cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processing continuous queries over streaming data with limited system resources

In a growing number of information processing applications, data takes the form of continuous data streams rather than traditional stored databases (e.g. network monitoring and intrusion detection, financial time series analysis, clickstream analysis, sensor processing). In many data stream applications, data arrival is fast but bursty, and data rates fluctuate over time. Systems that seek to give rapid or real-time query responses in such an environment must be prepared to deal gracefully with bursts in data arrival without compromising system performance. This thesis explores several data processing techniques, suitable for use with high-volume data streams, that take into account the limited computing resources available to the data processing system. One approach to the analysis of data streams involves using continuous monitoring queries to track the status of the data stream over time. In contrast to traditional database queries, which give a snapshot of a system at a particular point in time, continuous queries are long-running queries with answers that are continually updated as new data arrives. The first part of this thesis describes two techniques for handling spikes in data arrival rates when processing continuous queries over data streams: (1) an operator scheduling algorithm that makes efficient use of available system memory, and (2) a load-shedding strategy that determines which unprocessed tuples should be dropped to reduce system load while minimizing degradation in the accuracy of query responses. An alternative data analysis approach involves issuing ad hoc exploratory queries about the recent history of the data stream. This style of query can yield insights that are complementary to those obtained via continuous monitoring queries. While providing exact answers to ad hoc historical queries can be impractical due to resource limitations and the high data volumes of many data streams, accurate approximate answers will suffice in many cases. The second part of this thesis studies sampling-based approaches for approximately answering ad hoc queries over data streams, including algorithms for maintaining random samples over sliding windows, as well as non-uniform sampling techniques that give accurate approximate answers to group-by aggregation queries.
Software requirements flow-down and preliminary software design for the G-CLEF spectrograph

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is a fiber-fed, precision radial velocity (PRV) optical echelle spectrograph that will be the first light instrument on the GMT. The G-CLEF instrument device control subsystem (IDCS) provides software control of the instrument hardware, including the active feedback loops that are required to meet the G-CLEF PRV stability requirements. The IDCS is also tasked with providing operational support packages that include data reduction pipelines and proposal preparation tools. A formal, but ultimately pragmatic approach is being used to establish a complete and correct set of requirements for both the G-CLEF device control and operational support packages. The device control packages must integrate tightly with the state-machine driven software and controls reference architecture designed by the GMT Organization. A model-based systems engineering methodology is being used to develop a preliminary design that meets these requirements. Through this process we have identified some lessons that have general applicability to the development of software for ground-based instrumentation. For example, tasking an individual with overall responsibility for science/software/hardware integration is a key step to ensuring effective integration between these elements. An operational concept document that includes detailed routine and non- routine operational sequences should be prepared in parallel with the hardware design process to tie together these elements and identify any gaps. Appropriate time-phasing of the hardware and software design phases is important, but revisions to driving requirements that impact software requirements and preliminary design are inevitable. Such revisions must be carefully managed to ensure efficient use of resources.
Integrating lidar into the Community Sensor Model construct

There is an ever increasing demand for geospatial data and in recent years this demand has expanded from the 2D to the 3D realm. Certain applications using this data require the ability to rigorously propagate and predict the errors associated with these geospatial datasets. This includes errors associated with initial data collection, but also includes refinements made in post processing. To meet the community's needs, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center initiated a program called the Community Sensor Model Working Group (CSMWG). The CSMWG maintains an application program interface (API) that standardizes the means for sensor exploitation tools to access physical sensor model methods without insight into the detailed and often proprietary mathematics describing the sensing system. Key methods relate a sensed object to the sensor parameters, assign a measure of precision to the transformation, and provide a means to adjust the parameters for data registration. To date Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) has not been fully integrated into CSM, even though lidar has become a primary collector for 3D data. As the quantity of lidar datasets has increased, the need to merge multiple lidar datasets and fuse them with other data has become prevalent. Maximizing the utility of lidar and fused products requires adjusting the lidar and/or the other data to improve the relative registration and possibly the absolute accuracy. Performing these adjustments in a rigorous manner requires precise physical sensor models. A Universal Lidar Error Model (ULEM) has been proposed to meet this need. This paper provides a high level overview of CSM and associated CSM functionality. ULEM is then presented as a method to meet CSM compliancy for lidar models; providing benefits during rigorous error propagation, block adjustment of lidar data and the fusion of lidar with other data types. Two potential ULEM implementation methods are presented, along with discussion on the potential necessity for multiple implementations. Sample results are presented from recent implementation of ULEM on existing systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the current status and future direction of ULEM.
Playing the numbers game: program ratio management in nonprofit organizations

