systems which are not in canonical form and consider systems in which it takes more than one level of bracketing to achieve controllability. These trajectories use sinusoids at integrally related frequencies to achieve motion at a given bracketing level. Examples and simulation results are presented. >
Food Habits of Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis Occupying Baitfish Aquaculture Facilities in Arkansas

Lesser scaup Aythya affinis, medium-sized black and white diving ducks, were collected at Arkansas baitfish farms during November-December 1999 (N= 33), January-February 2000 (N= 39), and March-April 2000 (N = 22) to determine seasonal differences in their diet and their relative impact to baitfish production. The mass of gastrointestinal contents was used to determine the proportion of each diet item relative to all items recovered during stomach analyses. Chironomids were the primary food item recovered. Ten of 94 (10.6%) scaup contained identifiable fish biomass. Fish bones and otoliths were found in an additional 14 scaup (14.9%). All fish remains were identified (via otoliths) as those commonly produced at Arkansas baitfish farms (Cyprinidae). Other diet items (ranked by proportional mass) were vegetative seeds, snails, insects, crayfish, and other aquatic worms (class Oligochaeta). Scaup diets were similar among collection periods, between males and females, and between juvenile and mature ducks. We estimated the economic impact of lesser scaup to baitfish production based upon estimated duration of ducks at farms, the proportion of ducks containing fish, and scaup energetic requirements. Provided estimates of scaup abundance and the cost of bird harassment at a particular farm, economic thresholds (i.e., fish replacement cost as a function of scaup predation) will facilitate cost-effective decisions regarding bird damage management at Arkansas baitfish aquaculture facilities.
Perialveolar interstitial resistance and compliance in isolated rat lung

We have developed a method to characterize fluid transport through the perialveolar interstitium using micropuncture techniques. In 10 experiments we established isolated perfused rat lung preparations. The lungs were initially isogravimetric at 10 cmH2O arterial pressure, 2 cmH2O venous pressure, and 5 cmH2O alveolar pressure. Perialveolar interstitial pressure was determined by micropuncture at alveolar junctions by use of the servo-null technique. Simultaneously a second micropipette was placed in an alveolar junction 20-40 microns away, and a bolus of albumin solution (3.5 g/100 ml) was injected. The resulting pressure transient was recorded for injection durations of 1 and 4 s in nonedematous lungs. The measurements were repeated after gross edema formation induced by elevated perfusion pressure. We model the interstitium as a homogeneous linearly poroelastic material and assume the initial pressure distribution due to the injection to be Gaussian. The pressure decay is inversely proportional to time, with time constant T, where T is a measure of the ratio of interstitial tissue stiffness to interstitial resistance to fluid flow. A linear regression was performed on the reciprocal of the pressure for the decaying portion of the transients to determine T. Comparing pressure transients in nonedematous and edematous lungs, we found that T was 4.0 +/- 1.4 and 1.4 +/- 0.6 s, respectively. We have shown that fluid transport through the pulmonary interstitium on a local level is sensitive to changes in interstitial stiffness and resistance. These results are consistent with the decreased stiffness and resistance in the perialveolar interstitium that accompany increased hydration.
Mechanical Properties of Polycrystalline NiAl from Miniaturized Disk-Bend Tests

Disk-shaped specimens of polycrystalline NiAl (grain size ∽25 μm), 3 mm in diameter and ranging in thickness from 165 to 370 μm, were indented in their centers to various indentation loads, F, using a Vickers indenter. The yield stress, σy, and apparent fracture stress, σfa, were measured as a function of F, with the indented side in tension, using a miniaturized disk-bend test (MDBT). Fracture does not originate at the indentation for F ≤ 39.2 N. Within this regime of behavior both σy and σfa are slightly larger than in unindented specimens, although σfa passes through a sharp minimum for F < 10 N. For F ≥ 39.2 N fracture originates at the indentations. In this regime σy is essentially constant, but significantly larger than σy at smaller values of F, while σfa decreases steadily with increasing F. We attribute the larger values of σy to strain hardening within the relatively large plastic zone surrounding the indentation. The reduction of σfa with increasing F in this regime occurs because the indentation serves as the point of failure. Fractography reveals NiAl fractures primarily in an intergranular manner. A preliminary estimate of the fracture toughness is 8.54 MPa·a.m1/2, which overestimates the true fracture toughness because σfa exceeds the true fracture stresses.
Design and evaluation of scalable switching fabrics for high-performance routers

