cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of YouTube network traffic at a campus network - Measurements, models, and implications

User-Generated Content has become very popular since new web services such as YouTube allow for the distribution of user-produced media content. YouTube-like services are different from existing traditional VoD services in that the service provider has only limited control over the creation of new content. We analyze how content distribution in YouTube is realized and then conduct a measurement study of YouTube traffic in a large university campus network. Based on these measurements, we analyzed the duration and the data rate of streaming sessions, the popularity of videos, and access patterns for video clips from the clients in the campus network. The analysis of the traffic shows that trace statistics are relatively stable over short-term periods while long-term trends can be observed. We demonstrate how synthetic traces can be generated from the measured traces and show how these synthetic traces can be used as inputs to trace-driven simulations. We also analyze the benefits of alternative distribution infrastructures to improve the performance of a YouTube-like VoD service. The results of these simulations show that P2P-based distribution and proxy caching can reduce network traffic significantly and allow for faster access to video clips.
Entry points for government information: a comparative look at four sources

Purpose - The aim of this article is to promote the use of free government resources to librarians and library users by focusing on four starting points for finding government information that is freely available. Design/methodology/approach - This article uses the No Child Left Behind act to compare the types of information that can be found in US Dept. of Education web pages, Congressional Research Service reports, General Accountability Office reports, and Congressional committee hearings. Findings - Each of the four government resources described in the article provides a wealth of information on the example topic. However, the information found from each resource is influenced by the mission of the organization, creating disparity in the depth of information offered and the manner in which it is presented. Practical implications - One can use the federal government agency that works in a subject area to find an overview, legal background, reports, and statistics on that subject, as well as informatio...
The Politics of Welfare in Transition: Gender or Back to Class?

How is the transition from state socialism to market capitalism reshaping political attitudes toward the state in Central and Eastern Europe? Several scholars of the transition have observed a conservative cultural turn in mass politics, suggesting a possible decline of class and gender as meaningful organizing principles for political activity. However, recent empirical analyses of the formation of political attitudes and political activity during the transition suggest that class and gender remain significant predictors of attitudes regarding the responsibility of politicians and welfare state institutions. Our analyses, based on data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), involve political attitudes toward the state in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Russia. We find that class matters in various ways in different countries. However, results also demonstrate a clear cross-national pattern: those made most economically vulnerable by the transition to market capi...
Introduction of a lipophilic thioether tether in the minor groove of nucleic acids for antisense applications

Abstract A 2′- O -hexylthiotrityl adenosine phosphoramidite has been synthesized and incorporated into oligonucleotide phosphodiesters and phosphorothioates. This tether has potential antisense applications, offers a convenient nucleophile for conjugation of various moieties that would reside in the minor groove, and may form novel tertiary structures.
Ex vivo culture of primary human colonic tissue for studying transcriptional responses to 1α,25(OH)2 and 25(OH) vitamin D

1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1α,25(OH)2D3] is a steroid hormone derived from circulating 25(OH) vitamin D [25(OH)D] with chemopreventive effects in colorectal cancer. 1α,25(OH)2D3 acts through transc...
Phanerozoic marine inundation of continents driven by dynamic topography above subducting slabs

A spherical model of mantle flow constrained by the locations of trenches can be used to predict the dynamic topography of the Earth's surface, and hence the marine inundation of continents. For past periods of high sea level, the predicted geographical pattern of flooding correlates well with the geological record. The high spatial correlation may result from increased plate velocities at these times, leading to increased rates of subduction, subsidence and inundation at convergent margins.
Dual-Objective-Based Tornado Design Philosophy

AbstractTornadoes represent a unique natural hazard because of the very low probability of occurrence, short warning times (on the order of only a few minutes), and the intense and destructive forces imposed on engineered and nonengineered buildings. The very low-probability/very high-consequence nature of a tornado strike makes designing for survival and reducing damage under typical financial constraints a substantial challenge. On April 27, 2011, an enhanced Fujita (EF) 4 (EF4) tornado devastated an almost 10-km (5.9-mi) long, 0.8-km-wide (1/2-mi-wide) path, through the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and continued on the ground for 130 km (80 mi). This paper presents the design concept that resulted following a week-long data reconnaissance deployment throughout the city of Tuscaloosa by the authors. The dual-objective philosophy proposed herein is intended to focus on both building damage and loss reduction in low-to-moderate tornado wind speeds and building occupant life safety in more damaging wind-sp...
Diagnosis of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome using infected alveolar macrophages collected from live pigs.