Nonprofit organizations are often evaluated using the program ratio: the proportion of mission-related program expenses to total expenses. Nonprofit managers have incentives to manipulate the reporting of financial information to enhance the program ratio. This article reviews the scholarly literature on program ratio management in nonprofit organizations. Prior research has identified several motivations for and methods of program ratio management and provided limited evidence that it occurs. Researchers have explored the consequences of program ratio management and provided a list of factors mitigating such behaviors. The emerging consensus is that the program ratio is of limited usefulness in evaluating nonprofit performance.
The RAS-Effector Interaction as a Drug Target

About a third of all human cancers harbor mutations in one of the K-, N-, or HRAS genes that encode an abnormal RAS protein locked in a constitutively activated state to drive malignant transformation and tumor growth. Despite more than three decades of intensive research aimed at the discovery of RAS-directed therapeutics, there are no FDA-approved drugs that are broadly effective against RAS-driven cancers. Although RAS proteins are often said to be "undruggable," there is mounting evidence suggesting it may be feasible to develop direct inhibitors of RAS proteins. Here, we review this evidence with a focus on compounds capable of inhibiting the interaction of RAS proteins with their effectors that transduce the signals of RAS and that drive and sustain malignant transformation and tumor growth. These reports of direct-acting RAS inhibitors provide valuable insight for further discovery and development of clinical candidates for RAS-driven cancers involving mutations in RAS genes or otherwise activated RAS proteins. Cancer Res; 77(2); 221-6. ©2017 AACR.
Smarter Sole Survival: Will Neuropathic Patients at High Risk for Ulceration Use a Smart Insole-Based Foot Protection System?

Objective:This study examined adherence to alert-based cues for plantar pressure offloading in patients with diabetic foot disease.Method and Design:Participants (n = 17) with in diabetic foot remi...
Step faceting and the self-assembly of nanoislands on miscut YSZ(001) surfaces

Abstract Ordered surface step arrays were successfully prepared on two different types of miscut yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates via one-step pre-annealing. These steps were subsequently used as templates for the self-assembly of the nanoislands, which results in significantly improved alignment of the islands along the step direction. Additionally, a unique step faceting phenomenon at island growth front was observed only on the (001)–[100] miscut YSZ substrates. Preliminary investigation indicates that this faceting is induced by doping via surface diffusion, while the elastic interaction between the faceted steps also plays an important role.
Randomized Trial of Exercise on Quality of Life in Women With Ovarian Cancer: Women's Activity and Lifestyle Study in Connecticut (WALC).

Background Ovarian cancer survivors experience a wide range of treatment side effects that can negatively affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Physical activity has been shown to improve HRQOL and cancer-related fatigue (CRF) for other cancer survivors; however, no large randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been conducted for ovarian cancer. Methods This study examined the impact of a six-month RCT of exercise vs attention control on change in HRQOL (Short Form Health Survey-36) and CRF (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue Scale) in ovarian cancer survivors. Women (n = 144) were randomly assigned to study arms between May 1, 2010, and March 20, 2014. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results A total of 74 women were randomly assigned to exercise and 70 to attention control. A total of 113 (78.5%) of the participants completed the six-month assessment. Adherence to the exercise intervention was excellent (166.0±66.1 minutes/week in the exercise arm). At six months, women in the exercise arm had improved physical HRQOL (SF-36 Physical Component Summary Score) compared with the control arm, 1.8 (SD = 1.1) vs -2.0 (SD = 1.2) , respectively (group difference = 3.7, SD = 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.7 to 6.8, P = .02). No group differences were seen for change in mental HRQOL. There was a statistically significant improvement in the fatigue score (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue) for exercisers (4.0, SD = 1.1, 95% CI = 1.8 to 6.2, P < .001) but not for controls (1.2, SD = 1.2, 95% CI = -1.1 to 3.5, P = .31), with a between-group difference of 2.8 (SD = 1.5, 95% CI = -0.2 to 5.7, P = .06). Conclusions We found a six-month home-based, telephone-delivered exercise intervention of primarily brisk walking to be associated with improved physical HRQOL in women with ovarian cancer. Given that higher HRQOL and exercise have both been associated with overall survival in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, oncologists and primary care providers should recommend and refer women diagnosed with ovarian cancer to clinic- or community-based exercise programs.
Lagrangian Methods and the Path Integral

In this chapter, we will give a rapid survey of a different starting point for developing quantum mechanics, based on the Lagrangian rather than Hamiltonian classical formalism.
Closure properties of parametric subcompleteness