This work considers switching fabrics with distributed packet routing to achieve high scalability and low costs. The considered switching fabrics are based on a multistage structure with different re-circulation designs, where adjacent stages are interconnected according to the indirect n-cube connection style. They all compare favorably with an earlier multistage-based counterpart according to extensive simulation, in terms of performance measures of interest and hardware complexity. When queues are incorporated in the output ports of switching elements (SEs), the total number of stages required in our proposed fabrics to reach a given performance level can be reduced substantially. The performance of those fabrics with output queues is evaluated under different "speedups" of the queues, where the speedup is the operating clock rate ratio of that at the SE core to that over external links. Our simulation reveals that a small speedup of 2 is adequate for buffered switching fabrics comprising 4/spl times/8 SEs to deliver better performance than their unbuffered counterparts with 50% more stages of SEs, when the fabric size is 256. The buffered switching fabrics under our consideration are scalable and of low costs, ideally suitable for constructing high-performance routers with large numbers of line cards.
SYSTEMATICS OF NEW WORLD TRISSOLCUS (HYMENOPTERA: SCELIONIDAE): SPECIES RELATED TO T. BASALIS

The New World species of Trissolcus, exclusive of the flavipes and thyantae species groups, are revised. This encompasses seven species: T. basalis (Wollaston) recorded in the southeastern USA, West Indies, Venezuela, and southeastern Brazil; T. cosmopeplae (Gahan) from the USA and Canada; T. erugatus n. sp. from the western USA and Canada; T. hullensis (Harrington) widely distributed throughout Canada, USA, Mexico, Dominica, and Venezuela; T. radix n. sp. from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and the southeastern USA; T. solocis n. sp. from Mexico and the southeastern USA; and T. utahensis (Ashmead) from the western USA and Canada. Available host information for each species is summarized. These species are described and an identification key is provided.
Understanding the differences in collaborative system use through appropriation analysis

One way of understanding the impact of collaborative systems is to examine the nature of the structures they provide. Another approach is to examine the differences in how groups respond to these structures as they work with them. The authors follow the second approach, on the presumption that groups differ dramatically in how they incorporate technology-based structures into their work. They draw on the concept of appropriation, the process by which group members provide meaning to structures and act on them, and identify nine general types of group responses to technology-based structures. These nine types are then refined into 31 categories of appropriation. The authors illustrate how these categories of appropriation can be observed in groups and show how they can be synthesized to yield general patterns of group responses to the technology. >
Recent experience with backgrounds at the SLC

During the 1990 SLC (Stanford linear Collider)/Mark II runs, machine backgrounds visible in the new vertex detectors were studied. From the start, synchrotron background in the main Mark II tracking chamber was significantly reduced from the prior year's run. Occupancies, which had been 15% to 20% during the previous year, were now below 5%. The improvement is attributed to the additional collimators at the end of the LINAC, which made it possible to do both primary and secondary collimation in a region with zero nominal dispersion. The additional masking material, including the material of the vertex detectors, also contributed. Backgrounds in the new vertex detectors were larger than expected. These detectors had active elements at radii from 3 to 17 cm and were subjected to backgrounds unique to linear colliders. The authors describe recent progress in identifying sources and developing control techniques. >
Bi-directional labeled point matching

Robust point matching (RPM) simultaneously estimates correspondences and non-rigid warps between unstructured point-sets. While RPM is robust to outliers in the target (fixed) point-set, its performance degrades when the template (moving) point-set contains outliers. Additionally, RPM does not utilize information about the topological structure or group memberships of the data it is matching. Bi-directional Labeled Point Matching (BLPM) extends the RPM objective function by introducing (i) Bi-Directionality (BD) and (ii) a Label Entropy (LE) term. BD aids in outlier rejection in both point-sets and LE discourages mappings that transform points within a single group in one point-set onto points from multiple distinct groups in the other point-set. The resulting BLPM algorithm translates into simple modifications to the standard RPM update rules.
Single dose doxycycline therapy for scrub typhus.