Abstract A highly sensitive method of detecting infection of live pigs with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was developed by testing alveolar macrophages collected by pulmonary lavage. Five pigs were exposed by oronasal inoculation or by contact to PRRSV when they were 10 (1 pig) or 14 weeks (4 pigs) of age. Diagnostic samples (alveolar macrophages and sera) were collected from each pig just before exposure to PRRSV. During the next 9 weeks sera were collected at weekly intervals and alveolar macrophages were collected at weeks 2 and 4–9. Both sera and alveolar macrophages were suitable for detecting early infection, but alveolar macrophages were clearly the better sample after longer intervals. Virus was last isolated from serum at week 4 (from 1 of 5 pigs), whereas it was isolated from the alveolar macrophages of 4 of the 5 pigs at week 4 and from at least 2 pigs at each of the weekly intervals thereafter (i.e. weeks 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 postexposure). The most sensitive method of testing alveolar macrophages for PRRSV was cocultivation with MARC-145 cells. None of the pigs had any clinical signs after exposure to PRRSV or as a result of pulmonary lavage and there was no evidence that repeated pulmonary lavage caused anything other than a mild, transient (mild hyperemia) tissue reaction.
Amphipods exclude filamentous algae from the Western Antarctic Peninsula benthos: experimental evidence

Hard bottom, subtidal communities along the Western Antarctic Peninsula are dominated by forests of large, chemically defended macroalgae that support a very dense assemblage of amphipods. Free-living filamentous algae are rare in the subtidal, but filamentous algal endophytes are common in many of the larger macroalgae, both likely as the result of amphipod grazing pressure. Filamentous algae are common in the intertidal, but primarily in the upper intertidal and on high-energy shores where amphipods are likely to be excluded much of the time. We tested the hypothesis that free-living, filamentous algae would be rapidly consumed if transplanted from the intertidal to the subtidal, and our results clearly supported this hypothesis. The filamentous, intertidal green alga Cladophora repens was transplanted to the benthos in 6 different macroalgal habitats. Control algae were transplanted in 3 m deeper waters nearby (usually 12 m or less laterally) but suspended 3 m off the bottom where amphipods are absent or rare. Overall consumption during approximately 6 h on the bottom ranged from 22 to 98% of the initial biomass, while significantly less biomass loss occurred in the water column.
Asymmetries for hemiface size and mobility

Abstract Lateral dominance and asymmetries in hemiface size and mobility were examined in 42 right- and left-handed males and females. In photographs, right hemifaces were found to be larger than left hemifaces. In videotapes of subjects making unilateral facial movements, a significant majority were judged to have greater left-sided facial mobility. Hemiface size and mobility were independent of sex and handedness, and unrelated to each other.
Cyclophosphamide Responsive Interstitial Lung Disease in “Overlap Syndrome”: A Clinical Pathology Conference Held by the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery

Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the reporting of this case, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.
Surgical management of a cervical thymoma in a springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis).

A 7-year-old, 35 kg, intact female springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) was presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, ‘College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida’, for evaluat...
Pairing Effects in Coulomb Energies and the Radii of Mirror Nuclei

The Coulomb energy difference between the nuclei of a mirror pair exhibits an odd-even alternation with $Z$ that is presumed to reflect the well-known pairing property of the short-range nuclear forces. By taking second differences of Coulomb energy (differences between successive mirror pairs), the alternation is seen to continue to at least $Z=15$, and additional irregularities appear that may be shell-structure effects. The analysis of Feenberg and Goertzel is discussed from the point of view of the shell model, and the pairing of spins is extended to the spherically symmetric pairing characteristic of the state of lowest seniority. A harmonic oscillator model with $\mathrm{jj}$ coupling is used to calculate the Coulomb energy, including exchange effects, in the state of lowest proton seniority. The single parameter of the model is determined by comparison with experimental data and remains constant to \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.5 percent through the ${p}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ and ${d}_{\frac{5}{2}}$ shells. The rms radius of the nuclear charge distribution is calculated by the same model. Between ${\mathrm{C}}^{13}$ and ${\mathrm{Al}}^{27}$, the equivalent ${r}_{0}$ decreases fairly smoothly from 1.34 to 1.20. For $A\ensuremath{\le}11$ the model is not satisfactory, and for $A\ensuremath{\ge}31$ there are some serious inconsistencies in the data. The most recent data indicate that ${r}_{0}$ may decrease to the range 1.1 to 1.15 for $A\ensuremath{\cong}39$.
DNA-templated nanofabrication

Nanofabrication, or the organizational control over matter at the nanometre scale, is an intriguing scientific challenge requiring multidisciplinary tools for its solution. DNA is a biomolecule that can be combined with other nanometre-scale entities through chemical self-assembly to form a broad variety of nanomaterials. In this tutorial review we present the principles that allow DNA to interact with other chemical species, and describe the challenges and potential applications of DNA as a template for making both biological and inorganic features with nanometre resolution. As such, this report should be of interest to chemists, surface and materials scientists, biologists, and nanotechnologists, as well as others who seek to use DNA in nanofabrication.
sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and choline increase after fertilization in Xenopus laevis.