For an ordinal $$\varepsilon $$ , I introduce a variant of the notion of subcompleteness of a forcing poset, which I call $$\varepsilon $$ -subcompleteness, and show that this class of forcings enjoys some closure properties that the original class of subcomplete forcings does not seem to have: factors of $$\varepsilon $$ -subcomplete forcings are $$\varepsilon $$ -subcomplete, and if $$\mathbb {P}$$ and $$\mathbb {Q}$$ are forcing-equivalent notions, then $$\mathbb {P}$$ is $$\varepsilon $$ -subcomplete iff $$\mathbb {Q}$$ is. I formulate a Two Step Theorem for $$\varepsilon $$ -subcompleteness and prove an RCS iteration theorem for $$\varepsilon $$ -subcompleteness which is slightly less restrictive than the original one, in that its formulation is more careful about the amount of collapsing necessary. Finally, I show that an adequate degree of $$\varepsilon $$ -subcompleteness follows from the $$\kappa $$ -distributivity of a forcing, for $$\kappa >\omega _1$$ .
Use of a Mobile App to Facilitate Blood Glucose Monitoring in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: Single-Subject Nonrandomized Clinical Trial

Background: Cloud-based glucose monitoring programs allow users with diabetes to wirelessly synchronize their glucometers to their mobile phones. They also provide visualization and remote access of their data through its mobile app. There have been very few studies evaluating their effectiveness in managing diabetes among adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a mobile app to improve daily average blood glucose (BG) levels and increase BG monitoring frequency. Methods: We used an ABA single-subject prospective study design. We recruited five participants aged 13 to 17 years with uncontrolled T1D, glycated hemoglobin A1c 9.0%-10.7%, self-monitoring behavior of ≤5 checks/day, and on multiple daily insulin injections. The study consisted of 4-week intervals of three phases: (1) phase A: usual glucose monitoring log (fax); (2) phase B: mobile app; and (3) phase A': second phase A. A certified diabetes educator and endocrinologist reviewed logs and provided recommendations weekly. Data were analyzed using a quasi-Poisson model to adjust for overdispersion among individual participants, and a generalized estimating equation model for overall intervention effect in aggregate. Results: For mean daily BG (mg/dL) levels, participant 1 had decreased values on the mobile app (298 to 281, P=.03) and maintained in phase A'. Participant 4 had an increase in mean daily BG in phase A' (175 to 185, P=.01), whereas participant 5 had a decrease in mean daily BG in phase A' (314 to 211, P=.04). For daily monitoring (checks/day), participant 3 increased in phase B (4.6 to 8.3, P=.01) and maintained in phase A'. Participant 5 also had increased daily monitoring at each phase (2.1 to 2.4, P=.01; 2.4 to 3.4, P=.02). For the five participants combined, the overall mean BG and BG checks per day in phase A were mean 254.8 (SD 99.2) and mean 3.6 (SD 2.0), respectively, mean 223.1 (SD 95.7) and mean 4.5 (SD 3.0) in phase B, and mean 197.5 (SD 81.3) and mean 3.7 (SD 2.1) in phase A'. Compared to phase A, mean glucose levels declined during phase B and remained lower during phase A' (P=.002). There was no overall change in BG checks by phase (P=.25). However, mean BG levels negatively correlated with daily BG checks (r=–.47, P<.001). Although all participants had positive opinions about the app, its utilization was highly variable. Conclusions: We demonstrated modest feasibility of adolescents with uncontrolled T1D utilizing a glucose monitoring mobile app. Further study is needed to better determine its effects on BG level and monitoring frequency. Psychosocial factors and motivational barriers likely influence adoption and continuous use of technology for diabetes management. [JMIR Diabetes 2018;3(1):e3]
Clustered Crowd GPS for Privacy Valuing Active Localization

With the proliferation of mobile devices having BLE capability and the introduction of Beacon technology, crowdsourcing-based approaches have recently emerged as a promising solution for localization of lost objects or individuals (e.g., children or elders). By attaching affordable Beacon tags to them, objects of care could be tracked and localized by user devices in the proximity. While crowd GPS service has gained popularity recently, it has not extended beyond passive mode in which localization is achieved in the background without intruding the mobility of users. In this paper, we study the localization of lost objects through the crowd GPS service in an active manner. We propose clustering users in a Beacon tag network based on the benefits they can receive from each other in terms of the localization of their lost items. A new metric is developed to quantify this benefit and the users that can provide most of the total possible benefits to each other are then grouped together so that they can provide active localization service for only the users most beneficial to them. The clustering of users is achieved based on both a greedy heuristic based algorithm and a genetic algorithm. Extensive simulation results are conducted utilizing both synthetic data and real location based social network datasets. The results show the effective partitioning of the users under different user counts and groups while valuing the privacy of users at its maximum by limiting the number of interactions between users.
Reducing post-disaster conflict: a cross cultural test of four hypotheses using archaeological data