Abstract A single dose of 200 mg of doxycycline was shown to be as effective as a seven day course of tetracycline, in patients suspected of having scrub typhus. 65 (44%) of the 149 patients studied fulfilled the criteria for definite diagnosis of scrub typhus; 10 had an additional diagnosis. Rickettsia tsutsugamushi was isolated from 49 (75%) patients. There was no difference between the two treatment groups in time to defervescence, abolition of cough and headache, or in the time taken to recover well-being. There were no relapses in either group. Of the remaining 84 patients, a causal diagnosis was achieved in 52. Irrespective of a diagnosis there was no difference in apparent response to either doxycycline or tetracycline.
Stapling of orogastric tube during gastrojejunal anastomosis: an unusual complication after conversion of sleeve gastrectomy to laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

The number of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) cases performed annually in the United States has significantly increased. With the increased number of laparoscopic cases in bariatric surgery, LRYGB has become one of the most technically demanding operations performed in minimally invasive surgery [1]. This procedure is associated with a significant learning curve and, even in expert hands, can be associated with complications. Stapling of the orogastric tube during the performance of gastrojejunal anastomosis is an unusual and dreaded complication in bariatric surgery [2]. Surgeons should maximize their awareness and prevent this complication.
Sensory-Updated Residual Life Distributions for Components With Exponential Degradation Patterns

Research on interpreting data communicated by smart sensors and distributed sensor networks, and utilizing these data streams in making critical decisions stands to provide significant advancements across a wide range of application domains such as maintenance management. In this paper, a stochastic degradation modeling framework is developed for computing and continuously updating residual life distributions of partially degraded components. The proposed degradation methodology combines population-specific degradation characteristics with component-specific sensory data acquired through condition monitoring in order to compute and continuously update remaining life distributions of partially degraded components. Two sensory updating procedures are developed and validated using real-world vibration-based degradation information acquired from rolling element thrust bearings. The results are compared with two benchmark policies and illustrate the benefits of the sensory updated degradation models proposed in this paper. Note for Practitioners-The proposed degradation-based prognostic methodology provides a comprehensive assessment of the current and future degradation states of partially degraded components by combining population-specific degradation or reliability information with real-time sensory health monitoring data. It is specifically beneficial for cases where degradation occurs in a cumulative manner and the degradation signal can be approximated by an exponential functional form. To implement this methodology, it is necessary: 1) to identify the physical phenomena associated with the evolution of the degradation process (spalling and wear herein); 2) choose the appropriate condition monitoring technology to monitor this phenomena (accelerometers); 3) identify a characteristic pattern in the sensory information to help develop a degradation signal (exponential growth); and 4) identify a failure threshold associated with the degradation signal. The first step in implementing this prognostic methodology is to obtain prior information related to stochastic parameters f the exponential model. This may require fitting some sample degradation signals with an exponential functional form and noting the values of the exponential parameters, or using subjective prior distributions. The second step is to acquire sensory information and begin updating the prior distribution. The updating frequency will dictate which expressions are used to compute the posterior distributions. Once the posterior means, variances, and correlation are computed, the truncated CDF of the residual life can be evaluated using (10) and (11). Note that the truncation is necessary to preclude negative values of the remaining life. Practitioners can implement this methodology using a simple spreadsheet. Since the residual life distributions are skewed, it is reasonable to utilize the median as a measure of the central tendency and, hence, an alternative estimate for the expected value of the remaining life
Brain Volumes, Cognitive Impairment, and Conjugated Equine Estrogens

CONJUGATED equine estrogen (CEE) therapy, alone or combined with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), increases the risks of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in women aged 65 years or older (1,2); however, the neuroanatomical and neurochemical mechanisms underlying this effect are presently unknown. Recently, we reported that older women who had been prescribed CEE-based therapies, compared with placebo, had smaller mean frontal lobe volumes (p = .004), marginally smaller mean hippocampal (p = .05) and total brain volumes (p = .07), and comparable levels of ischemic lesion volumes (3,4). In this current article, we examine whether the phenomena of increased risk for cognitive impairment and decreased brain volumes are linked. We hypothesize that among women assigned to CEE-based hormone therapies, cognitive impairment would be more strongly associated with reduced brain volumes than among women assigned to placebo therapy. We analyzed data from brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that were performed on women, 1–4 years after they had participated in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of CEE-based therapies. After covariate adjustment to control for other risk factors for cognitive impairment, we examined whether the relationships that regional and total brain volumes had with cognitive impairment varied between treatment groups. We also conducted parallel analyses for ischemic lesion volumes. We then examined the consistency of our results among women grouped by baseline level of cognitive function, which may moderate the adverse effects of CEE-based therapies on global cognitive function (5).
Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients with community-onset and hospital-onset pneumonia.