Abstract sn-1,2-Diacylglycerol (DAG) mass and translocation of protein kinase C alpha and beta to a membrane fraction increased approximately 7 min after insemination of Xenopus laevis eggs. The DAG mass increase of 48 pmol (from 62 to 110 pmol/cell) was greater than that for inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3; an increase of approximately 170 fmol or approximately 280-fold smaller than the DAG increase), and DAG peaks approximately 5 min after IP3. Choline mass (a measure of phosphatidyl choline-specific phospholipase D) also peaked before DAG and the choline increase (134 pmol/cell) was greater than that of DAG. There was no detectable change in phosphocholine mass (a measure of phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C). During first cleavage, DAG decreased, PKC translocation was low, and choline increased and peaked (whereas published work shows an increase in IP3 mass). Artificial elevation of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) increased DAG levels but prevention of the [Ca2+]i increase after fertilization did not block DAG production. Thus, sperm stimulate production of DAG and choline through [Ca2+]i-independent and [Ca2+]i-dependent paths.
GABA Shapes a Systematic Map of Binaural Sensitivity in the Auditory Cortex

A consistent organizational feature of auditory cortex is a clustered representation of binaural properties. Here we address two questions. What is the intrinsic organization of binaural clusters and to what extent does intracortical processing contribute to binaural representation. We address these issues in the auditory cortex of the pallid bat. The pallid bat listens to prey-generated noise transients to localize and hunt terrestrial prey. As in other species studied, binaural clusters are present in the auditory cortex of the pallid bat. One cluster contains neurons that require binaural stimulation to be maximally excited, and are commonly termed predominantly binaural (PB) neurons. These neurons do not respond to monaural stimulation of either ear but show a peaked sensitivity to interaural intensity differences (IID) centered near 0 dB IID. We show that the peak IID varies systematically within this cluster. The peak IID is also correlated with the best frequency (BF) of neurons within this cluster. In addition, the IID selectivity of PB neurons is shaped by intracortical GABAergic input. Iontophoresis of GABAA receptor antagonists on PB neurons converts a majority of them to binaurally inhibited (EI) neurons that respond best to sounds favoring the contralateral ear. These data indicate that the cortex does not simply inherit binaural properties from lower levels but instead sharpens them locally through intracortical inhibition. The IID selectivity of the PB cluster indicates that the pallid bat cortex contains an increased representation of the frontal space that may underlie increased localization accuracy in this region.
Secularism and Myth

The problem of secularism is amply raised by Burton Mack in his paper; it is clear that the term secular is problematic. However, in this response I would like to take a cultural turn. Using the social theory developed by Burton Mack in other writings, I will argue that the secular criticism of the Bible can be understood as a new mythology (as all criticism of the Bible are) that is a part of a growing secular wave within the United States found in a variety of cultural corners and particularly among the younger demographics. As such secular criticism— and secular movements like it— constitute one response to a particular set of social interests at this particular juncture in time.
Distance-increasing maps of all lengths by simple mapping algorithms

Distance-increasing maps from binary vectors to permutations, namely DIMs, are useful for the construction of permutation arrays. While a simple mapping algorithm defining DIMs of even lengths is known, existing DIMs of odd lengths are defined either by recursively merging DIMs of shorter lengths or by complicated mapping algorithms. In this paper, simple mapping algorithms defining DIMs of all lengths are presented
Thermal conductivity in porous silicon nanowire arrays

The nanoscale features in silicon nanowires (SiNWs) can suppress phonon propagation and strongly reduce their thermal conductivities compared to the bulk value. This work measures the thermal conductivity along the axial direction of SiNW arrays with varying nanowire diameters, doping concentrations, surface roughness, and internal porosities using nanosecond transient thermoreflectance. For SiNWs with diameters larger than the phonon mean free path, porosity substantially reduces the thermal conductivity, yielding thermal conductivities as low as 1 W/m/K in highly porous SiNWs. However, when the SiNW diameter is below the phonon mean free path, both the internal porosity and the diameter significantly contribute to phonon scattering and lead to reduced thermal conductivity of the SiNWs.
Adenosine deaminase inhibition augments interstitial adenosine but does not attenuate myocardial infarction