Four hypotheses concerning the relationship between climate-related disasters and conflict are tested using archaeological data in a controlled cross-cultural comparison. The four hypotheses are (1...
Instructional Strategies that Respond to Global Learners’ Needs in Massive Open Online Courses

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are one of the most innovative forms of online instruction delivered to learners of different language, cultural and educational backgrounds around the world. These multicultural learners have diverse communication styles, learning behaviors and needs that are manifested and demonstrated differently in such a large scale online learning environment as MOOCs. There is little research on how aspects of MOOC learners’ diverse cultural backgrounds and learning behaviors are perceived, how these learners are characterized in terms of their learning needs, and how the MOOC instructors and instructional designers respond to these needs in the course design process. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how MOOC learners’ diverse learning needs, stemming from their different language, cultural and educational backgrounds, were perceived and responded to during the course design and delivery. Participants were fifteen instructors and instructional designers in American higher educational institutions who were involved in designing and delivering a wide variety of MOOC subjects on the Coursera hosting platform. The insights of participants into specific instructional strategies that were designed especially for MOOC multicultural learners’ needs were categorized into three themes: language, content and engagement. These strategies aimed to provide support and engage learners with English language barriers, or those who did not have the necessary subject background to keep up with the course, or those who were not familiar with the American education culture. The study also investigated the pedagogical challenges and concerns that the participants faced during and after the delivery of the MOOCs. Typical challenges included confusions caused during the discussion triggered by the subject, the participants’ struggle with the efficiency of peer assessment, and the applicability of the content materials for the global audience.
Why did the Principle of Double Effect Appear in the West

Writers within the natural law tradition share at least two basic assumptions: (1) there is a common humanity (or human nature) which (2) makes possible universally valid moral principles. Among the formulated norms of this tradition is the principle of double effect (hereafter PDE). The following essay responds to three questions about this principle: (1) As it emerged historically, what ties did PDE have to a particular religious tradition? (2) Can it have had such historical roots and still be reflective of a “common humanity”? (3) If PDE has such parochial roots, how can it be part of what is said to be a set of universally valid moral principles? These questions provide a specific instance of the more general question that bedevils most discussions of the natural law: If there is such a common or universal moral law, why is there so much diversity in moral beliefs and practices? Perhaps, if PDE is shown to be defensible independently of the assumptions of a particular religious tradition, the same analysis may be useful in answering the more general question. What follows is, first, a speculative genealogy offering a plausible reconstruction of the reasons for the emergence of PDE in Christian moral theology. Then the question is how this historically emergent principle may reflect common moral experiences and insights beyond those of any particular religious tradition. Next is the response to the question of how “locally” formulated principles may have a universal validity. This response is followed by remarks that qualify the usual way of talking about the natural law in terms of “principles.” These qualifying remarks address the broad question of reconciling talk of a universal moral law with the fact of diversity in moral beliefs and practices.
Management of Rectourethral Fistula

This chapter discusses the diagnostic and management approach to the rare but important rectourethral fistula. The most common cause of this fistula is iatrogenic at the time of prostatic surgery, although it may also result from prostate brachytherapy. The operative approaches are individualized and may include abdominal, per-anal/endoanal, perineal, transsphincteric (York-Mason), posterior (Kraske style), and pararectal procedures. The outcomes of these approaches and the use of biologic glues for this specific condition are discussed.
The Use of Culturagrams to Assess and Empower Culturally Diverse Families

The culturagram was developed in response to the cultural diversity of families and the need for ethnic-sensitive practice. This family-assessment tool assesses (1) reasons for immigration; (2) len...
Relationship between Turbulence and Drizzle in Continental and Marine Low Stratiform Clouds

AbstractTurbulence and drizzle-rate measurements from a large dataset of marine and continental low stratiform clouds are presented. Turbulence peaks at cloud base over land and near cloud top over...
Pharmacokinetics of furosemide after intravenous, oral and transdermal administration to cats.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics of furosemide in cats following intravenous (IV), oral and transdermal administration.MethodsThis study used six healthy adult ...
Conservation and Diversification of Circadian Rhythmicity Between a Model Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Plant Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi and a Model C3 Photosynthesis Plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) improves photosynthetic efficiency under limited water availability relative to C3 photosynthesis. It is widely accepted that CAM plants have evolved from C3 plants and it is hypothesized that CAM is under the control of the internal circadian clock. However, the role that the circadian clock plays in the evolution of CAM is not well understood. To identify the molecular basis of circadian control over CAM evolution, rhythmic gene sets were identified in a CAM model plant species (Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi) and a C3 model plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana) through analysis of diel time-course gene expression data using multiple periodicity detection algorithms. Based on protein sequences, ortholog groups were constructed containing genes from each of these two species. The ortholog groups were categorized into five gene sets based on conservation and diversification of rhythmic gene expression. Interestingly, minimal functional overlap was observed when comparing the rhythmic gene sets of each species. Specifcally, metabolic processes were enriched in the gene set under circadian control in K. fedtschenkoi and numerous genes were found to have retained or gained rhythmic expression in K. fedtsechenkoi. Additonally, several rhythmic orthologs, including CAM-related orthologs, displayed phase shifts between species. Results of this analysis point to several mechanisms by which the circadian clock plays a role in the evolution of CAM. These genes provide a set of testable hypotheses for future experiments.
Gene expression in Tribolium castaneum life stages: Identifying a species-specific target for pest control applications.