Summary Objectives The risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia have not been fully characterized and are likely to be different depending on whether infection is acquired in the community or the hospital. Methods We conducted a case-control study of 619 adults hospitalized between 2005 and 2010 with either MRSA or methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) pneumonia. Patients with a respiratory culture within 48 h of hospitalization had community-onset pneumonia whereas patients with a culture collected after this time point had hospital-onset pneumonia. Results Among patients with community-onset disease, the risk for MRSA was increased by tobacco use (OR 2.31, CI 1.23–4.31), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 3.76, CI 1.74–8.08), and recent antibiotic exposure (OR 4.87, CI 2.35–10.1) in multivariate analysis while patients with hospital-onset disease had an increased MRSA risk with tobacco use (OR 2.66, CI 1.38–5.14), illicit drug use (OR 3.52, CI 2.21–5.59), and recent antibiotic exposure (OR 2.04, CI 3.54–13.01). Hospitalization within the prior three months was associated with decreased risk (OR 0.64, CI 0.46–0.89) in multivariate analysis. Conclusions This study suggests there are common and distinct risk factors for MRSA pneumonia based on location of onset. The decreased risk for MRSA pneumonia associated with recent hospitalization is unexpected and warrants further investigation. Summary This case-control study showed that there are common and distinct risk factors associated with MRSA pneumonia depending on whether the infection onset is in the hospital or in the community. Recent hospitalization was unexpectedly shown to be associated with decreased risk for MRSA pneumonia and warrants further investigation.
ThE EffEcTs of aTTrIbuTIons for crImE on aTTITudEs Toward prIson rEform

Early attribution research suggests that those who view criminal acts as highly internal, controllable, and stable tend to support more severe and retributive punishment. This study aims to further examine how laypeople’s attributions for crime relate to their perceptions of responsibility, emotions, punishment goals, and prison reform attitudes. Participants completed surveys with one of five criminal conviction scenarios. Correlational analyses and a path model provided support for links between internal and controllable attributions, high levels of anger and blame, retributive punishment purposes, and judgments against reform funding. Those with higher prison system knowledge and the politically liberal agreed more that prison system change is necessary. The potential use of these data for prison reform activists is considered.
Abstract W MP118: In Situ B-cell Clonal Expansion and Recombinant Antibody Construction in Human Cerebral Cavernous Malformation

Background: We had demonstrated immunocompetent cell infiltration and oligoclonal immune response in human cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) lesions. However, T- and B- cell crosstalk, relationship between antibody and complement, and IgG repertoire in CCMs remain unknown. We hypothesize the synergetic role of T and B cells, antibody- and complement- mediated cytotoxicity, antigen-driven B cell clonal expansion, contributing to the CCM pathogenesis. Methods: This study enrolled a total of 10 patients with CCMs. B- and T- cells were immunostained in two excised human CCM lesion specimens. IgG and complement protein membrane attack complex (MAC) was co-localized in six other CCM lesions by immunofluorescence. Plasma cells in two CCM lesions were laser-microdissected, in which IgG heavy (H) and light (L) chain variable (V) region were amplified via nested PCR, cloned, sequenced, and aligned to a database IMGT®. The over-expressed IgGHV and IgGLV were used to construct the recombinant antibodies (r-abs). ...
pH-Induced Re-entrant Microstructural Transitions in Cationic Surfactant–Hydrotrope Mixtures