Objective: The objectives were to determine the effects of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor pentostatin (deoxycoformycin) on interstitial fluid (ISF) adenosine before, during, and after myocardial ischaemia and to ascertain whether augmented endogenous ISF adenosine reduces myocardial infarction. Methods: Untreated anaesthetised dogs (n = 11) were compared to dogs treated with intravenous pentostatin 30 min before ischaemia (0.2 mg·kg−1; n = 11). The changes in ISF adenosine, adenosine metabolites, and lactate were assessed by cardiac microdialysis, using dialysate concentrations as indices of ISF levels. Both groups were exposed to 60 min of regional myocardial ischaemia followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Results: Although ISF adenosine increased during ischaemia in untreated animals, inosine and hypoxanthine were the predominant purine metabolites which accumulated in the ISF. Pentostatin increased dialysate adenosine 3.5-fold before ischaemia, resulted in a sustained and pronounced augmentation of adenosine during ischaemia, and maintained the raised ISF adenosine during early reperfusion. However, the augmentation of ISF adenosine was not associated with a reduction in infarct size [untreated = 33.3(SEM 4.8)% of the area at risk; pentostatin treated = 35.6(4.6)% of the area at risk], nor did pentostatin alter the ischaemia induced increase in ISF lactate. Plasma adenosine, as measured by a microdialysis probe in the femoral artery, increased in pentostatin treated animals upon reperfusion, leading to systemic hypotension, increased blood flow in the non-ischaemic region, and an attenuated reactive hyperaemia in the ischaemic region. Conclusions: Although inhibition of adenosine deaminase effectively enhances ISF adenosine before and during ischaemia, the increase before ischaemia does not “precondition” the myocardium, nor does the augmentation of adenosine during and after ischaemia attenuate necrosis in this model of ischaemia. Therefore, the enhancement of ISF adenosine to the extent provided by adenosine deaminase inhibition alone is not sufficient to protect the heart in the way seen with ischaemic preconditioning.
Straw Mulch and Reduced-Risk Pesticide Impacts on Thrips and Iris Yellow Spot Virus on Western-Grown Onions

Abstract. Iris yellow spot virus and its vector the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, are yield-limiting pests of onion, Allium cepa L., throughout the western U.S. In experiments in Colorado during 2005 to 2007, straw mulch applied to the center of onion beds at the early to mid-bulb growth stage reduced abundance of thrips as much as 33% when compared to nontreated plots of transplanted onions. Cumulative thrips-days indicated that straw mulch significantly reduced season-long abundance by 10 to 20% compared with check plots in bare soil. The addition of conventional insecticides (methomyl alternated with lambda-cyhalothrin) was associated with 12 to 27% greater cumulative thrips-days compared to the nontreated check in two experiments. In contrast, a reduced-risk insecticide program (spinosad alternated with azadirachtin) had fewer cumulative thrips-days on both bare soil (15%) and straw mulch (36%) compared to nontreated checks. Enhanced thrips control generally persisted during mid-season and may...
Motion based communication channels between mobile robots - A novel paradigm for low bandwidth information exchange

A formal notion of gesturing defined as the modulation of relative separation between mobile robots has been explored in [1]. We extend this work by developing a peerto- peer communication channel and an associated distributed communication protocol based exclusively on the modulation of relative motion and its observation. Protocols that enable two unicycle vehicles modulating their relative separation in the plane to effectively exchange information, as well as nonlinear control laws that enable these protocols are presented. Only local information is assumed for the control action. We illustrate the contextual nature of such signaling by showing applications to secure communication as well as robot formation motion. Simulations are presented to validate the work.
Changing Ninth-Graders' Attitudes toward Older Persons: Possibility and Persistence through Education

The study examined ninth-grade students' attitudes toward older persons prior to, immediately following, and four to six weeks after participating in a two-week unit on aging. The analysis revealed small but significant positive changes in attitudes in the experimental group and no change in the control group immediately following the unit on aging. The changed attitudes of respondents did persist over a four-to six-month period.
Speech Recognition Experiments with Silicon Auditory Models

We have developed a real-time system to transform an audio signal into several specialized representations of sound. The system uses analog circuit models of biological audition to compute these representations. We report on a speech recognizer that uses this system for feature extraction, and we evaluate the performance of this speech recognition system on a speaker-independent 13-word recognition task.
Effectiveness of an electromagnetic mitigation scheme for reentry telemetry through plasma

During hypersonic re-entry flight, the shock heated air generates a weakly ionized plasma layer. Since the plasma layer has a high plasma number density, it causes an important systems operation problem. When the plasma frequency of the plasma layer is higher than a radio wave frequency, the radio wave signals to and from the vehicle are reflected or attenuated. The vehicle loses voice communication, data telemetry, and GPS navigation. This situation is known as communications or radio ‘blackout’. Because the plasma frequency is mainly related to the plasma number density of the plasma layer, reducing the plasma number density could be a solution to the radio blackout problem. An electromagnetic ExB field approach is proposed to reduce the plasma density. Onedimensional and two-dimensional analysis methods are applied which suggest that an ExB field can be used to allow transmission of the communication signals through the plasma layer. An alternative method is also introduced to reduce the plasma density which is based on an electrostatic plasma sheath.
Practical PTZ camera calibration using Givens rotations