The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is a major agricultural pest of post-harvest products and stored grain. Control of T. castaneum in stored products and grain is primarily by fumigants and sprays, but insecticide resistance is a major problem, and new control strategies are needed. T. castaneum is a genetic model for coleopterans, and the reference genome can be used for discovery of candidate gene targets for molecular-based control, such as RNA interference. Gene targets need to be pest specific, and ideally, they are expressed at low levels for successful control. Therefore, we sequenced the transcriptome of four major life stages of T. castaneum, sorted data into groups based on high or low expression levels, and compared relative gene expression among all life stages. We narrowed our candidate gene list to a cuticle protein gene (CPG) for further analysis. We found that the CPG sequence was unique to T. castaneum and expressed only in the larval stage. RNA interference targeting CPG in newly-emerged larvae caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in CPG expression (1,491-fold) compared to control larvae and 64% mortality over 18 d. RNA-Seq of survivors after 18 d identified changes in the expression of other genes as well, including 52 long noncoding RNAs. Expression of three additional cuticle protein genes were increased and two chitinase genes were decreased in response to injection of CPG dsRNA. The data demonstrate that RNA-Seq can identify genes important for insect survival and thus may be used to develop novel biologically-based insect control products.
$$\mathrm {3SUM}$$3SUM, $$\mathrm {3XOR}$$3XOR, Triangles

P?trascu (STOC '10) reduces the $$\mathrm {3SUM}$$3SUM problem to listing triangles in a graph. In the other direction, we show that if one can solve $$\mathrm {3SUM}$$3SUM on a set of size $$n$$n in time $$n^{1+\epsilon }$$n1+∈ then one can list $$t$$t triangles in a graph with $$m$$m edges in time $$\tilde{O}(m^{1+\epsilon }t^{1/3-\epsilon /3})$$O~(m1+∈t1/3-∈/3). Our result builds on and extends works by the Paghs (PODS '06) and by Vassilevska and Williams (FOCS '10). We make our reductions deterministic using tools from pseudorandomness. We then re-execute both P?trascu's reduction and ours for the variant $$\mathrm {3XOR}$$3XOR of $$\mathrm {3SUM}$$3SUM where integer summation is replaced by bit-wise xor. As a corollary we obtain that if $$\mathrm {3XOR}$$3XOR is solvable in linear time but $$\mathrm {3SUM}$$3SUM requires quadratic randomized time, or vice versa, then the randomized time complexity of listing $$m$$m triangles in a graph with $$m$$m edges is $$m^{4/3}$$m4/3 up to a factor $$m^\alpha $$m? for any $$\alpha > 0$$?>0.
A geometry optimization framework for transcatheter heart valve leaflet design.

Abstract Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established treatment for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. It is known and recognized that leaflet geometry has a key role in structural and hemodynamic performance of bioprosthetic heart valves. Excessive mechanical stress on the leaflets will lead to accelerated tissue degeneration and diminished long-term valve durability. The goal of this study was to develop an automatic optimization framework by means of commercially available software packages to reduce maximum stress value of transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) leaflets. Leaflet design was parameterized by 2 s-order non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) curves and particle swarm optimization method was used to examine the optimization design space. Optimized leaflet geometry for 23-mm and 26-mm TAVs were obtained under dynamic physiological loading condition. Leaflet stress distributions of the optimized TAV geometries were compared with two commercially available bioprostheses (i) Carpentier-Edwards PERIMOUNT Magna surgical bioprosthesis and (ii) Edwards SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve. A considerable reduction in the maximum in-plane principal stress was observed in the optimized TAV geometries compared to the commercially available bioprostheses. The optimization results underline the opportunity to improve leaflet design in the next generation of TAVs to potentially increase long-term durability of transcatheter heart valves.
Differences in Oxygen Uptake between Equivalent Resistance Training Protocols: Sets vs. Reps