The structural transitions occurring with change in pH for aqueous mixtures of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) and a hydrotrope (sodium salicylate, NaSal) were investigated at various temperatures using dynamic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering. Direct structural studies show a transition from rigid cylindrical micelles at neutral pH to spherical micelles at ∼ pH 2 upon protonation of salicylate molecules; however, an unanticipated reversion to flexible cylindrical micelles with further decrease in pH was observed. We also observed these microstructure transitions from cylinders at high pH to spherical micelles at intermediate pH to flexible cylindrical micelles at low pH were highly sensitive to temperature. Our results suggest that, in addition to the well-described electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in cationic surfactant–hydrotrope mixtures, the pH-induced microstructural changes are potentially governed by complementary cation−π and hydrogen bond...
Assessment of non-surgical versus surgical therapy for localized hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background Localized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with adequate liver function is typically treated with resection. Non-surgical modalities including trans-arterial embolization have emerged as options for intermediate/advanced HCC. Hypothesizing that non-surgical techniques have expanded to localized disease, we examined treatment patterns, factors associated with surgical therapy, and the impact of modality on survival. Methods Non-cirrhotic, localized HCC patients were identified from the National Cancer Data Base (2003–2011). Trends were examined using average annual percent change (AAPC). Regression models were developed to determine factors associated with treatment and assess the association of modality with survival. Results Of 10,187 patients (median tumor size: 3.7 cm), 6,387 (62.7%) underwent surgery and 3,800 (37.3%) non-surgical therapy. Surgery declined from 61.6% to 44.5% (AAPC, −3.7%; 95%CI, −4.9% to −2.6%, P < 0.001). Non-surgical therapies increased from 17.2% to 39.2% (AAPC 11.4%; 95%CI, 8.8–14.1%, P < 0.001). White race, higher income, and treatment in an academic center (OR = 1.37, 95%CI 1.13–1.66) were associated with surgery. Patients selected for non-surgical therapy had worse adjusted 5-year survival (HR=2.05, 95%CI 1.85–2.26). Conclusions Non-surgical therapy has become as common as surgery in the treatment of non-cirrhotic, localized HCC. Randomized studies are needed to compare the effectiveness of treatments for this disease. J. Surg. Oncol. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Time-intensity equivalence in auditory lateralization: A graphical method

A graphical response was used to establish equivalent binaural time- and intensity-differences in auditory lateralization. For intensity differences less than about 4.5 db a constant equivalence of approximately 60 µ sec. per db is found, for 500 cps tonal pulses. For larger intensity differences more time per db is required.
Phenotype Sequencing: High-Throughput Discovery of the Genetic Causes of a Phenotype: Mutagenesis combined with DNA sequencing provides a rapid, relatively inexpensive approach for determining the genetic causes of specific phenotypes

Identifying the genetic basis of phenotypes is an important challenge in functional genomics. Ideally, new approaches for discovering the genetic causes of a phenotype should be comprehensive, rapid, and inexpensive. High-throughput sequencing provides an important step towards these goals, but traditionally presented users with several challenges.
Programming Uncertain hings

Innovation flourishes with good abstractions. For instance, codification of the IEEE Floating Point standard in 1985 was critical to the subsequent success of scientific computing. Programming languages currently lack appropriate abstractions for uncertain data. Applications already use estimates from sensors, machine learning, big data, humans, and approximate algorithms, but most programming languages do not help developers address correctness, programmability, and optimization problems due to estimates. To address these problems, we propose a new programming abstraction called Uncertain embedded into languages, such as C#, C++, Java, Python, and JavaScript. Applications use familiar discrete operations for estimates with Uncertain. Overloaded conditional operators specify hypothesis tests and applications use them to control false positives and negatives. A simple compositional operator expresses domain knowledge. We carefully restrict expressiveness such that we can build a runtime that implements correct statistical reasoning at conditionals. Our system relieves developers of the need to implement or deeply understand statistics. We demonstrate substantial programmability, correctness, and efficiency benefits of this programming model for GPS sensor navigation, approximate computing, machine learning, and xBox. We encourage the community to develop and use abstractions for estimates.
The genus Hexidionis (Acari:Trombiculidae) with the description of a new species from Texas.

Hexidionis garfieldi is described as new from specimens collected off a domestic cat, Felis silvestris f. catus Schreber, in Corpus Christi, TX. The genus Hexidionis Vercammen-Grandjean & Loomis, 1967, is rediagnosed and a key to the 11 included species given.
Asking Difficult Questions: Evaluating Resident Initiated Ethics Discussions

INTRODUCTION: Ethics has become an essential part of educational curricula at many medical schools. Our institution attempted to expand on this educational field by setting up a one-month elective for fourth-year medical students to research a clinical ethics topic of their choosing under the mentorship of a team of clinical ethics educators with the goal to publish their findings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of this elective on medical students and to identify areas for program improvement.
Acid-base chemistry in the formation of Mackay-type icosahedral clusters: μ3-acidity analysis of Sc-rich phases of the Sc-Ir system.