Due to their ease of use and availability, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras are everywhere. However, in order to utilize these cameras for a meaningful application, it is necessary that these cameras be calibrated. In this paper, we address the problem of calibrating such a rotating and zooming camera and present a simple yet novel solution. We show that in the case of a general rotation the problem can be solved in closed- form by applying a series of Givens rotations, providing five intrinsic parameters from only a minimum set of two images. Whereas other methods use orthogonality of the rotation matrix as a constraint, our approach applies direct decomposition of the infinite homography As a result, we are able to obtain four constraints for estimating camera parameters. We rigourously test our method on synthetic data by introducing very large noise. We also compare our method with the state- of-the-art PTZ camera calibration method. Our solutions and analysis are thoroughly validated on both synthetic and real data.
The feasibility of switchgrass for biofuel production

Switchgrass research has been conducted cooperatively by the US Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska since the mid-1930s, with a primary focus on bioenergy since 1990 at several institutions. Progress has been made in switchgrass breeding and genetics, molecular genetics, establishment, fertility management, production economics, production energetics, harvest and storage management, ecosystem services and ethanol yield. A complete field-validated biomass production system has been developed for the Midwest and Central Plains. Even with favorable economic and sustainability results from field trials, switchgrass for bioenergy has not been adopted on a large scale. Lack of adoption is likely due to lower than needed efficiencies for conversion technologies, farmers not wanting to plant switchgrass without a viable bioenergy market and biorefineries not wanting to build without a viable long-term feedstock supply already in place. Answers to 22 of the most pressing questions concerning t...
Measurement of the photon dispersion relation in two-dimensional ordered dielectric arrays

We characterize the dispersion relation for electromagnetic-wave propagation in two-dimensional dielectric arrays, using the coherent microwave transient spectroscopy technique. Results of measurements along various symmetry directions of square and triangular lattices are presented. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with theoretical calculations made by using the plane-wave expansion technique. The theoretical calculations predict that transmission via certain modes is forbidden by symmetry, and our experimental results confirm this prediction.
Trade, Growth and the Size of Countries

Normally, economists take the size of countries as an exogenous variable which does need to be explained. Nevertheless, the borders of countries and therefore their size change, partially in response to economic factors such as the pattern of international trade. Conversely, the size of countries influences their economic performance and their preferences for international economic policies - for instance smaller countries have a greater stake in maintaining free trade. In this paper we review the theory and the evidence concerning a growing body of research that has considered both the impact of market size on growth and the endogenous determination of country size. We show that our understanding of economic performance and of the history of international economic integration can be greatly improved by bringing the issue of country size at the forefront of the analysis of growth.
Classification of lacustrine sediments based on sedimentary components

This paper introduces a flexible sediment classification scheme for modern and ancient lake sediments employed at the Limnological Research Center, University of Minnesota. Our classification scheme emphasizes the macroscopic structure and microscopic components of the sedimentary matrix (clastic, chemical and biological) and can be applied to a wide range of lacustrine settings. Such a classification scheme is necessary to i) facilitate communication and collaboration between the highly interdisciplinary community of scientists that study lacustrine archives, ii) create a structure for comparative lacustrine sedimentological studies, and iii) take greater advantage of the great potential information recorded by changing depositional environments. Such a development is needed in light of current and planned Global Lake Drilling efforts and to expedite the creation of on-line, searchable databases of global lacustrine archives. A more comprehensive treatment of the topics discussed in this paper is available at: http: / / lrc.geo.umn.edu / services / handbook / sedclass.html.
Immunization with Pneumocystis carinii gpA Is Immunogenic but Not Protective in a Mouse Model of P. carinii Pneumonia

Immunization with whole Pneumocystis carinii has been shown to protect mice from the development of P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) when they are subsequently immunosuppressed and challenged with viable organisms. To determine whether these results could be duplicated by using a subunit vaccine, we examined the immunogenicity and efficacy of an immunization strategy based on P. carinii gpA. This antigen was chosen for study because passive immunoprophylaxis, based on gpA, has been shown to be partially protective in various animal models of infection. Immunization with gpA produced an anti-gpA specific antibody response comparable to that resulting from immunization with whole organisms. However, in contrast to immunization with whole P. carinii, which was protective, immunization with gpA did not protect T-cell-depleted mice from the development of PCP. These studies suggest that other antigens in addition to gpA need to be evaluated for their role in protective immunity against P. carinii.
Hepatic neosporosis in a dog treated for pemphigus foliaceus