We examined the energy costs of different resistance training protocols where exercise and recovery periods were equated: 48 total seconds of exercise and 210 seconds of between-set recovery. Two separate investigations were carried out at 65% of a 1 repetition maximum (1RM): back squat (7 men, 3 women) and bench press (9 men). Lifting cadence for concentric and eccentric phases was set at 1.5 sec each with 30 sec between-set recovery periods for the 8 sets, 2 reps protocol (sets) and a 3 min and 30 sec between-set recovery period for the 2 sets, 8 reps protocol (reps). The amount of oxygen consumed during lifting and between-set recovery periods was significantly greater for sets vs. reps protocol for both the back squat (+41%) and bench press (+27%) (p = 0.0001). Moreover, the total aerobic cost including the after-lifting excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) was larger for the increased sets protocol for both the squat (+27%, p = 0.01) and bench press (+29%, p = 0.04). Total energy costs - aerobic plus anaerobic, exercise and recovery - were not different among sets or reps protocols. We conclude that a greater volume of oxygen is consumed with a lower repetition, increased number of sets resistance training protocol. We suggest that more recovery periods promote a greater potential for fat oxidation.
The Rise and Fall of the Implied Warrant of Habitability

Growing concern about poverty in the late 1960s produced two sweeping legal revolutions. One gave welfare recipients rights against arbitrary eligibility rules and benefit terminations. The other gave low-income tenants recourse when landlords failed to repair their homes. The 1996 welfare law exposed the welfare rights revolution’s frailty. Little-noticed by legal scholars, the tenants’ rights revolution also has failed, and for broadly similar reasons. Withholding rent deliberately to challenge landlords’ failure to repair is unduly risky for most tenants in ill-maintained dwellings: either moving to better housing is a better option or the risk of retaliation is too great. The implied warranty could still motivate landlords to repair if it limited evictions of low-income tenants who fall behind on their rent for other reasons, but a set of little-noticed doctrines deemed these tenants unworthy to claim the warranty’s protection. Moreover, reformers left implementation to courts with neither the resources nor the inclination to transform landlord-tenant relations. None of this was inevitable. The doctrines effectively limiting the warranty to deliberate rent withholding have weak justifications. And contemporaneous procedural innovation in other areas of law offered alternatives to the unresponsive courts. More daunting was the transformation of the housing market. Fewer low-income tenants live in decrepit dwellings, but many suffer housing problems whose consequences may be even more severe: overcrowding, locations remote from jobs and good schools, and rents that crowd other necessities from their budgets. Lacking a clear, unified purpose, the tenants’ rights revolution cannot begin to adapt to these changes.
Strategies and Factors Associated With Top Performance in Primary Care for Diabetes: Insights From a Mixed Methods Study.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine what strategies and factors are most important for high performance in the primary care of patients with diabetes. METHODS We performed a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, observational analysis of interviews and characteristics of primary care clinics in Minnesota and bordering areas. We compared strategies, facilitators, and barriers identified by 31 leaders of 17 clinics in high-, middle-, and low-performance quartiles on a standardized composite measure of diabetes outcomes for 416 of 586 primary care clinics. Semistructured interview data were combined with quantitative data regarding clinic performance and a survey of the presence of care management processes. RESULTS The interview analysis identified 10 themes providing unique insights into the factors and strategies characterizing the 3 performance groups. The main difference was the degree to which top-performing clinics used patient data to guide proactive and outreach methods to intensify treatment and monitor effect. Top clinics also appeared to view visit-based care management processes as necessary but insufficient, whereas all respondents regarded being part of a large system as mostly helpful. CONCLUSIONS Top-performing clinic approaches to diabetes care differ from lower-performing clinics primarily by emphasizing data-driven proactive outreach to patients to intensify treatment. Although confirmatory studies are needed, clinical leaders should consider the value of this paradigm shift in approach to care.
A graphic turn for Canadian foreign policy: insights from systemism

The application of systemism, an innovative and user-friendly technique for generating lucid, graphic summaries of analytical arguments, can enhance the study of Canadian foreign policy. As researc...
Tissue-specific accumulation of latency-associated transcripts in herpes virus-infected rabbits.