The crystal structures of intermetallic phases offer a wealth of geometrical features (helices, multishelled clusters, and host–guest motifs) whose formation has yet to be explained or predicted by chemical theory. A recently developed extension of the acid–base concept to metallic systems, the μ3-acidity model, provides an avenue for developing this understanding for intermetallics formed from transition metals. In this Article, we illustrate how this approach can be used to understand one of the most striking geometrical entities to emerge in intermetallic chemistry, the Mackay cluster of icosahedral quasicrystals. We present μ3-acidity analyses, based on DFT-calibrated Huckel calculations, for a series of Sc–Ir intermetallics: ScIr (CsCl-type), Sc2Ir (Ti2Ni-type), Sc11Ir4, and the Mackay cluster containing phases Sc57Ir13 and Sc44Ir7. We begin by illustrating that a μ3-acidity model correctly predicts that each of these phases is stable relative to disproportionation into their neighboring compounds wh...
"Thunder Is When the Angels Are Upstairs Bowling": Narratives and Explanations at the Dinner Table

AbstractThe domain of narrative is often assumed to be the first extended discourse genre accessible to young children, and a natural mode for representing and remembering information. Ultimately, however, children must move beyond narrative to include other genres within their competency, such as explanation. Furthermore, narrative and explanation share a number of features that might lead one to expect more or less parallel development. We studied the occurrence of narrative and explanatory sequences of talk during mealtimes in 31 lowincome families with preschool-aged children. Narrative and explanatory sequences constituted approximately equal percentages of the total talk, but explanatory sequences were much briefer and more frequent than narrative sequences. Equivalent measures of narrative and explanatory talk showed moderate correlations, suggesting that families that engaged in one type of discourse also engaged in the other; this suggestion was confirmed by the finding that a large proportion of explanatory utterance were also parts of narratives. As 3- and 4-year-olds, children participated more competently in narrative than in explanatory discourse, though they requested many explanations at all ages. (Discourse Genres; Explanation; Development)
Evaluation of a Once/Day Tobramycin Regimen to Achieve Target Concentrations in Adult Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

Study objective To evaluate the success of an initial tobramycin dosing regimen to achieve target peak and trough concentrations in adult patients with pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (CF). Design Retrospective single-center medical record review. Setting Large tertiary care academic medical center. Patients A total of 186 patient encounters where 112 patients with CF were treated for acute pulmonary exacerbations with 10 mg/kg/day of tobramycin between January 1, 2009, and December 5, 2014. Measurements and main results Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, tobramycin data, and pharmacokinetic variables were collected. The primary outcome evaluated the success of the initial tobramycin dosing regimen in attaining the target peak concentration. Secondary end points were achievement of the target trough concentration, achievement of combined peak and trough targets, and incidence of nephrotoxicity. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with achieving target concentrations. Of the 186 patient encounters, 41% achieved the target peak with the first dosing regimen, 62% achieved a target trough, and 23% achieved the target peak and trough. Nephrotoxicity occurred in 10% of patient encounters. A body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) was associated with higher odds of meeting the target peak compared with a BMI lower than 18.5 kg/m(2) (odds ratio [OR] 24.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.2-117.2). Conversely, a BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) was associated with lower odds of attaining the target trough compared with a BMI lower than 18.5 kg/m(2) (OR 0.16; 95% CI 0.05-0.56). Higher volume of distribution and elimination rate constants (Kel ) were associated with significantly lower odds of achieving the target peak. In addition, higher Kel values were associated with significantly higher odds of achieving the target trough. Conclusions The current initial tobramycin regimen did not achieve target serum tobramycin concentrations reliably. Optimization of the initial CF tobramycin dosing regimen is warranted.
The Relationship Between Cutaneous Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Childhood