A 4-year-old, female, spayed Border Collie dog was presented for progressive lethargy, inappetence, and weakness of 4 days duration. The animal had been diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus 3 months prior and was receiving combination immunosuppressive therapy. Serum biochemistry revealed severely elevated liver enzymes and bilirubin, and humane euthanasia was elected. Gross postmortem examination revealed a diffusely pale tan to slightly yellow, enlarged, markedly friable liver with an enhanced reticular pattern. Histologically, the hepatic changes consisted of multifocal to coalescing areas of severe vacuolar degeneration, numerous coalescing foci of hepatocellular necrosis, and myriad intra- and extracellular protozoa that reacted immunohistochemically with polyclonal antibodies to Neospora caninum, and not Toxoplasma gondii. Neosporosis in the current case is thought to be due to reactivation of latent N. caninum occurring with the administration of glucocorticoid therapy. The severe complication in the present case highlights the importance of early detection and mitigation of common infections in immunosuppressed animals.
Flexible Dome and Bump Shape Piezoelectric Tactile Sensors Using PVDF-TrFE Copolymer

In this paper, a new mold-transfer method to pattern piezoelectric polymer has been developed and applied to fabricate innovative dome and bump shape polyvinylidene-fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) films. The dome and bump shape PVDF-TrFE films have been successfully fabricated and characterized as a sensing component for flexible tactile sensors. The tactile sensors developed using these polymer microstructures show a high sensitivity which can measure as small as 40 mN force for bump shape sensors and 25 mN for dome shape sensors. The newly developed fabrication method provides a flexible way to pattern the piezoelectric polymer with different shapes and dimensions, including bump and dome shape piezoelectric polymer microstructures. In addition, a selective dc poling method for the PVDF-TrFE film has been developed for fabricating precisely located piezoelectric sensors with minimum crosstalk. The bump and dome shape PVDF-TrFE films developed in this paper can have numerous applications for microcatheters or other minimally invasive biomedical devices.
Telomeres and telomerase in adrenocortical tissue maintenance, carcinogenesis, and aging

Telomere dysfunction and telomere maintenance mechanisms contribute to major steps of carcinogenesis. Dysfunctional telomeres lead to the generation of genomic aberrations, such as amplifications and deletions. Telomere maintenance mechanisms, such as telomerase activity and alternative telomere lengthening, provide the basis of malignant cell expansion independent of telomere shortening-induced apoptosis or senescence, ensuring tumor survival. Recent advances highlight the importance of these mechanisms in adrenocortical carcinogenesis. In this review, we will summarize the main models of telomere physiology and their impact on adrenocortical tissue maintenance, aging, and carcinogenesis.
Reply to 'One for the money'.

Your June news feature, 'One for the money' by Apoorva Mandavilli, and accompanying editorial question the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) on two grounds: first, its cost, which may be on the order of $300 million over seven years; and second, its reliance on competitive bidding for leadership of the initiative, which has temporarily self-sorted the AIDS vaccine research field into at least four competing multidisciplinary teamscontrasting this to using these public research funds for a large number of RO1-type peer-reviewed investigator-initiated research grants.
Cognitive Gerontology and Attentional Inhibition: A Reply to Burke and McDowd

Our response to the Burke and McDowd critiques (in this issue) begins with a history of the origins of the inhibitory deficit view and of its development since 1988 as well as with an account of some particularly useful findings and of our preferred mode of theory building, which is nonformal and empirically driven. Against this background, we find many points of agreement with Burke and McDowd but also many points of disagreement. For example, we agree with Burke that many aspects of language comprehension and production are age invariant, but we disagree that all such findings count against our viewpoint. Likewise, we readily acknowledge the problems in measuring inhibition that McDowd so clearly documents, but do not feel that this is a fatal problem as long as the inhibitory deficit view continues to be viable within the basic attentional literature, continues to permit the integration of a large body of existing data, and continues to generate new predictions.
Embodying Social Work as a Profession: A Pedagogy for Practice

The purpose of this research is to highlight competing and contrasting definitions of social work that have been the subject of continuous ideological debate. These opposing interpretations have characterized public and professional discourse. It is the growth of, and struggle over, these conflicting versions of social work that we trace by exploring and expanding on the work of African American and White social work pioneers, feminist and empowerment epistemologies, and implications for social work practice and pedagogy. Our discussion emphasizes the construction of meaning through personal experiences by reuniting the head, hands, heart, and soul of our profession. We offer a reconstructed framework that echoes the groundbreaking work of our historical pioneers and collectively weaves their wisdom into contemporary social work practice.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Targeted Imaging Agents