PURPOSE. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA persists in the corneas of patients and animals with a history of herpetic keratitis. The purpose of this study was to detect viral transcripts in the corneas of latently infected rabbits with a history of herpetic keratitis to determine whether the viral DNA represents latent virus, characterized by the restricted transcription of HSV genes and accumulation of the stable latency-associated transcripts (LATs), as occurs in neurons. METHODS. Rabbits were injected in the subalveolar mucosa with HSV strain RE. After 30 days, corneas were infected by intrastromal injection of HSV. Corneal disease was evaluated, and 7 to 378 days after infection, the rabbits were killed. DNA and RNA were isolated from corneas and trigeminal ganglia and amplified by PCR using gene-specific primers. RESULTS. Herpetic keratitis developed in all rabbits. All corneas of these immune rabbits contained viral DNA as many as 120 days after infection and then the frequency decreased over the next 260 days. Overall, viral DNA was detected in all ganglia and in 57% of corneas. All latently infected ganglia but no corneas contained LATs. Transcripts of the early viral gene for thymidine kinase were detected in 23 of 30 ganglia and 10 of 17 corneas. Transcripts for the late viral glycoprotein C were not detected in either tissue. CONCLUSIONS. These data document that after HSV keratitis, viral DNA persists in corneas in the absence of stable LATs and with restricted expression of other viral genes. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Set. 1998;39:1847-1853) I nitial or primary infections of the cornea by herpes simplex virus (HSV) results in the establishment of latent infections in neurons that innervate the cornea.' It has been hypothesized that recrudescent forms of disease arise from reactivation of latent virus in the trigeminal ganglia and possibly in the superior cervical ganglia. 2 According to this hypothesis, on receiving reactivating stimuli such as UV light or immunosuppression, the virus undergoes productive replication in some of the stimulated neurons. The resulting viral particles travel to the cornea by anterograde axoplasmic flow, where they egress from the nerve endings. Subsequently, these particles infect corneal cells to establish recurrent corneal disease. 3 Recent studies have shown that HSV DNA also persists in corneas during the latent period. 4 " 9 It is unclear whether the DNA that persists in the cornea during latency represents latent virus in the same molecular state as in neurons. It is also unclear whether the persisting viral DNA plays a role in chronic or recurrent disease. In the current study we evaluated the transcripts of viral genes present during latency in an effort
The role of adrenocorticotropin and calcium in adenosine cyclic 3', 5'-phosphate production and steroid release from the isolated, perfused cat adrenal gland.

Isolated cat adrenal glands were perfused in situ with Locke’s solution. The addition of synthetic adrenocorticotropin (0.4-400 µunits/ml) to the perfusion solution for 40 min caused a sustained rise in both tissue adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate levels and corticosteroid release. After a 5-min exposure to ACTH, tissue cyclic AMP levels fell to control values within 30 min, while corticosteroid release was still near maximum. Theophylline increased both basal and ACTH-stimulated tissue cyclic AMP levels but did not further enhance corticosteroid release. Perfusion with calcium-free or potassium-free Locke's solution increased tissue cyclic AMP levels 3-6 fold but did not augment steroid output. Under these ion-deficient conditions, ACTH produced only a very small additional increment in tissue cyclic AMP concentrations but caused a marked increase in steroid release. The addition of cyclic AMP or its dibutyryl derivative to the perfusion solution for up to 30 min did not increase corticoid output. Cyclic AMP was detected in the adrenal perfusate, and its rate of release was augmented by ACTH and by calcium deprivation. These observations are discussed in light of the concept that an increase in tissue cyclic AMP is not sufficient to trigger steroid release, but that a redistribution of cell calcium produced by ACTH is also required. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors wish to thank Mrs. Marcia Feinberg for her indispensable and enthusiastic assistance.
New ultrastructural observations: Parallel tubular arrays in human Tγ lymphoid cells

Abstract T γ cells are E-rosetting cells bearing Fc receptors for IgG (E + , Fc γ + cells). Third population (non-T, non-B) lymphoid cells are also Fc γ + cells and contain unique inclusions called parallel tubular arrays (PTA). Although T γ cells and third population lymphoid cells should belong to a similar population of cells, previous ultrastructural studies on purified T γ cells have failed to reveal the presence of PTA. In this study, we have unequivocally demonstrated PTA in the majority of T γ cells using simple rosetting techniques. A total of 76 EA hu -rosettes and 108 EA ox -rosettes prepared from an E + enriched fraction (using sheep erythrocytes as marker particles) were directly examined by electron microscopy. PTA were found in 87% of the EA hu -rosettes and 82% of the EA ox -rosettes. Ammonium chloride, commonly used in other laboratories to lyse erythrocytes during the purification procedure was found to cause a marked decrease in the number of ultrastructurally distinct PTA profiles. In contrast, hypotonic lysis had no effect on cellular ultrastructure. This study showed for the first time that T γ cells are ultrastructurally similar to other Fc γ + lymphoid cells and contain PTA as a distinct marker. The significance of our findings to the basic function of this E + Fc γ + lymphoid population is discussed.
Persistence of dihydrotestosterone inhibition of lordosis in estrogen-primed rats fed a tryptophan-deficient diet