Objective To study the relationship between cutaneous non-hodgkin's lymphoma and epstein-barr virus infection in childhood .Methods The samples of 36 patients with cutaneous NHL were used to detect the EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) by in situ hybridization (ISH).Results Seven of 36 (19.4%) samples showed positive signals including five of thirteen subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL);one of four unspecified peripheral T-cell lymphoma;one of two Burkitt's lymphoma;none of lymphoblastic lymphoma and CD30+ cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma was positive.Conclusion EBV infection might be related to SPTCL and might not be related to lymphoblastic lymphoma and CD30+ cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, the role of EBV in the pathogenesis of Burkitt's lymphoma needs further investigation .
Under-water cutting explosive equipment technology of pre-mixed abrasive water

To solve the problem that the frequently used cut technology is not suitable for underwater projects,underwater cut technology based on pre-mined abrasive water jet system was researched and emulated by mathematical modeling analysis and software simulation according to project application.Research shows that under the condition of 200N force,the designed device can carry the nozzle to exclude the explosion under water and the cut process has the features of highenergy,cold conditions,point cut and non-contact etc.The water jet cut can cut various materials,especially press sensitive and hot sensitive materials,and work on the inflammable and explosive occasion.The research has established theoretical foundation for next experiments.
Beyond the Responsibility to Protect

Kurt Mills and David Jason Karp, eds. (2015). Human Rights Protection in Global Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, 336 pp., $100 hardcover (ISBN: 978-1-137-46316-6). This volume, edited by Kurt Mills and David Jason Karp, explores the responsibilities that states and non-state actors have for the protection of human rights in global politics. The volume offers a broad, multidisciplinary investigation of the subject, with contributions from scholars and practitioners from a number of fields, including political science, International Relations, law, philosophy, sociology, history, and English. The book explores a number of questions: 1. Who is responsible for human rights protection in global politics? 2. How should responsibility for human rights protection be conceptualized? 3. What rights and categories of rights are covered by the responsibilities for human rights protection in global politics? 4. Are existing legal and institutional mechanisms effective in promoting the human rights protective responsibilities of various global actors? The international legal doctrine Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which asserts that the international community has a responsibility to prevent mass atrocities, provides a normative and conceptual framework through which the book’s chapters investigate these questions. The R2P doctrine, advanced at the 2005 World Summit, represents a prevailing conception of responsibility for human rights protection in global politics. Specifically, the World Summit Outcomes Document, endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2005, asserts that individual states have the responsibility to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity (paragraph 138), and that UN institutions also have a responsibility to protect that may be fulfilled via diplomatic, humanitarian, or other peaceful means (paragraph 139). Under R2P, any decision to authorize a military response to mass atrocities would be made in the UN Security Council in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter, including chapter 7. In this regard, the operational and political constraints that limit the extent to which the international … debra.delaet{at}drake.edu
Drying of Sand-Digested Sludge Mixtures

An empirical design equation has been developed to estimate the drying rate during the falling rate drying period of a mixture of sand and centrifuged digested primary domestic sewage sludge to be used as a fill material. The drying rate is required to calculate the average moisture content of the mixture while drying. The design equation was developed from data collected over a nine-month period using three different sands with sand-to-sludge dry solids ratios from 0:1 to 30:1. The primary variables considered are sand-to-sludge dry weight ratio, ambient temperature, and ambient relative humidity. Mixture depth and sand particle size were not found to affect drying rates for ranges and distributions tested. The design equation has not been verified for polymer-treated sludges.
Neurokey: Towards a new paradigm of cancelable biometrics-based key generation using electroencephalograms