This paper presents our adaptation of Fryback and Thornbury’s hierarchical scheme for modeling the efficacy of diagnostic imaging systems. The original scheme was designed to evaluate new medical imaging systems but is less successful when applied to evaluate new radiopharmaceuticals. The proposed adaptation, which is specifically directed toward evaluating targeted imaging agents, has 6 levels: in vitro characterization, in vivo animal studies, initial human studies, impact on clinical care (change in management), impact on patient outcome, and societal efficacy. These levels, particularly the first four, implicitly define the sequence of studies needed to move an agent from the radiochemistry synthesis laboratory to the clinic. Completion of level 4 (impact on clinical care) should be sufficient for initial approval and reimbursement. We hope that the adapted scheme will help streamline the process and assist in bringing new targeted radiopharmaceuticals to approval over the next few years.
The Lost Consensus: Unanimity Rule in the Institutional Context

Beginning in the second half of the 17th century any deputy could dismiss a session of the Polish-Lithuanian parliament by shouting: I do not allow. This political device came to be known as liberum veto, an unceasing subject of controversy. Historians blame it for the decline and subsequent collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In contrast, public choice economists defend unanimity as an optimal rule of collective decision-making and a standard for policy evaluation in a free society. I argue that the role of formal rules depends on the institutional context in which they operate. As the historical circumstances evolved, so did the role and understanding of unanimity. I conclude that the rule of law cannot be protected by formal rules as these are subject to institutional erosion.
Racial Income Inequality and Public Sector Privatization

Social science accounts have only recently begun to recognize “new governance” shifts, including, but not limited to, privatization occurring in public sector institutions (e.g., education, prisons, the military) and in the functioning of federal and state sector jobs. This article, which presents unique analyses of wages across time using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and retested on similarly representative data from the Integrated Public Use Micro Sample (IPUMS) and the American Community Survey (ACS), examines the extent to which these changes have generated significant inequalities for African Americans relative to whites. Most important, our results show that the relative racial parity in wages that once existed in public sector employment has eroded in the face of new governance, and racial inequalities for both men and women have intensified. Supplementary and decomposition analyses further highlight the potential escalation of discrimination as a core mechanism under new governance. Along with discussing the short- and long-term implications, we conclude by suggesting an important corrective to stratification scholarship—a corrective that highlights what structural transformation may mean for inequality and that recognizes important shifts that have made the public sector, much like the private sector, a locus of contemporary racial disadvantage.
Problems of Korean Immigrant Entrepreneurs

This article analyzes major problems of Korean immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States. It is based on interviews with 557 Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, ethnic newspaper articles and perso...
The Ecology of Bangalore, India: An East-West Comparison

than do the girls. We suggest that the absence of significant difference as to sex distribution at the senior level is attributable to attachment to City High School based upon length of attendance and shared equally by boys and girls. If the foregoing speculations were accepted, we should have to broaden the area of sociological knowledge from which our hypotheses were derived. We should have to include considerations drawn from the study of small groups and from the study of minority groups, as well as those emerging from the study of socio-economic status groups. But again, as with the question of the relevancy of the data used to test the major hypothesis, the degree of validity of these speculations can only be demonstrated by further, more intensive research.
Reconsideration of Flows through Constriction Microchannels Using the DSMC Method

flow through a microchannel is treated numer- ically and analytically in order to assess pressure and mass flow losses due to a constriction of a finite length. Numerical modeling of microchannel flow in the slip and transitional regimes is carried out using the direct sim- ulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The prediction of pressure losses and mass flow based on a simple an- alytic model for constriction microchannel flow are in excellent agreement with DSMC simulations.
Sustaining Uses of Biological Diversity and Agriculture

Biodiversity conservation has traditionally been seen as problem of protecting genetic diversity. It has had two dimensions: ex situ germ plasma preservation in zoos, aquaria and arboreta (and by extension, seed banks, tissue cultures and genomic libraries), and in situ species preservation in Refugio, especially in mega diversity areas involving high levels of endemism. Increasingly, however, biodiversity conservation is being taken out of zoos and protected areas. The present study is focusing the implications of loss of biodiversity, biodiversity impacts in agricultural produce and enhancing the use of agricultural biodiversity.Agricultural is the most important economic activity in many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. Whilst global trade in agricultural produce presents employment opportunities and other social benefits, it also potentially presents significant threats to biodiversity. In recognition of these implications, the CBD Conference of Parties called for the impact of trade liberalization on agricultural biodiversity to be studied in cooperation with international organizations, including UNEP. UNEP’s Economics and Trade Branch is near to completing its ‘Trade and Biodiversity Initiative’ and preparing accompanying guidance manuals. The effective treatment of biodiversity in the impact assessment of trade policies and agreements can help to ensure that the potential benefits of international trade are accompanied by effective conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.With increasing emphasis on market economy and ‘maximization of profit’ motive, agro biodiversity and agro ecosystem management have changed such that there has been a significant decline in both domesticated and wild biodiversity. Such changes have benefited local people in economic terms but, at the same time, increased their vulnerability to environmental and economic risks. Indigenous innovations such as cultivation of medicinal plants and traditional practices to cope up with the variability and uncertainty in biophysical environment point towards a scope of building on indigenous practices to cope with the emerging global challenges
Establishment of Experimental Animal Model for Preventing the Stenosis of Vein Grafts with Autologous Pericardium External Stent