Abstract Background. Brain waves (electroencephalograms, EEG) can provide conscious, continuous human authentication for the proposed system. The advantage of brainwave biometry is that it is nearly impossible to forge or duplicate as the neuronal activity of people are distinctive even when they think about the same thing. Aim. We propose exploiting the brain as a biometric physical unclonable function (PUF). A user's EEG signals can be used to generate a unique and repeatable key that is resistant to cryptanalysis and eavesdropping, even against an adversary who obtains all the information regarding the system. Another objective is to implement a simplistic approach of cancelable biometrics by altering one's thoughts. Method. Features for the first step, Subject Authentication, are obtained from each task using the energy bands obtained from discrete Fourier transform and discrete wavelet transform. The second step constituting the Neurokey generation involves feature selection using normalized thresholds and segmentation window protocol. Results. We applied our methods to two datasets, the first based on five mental activities by seven subjects (325 samples) and the second based on three visually evoked tasks by 120 subjects (10,861 samples). These datasets were used to analyze the key generation process because they varied in the nature of data acquisition, environment, and activities. We determined the feasibility of our system using a smaller dataset first. We obtained a mean subject classification of 98.46% and 91.05% for Dataset I and Dataset II respectively. After an appropriate choice of features, the mean half total error rate for generating Neurokeys was 3.05% for Dataset I and 4.53% for Dataset II, averaged over the subjects, tasks, and electrodes. A unique key was established for each subject and task, and the error rates were analyzed for the Neurokey generation protocol. NIST statistical suite of randomness tests were applied on all the sequences obtained from the Neurokey generation process. Conclusions. A consistent, unique key for each subject can be obtained using EEG signals by collecting data from distinguishable cognitive activities. Moreover, the Neurokey can be changed easily by performing a different cognitive task, providing a means to change the biometrics in case of a compromise (cancelable).
Growing up tough: Comparing the effects of food toughness on juvenile feeding in Sapajus libidinosus and Trachypithecus phayrei crepusculus.

Studies of primate feeding ontogeny provide equivocal support for reduced juvenile proficiency. When immatures exhibit decreased feeding competency, these differences are attributed to a spectrum of experience- and strength-related constraints and are often linked to qualitative assessments of food difficulty. However, few have investigated age-related differences in feeding ability relative to mechanical property variation across the diet, both within and among food types. In this study, we combined dietary toughness and feeding behavior data collected in the wild from cross-sectional samples of two primate taxa, Sapajus libidinosus and Trachypithecus phayrei crepusculus, to test the prediction that small-bodied juveniles are less efficient at processing tough foods than adults. We defined feeding efficiency as the time spent to ingest and masticate one food item (item bout length) and quantified the toughness and size of foods processed during those feeding bouts. To make the datasets comparable, we limited the dataset to foods processed by more than one age class and opened without tools. The overall toughness of foods processed by both species overlapped considerably, and juveniles and adults in both taxa processed foods of comparable toughness. Feeding efficiency decreased in response to increasing food toughness in leaf monkeys and in response to food size in both taxa. Age was found to be a significant predictor of bout length in leaf monkeys, but not in bearded capuchins. Juvenile S. libidinosus processed smaller fruits than adults, suggesting they employ behavioral strategies to mitigate the effect of consuming large (and occasionally large and tough) foods. We suggest future intra- and interspecific research of juvenile feeding competency utilize intake rates scaled by food size and geometry, as well as by detailed measures of feeding time (e.g., ingestion vs. mastication), in addition to food mechanical properties to facilitate comparisons across diverse food types and feeding behaviors.
A DFT investigation into the structure and energetics for nonadiabatic proton transfer in the benzophenone/N,N‐dimethylaniline contact radical ion pair

For the past 60 years, the standard model for the interpretation of the mechanism for proton transfer has been based upon transition-state theory, which posits that the transition state is found in the proton transfer coordinate involving the breaking and making of bonds. However, the observed dynamics of proton transfer within the triplet contact radical ion pair, derived from a variety of substituted benzophenones complexed with N,N-dimethylaniline, cannot be accounted for within the standard model for proton transfer. Instead, the kinetic behavior is in accord with nonadiabatic proton transfer theory that has the transition state in the solvent coordinate. Evidence for the importance of the solvent coordinate comes from the existence of an inverted region; as the driving force for reaction increases, the rate of proton transfer decreases. This kinetic behavior is not found in the standard model. The present paper employs density function theory to examine the question as to whether the inverted region can be attributed to the transition state being in the solvent coordinate or whether the inverted region is an artifact produced by changes in the structure of the triplet contact radical ion pair with the placement of substituents upon the p,p′ positions of benzophenone. It is concluded that the inverted region is not an artifact of substituent effects upon structure. These results support the conclusion that the transition state for proton transfer resides in the solvent coordinate and challenges the validity of the standard model for interpreting the mechanism of proton transfer. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Repeatable mobile networking research with phantomNet: demo

We will demonstrate features and capabilities of the PhantomNet testbed. PhantomNet is a mobile testbed, at the University of Utah, aimed at enabling a broad range of mobile networking related research. PhantomNet is remotely accessible and open to the mobile networking research community.