Objective To establish an experimental animal model for preventing the stenosis of autologous vein grafts with autologous pericardium external stent.Methods A piece of autologous pericardium which was 7 cm×4 cm was harvested by right anterolateral thoracotomy incision.Two equal segments of jugular vein were transplanted to both sides of femoral arteries in 12 dogs.One side of the vein graft was supported by autologous pericardium(test group).The vein grafts were harvested at 2 weeks,4 weeks after operation.The thickness and area of neointima in the vein grafts was calculated by computer image analysis system.PCNA expression was carried out with immunohistochemistry.Results The thickness and area of neointima in the vein grafts in test group excteded control group significantly(P 0.05).The vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in test group was significantly lower than that in control group(P0.05).Conclusion The model was developed rationally with a high successful rate.The autologous pericardium external stent can reduce intimal and medial hyperplasia.
Predictors of intimate partner problem-related suicides among suicide decedents in Kentucky

BACKGROUND: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Furthermore, intimate partner problems are amid the top precipitating circumstances among suicide decedents. The aim of this study was to determine circumstantial associations of intimate partner problem-related suicides in suicide decedents in Kentucky. METHODS: All suicides that were reported to the Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System between 2005 and 2012 were eligible for this study. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore predictors (precipitating health-related problems, life stressors, and criminal/legal issues) of intimate partner problem-related suicides. RESULTS: Of the 4,754 suicides, included in this study, approximately 17% had intimate partner problems prior to suicide. In the adjusted analysis, mental health issues, alcohol problems, history of suicides attempts, suicides precipitated by another crime, and other legal problems increased the odds of having an intimate partner-related suicide. However, having physical health problems, prior to the suicide, decreased the odds of intimate partner-related suicide. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide insight for the development of suicide interventions for individuals with intimate partner problems by targeting risk factors that are prevalent among this population. Moreover, these results may help marriage/relationship and/or family/divorce court representatives identify individuals with intimate partner problems more at risk for suicide and alleviate the influence these suicide risk factors have on individuals experiencing Intimate partner problems.© 2016 KUMS, All rights reserved. Language: en
Intravenous lipid emulsion and high-dose insulin as adjunctive therapy for propranolol toxicity in a pediatric patient.

Purpose The concurrent use of intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) and high-dose insulin (HDI) for the management and treatment of propranolol toxicity in a pediatric patient is described. Summary A seven-month-old infant (weight, 6.1 kg) was admitted to a hospital emergency department with lethargy and bradycardia after an unintentional overdose of propranolol suspension, which had been prescribed several days previously for treatment of a scalp hemangioma. Notable physical examination and laboratory findings were as follows: blood pressure, 121/84 mm Hg (normal range, 90 ± 30/60 ± 10 mm Hg); heart rate, 62 beats/min (normal range, 100–150 beats/min); respiratory rate, 24 breaths/min (normal range, 25–35 breaths/min); oxygen saturation, 100% on room air; and rectal temperature, 35.7 °C (normal range, 36.6–38.0 °C). The patient was lethargic. Treatment included i.v. fluid boluses of 0.9% sodium chloride injection and i.v. boluses and continuous infusions of HDI, dextrose, and ILE. After the completion of these treatments, hemodynamic stability was regained. The case is believed to be the first reported case in which a pediatric patient less than one year of age regained hemodynamic stability after administration of ILE and HDI rescue therapy. Monitoring blood glucose frequently with HDI is essential to avoid hypoglycemia. The rationale for using ILE and HDI for reversal of drug toxicities is discussed. Conclusion A symptomatic pediatric patient with acute propranolol toxicity exhibited clinical improvement with the administration of ILE in conjunction with HDI.
Thinking Systematically About the Off-Label Use of Cancer Drugs and Combinations for Patients Who Have Exhausted Proven Therapies

This article explores the circumstances under which providers and patients should be able to attempt drugs or combinations for indications for which we still lack formal clinical trials.