Abstract Administering increasing dosages of 5α-dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP) (0, 40, or 80 μ/100 g in oil daily) to ovariectomized female rats treated concurrently with estradiol benzoate (EB) (1 μg/100 g in oil daily) caused significant, equivalent reductions in lordotic responsiveness in rats maintained either on a tryptophan-deficient corn diet or on a corn diet to which L-tryptophan was added. Whole brain concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were approximately two times higher in rats fed corn+tryptophan versus corn alone. These findings suggest that the ability of DHTP to inhibit lordosis probably depends upon some mechanism other than a facilitation of 5-HT release from serotonergic neurons.
Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection

Hepatic fibrogenesis is a dynamic process that reflects a balance between matrix synthesis and degradation. An accurate determination of hepatic fibrosis is important in determining prognosis, requirement for therapy, and disease progression in chronic hepatitis C infection. Histologic assessment relies on a liver biopsy, an invasive procedure associated with sampling error and inaccurate staging that provides only a semiquantitative and static measure of fibrosis and inflammatory activity. Several noninvasive tools initially developed and validated in chronic hepatitis C patients are now being applied to other chronic liver disease states. These noninvasive approaches include simple and complex serum biochemical marker algorithms, radiologic methods such as elastography, and emerging genomics and proteomics technologies. In the future, the combination of these diagnostic modalities likely will provide a more accurate and reliable measure of disease severity in chronic liver disease patients.
Characterization of Inhibitor Release from Zn-Al-[V10O28]6-Hydrotalcite Pigments and Corrosion Protection from Hydrotalcite-Pigmented Epoxy Coatings

Abstract A Zn-Al-[V10O28]6− hydrotalcite ion exchange compound was synthesized as a corrosion inhibiting pigment additive for protective organic coatings. A simple aqueous coprecipitation method wa...
Yield Environment Affects Glyphosate‐Resistant Hybrid Response to Glyphosate

The yield response of glyphosate-resistant corn (Zea mays L.) to glyphosate across a broad range of temporal yield environments is not well understood. Field experiments were conducted at three Michigan locations over a five year period (2002-2006) comparing corn grain yield of glyphosate-resistant hybrids as affected by a glyphosate-based or conventional herbicide system. Regression analyses of yield data showed a dual glyphosate-resistant hybrid yield response to glyphosate based on the temporal yield environment for a given year. Under average- to low-yield environments, the glyphosatebased herbicide system resulted in greater grain yield. However, under temporal high yield environments, the conventional herbicide system resulted in greater grain yield. Threshold corn grain yields above which the conventional herbicide system resulted in higher grain yield and below which the glyphosate-based herbicide system resulted in higher grain yield were determined to be: 11.38 (± 0.13), 12.73 (± 0.14), 13.97 (± 0.25), and 11.62 (± 0.10) Mg ha-1 respectively for the Huron, Montcalm, Saginaw, and combined site average. Differences in weed control levels were not observed and weed control did not appear to be a factor in grain yield determination. The results suggest a slight corn grain yield reduction from glyphosate under certain temporal high-yield environments.
A Search for Jovian Limb Aurorae

Abstract High-dispersion limb spectra, with long light path through the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, have been obtained using a curved slit with the coude spectrograph of the McDonald Observatory 82-inch Struve reflector. Twenty hours of exposure yielded only one feature, in Hα, which may have been caused by Jovian auroral emission.
Flow control valves for analytical microfluidic chips without mechanical parts based on thermally responsive monolithic polymers.

Monolithic plugs of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) cross-linked with 5% methylenebisacrylamide have been prepared by photoinitiated polymerization within the channel of a microfluidic device. The volume change associated with the polymer phase transition at its lower critical solution temperature of 32 °C allows both the rapid swelling and the deswelling of the monoliths enabling the polymer to close or open the channel as it functions as a nonmechanical valve. Thermoelectric elements capable of changing the temperature of the system between 17 and 57 °C were used to actuate the valve. Flow through the device was monitored by fluorescence measurements via the laser-triggered photobleaching of a dye contained in the liquid phase. Photobleaching occurs quickly once the flow is stopped, and the time required to open and close the valve was 3.5 and 5.0 s, respectively. No changes in function were observed even after 120 open−close cycles. Although the 2-mm-long valve was prepared from a polymerization mixture co...
In Situ Picosecond Studies of Surface Reaction Dynamics at GaAs (100) Interfaces

Abstract The surface restricted transient grating technique has been used to study charge transfer processes at a n-GaAs/K2Se liquid junction. The in-situ study of interfacial hole transfer to Se−2 ions in solution found the hole transfer time to be less than 30 ps. Relative to the thermalization time scale of space charge accelerated hole carriers and the very efficient nature of surface state trapping, this result demonstrates that a significant fraction of the charge transfer events must involve hot hole carriers. The vertical surface transport of the photogenerated charge carriers has been characterized by a novel extension of electro-optic sampling methods to surface space charge fields.
Approximate theory of loads in plane asymmetrical converging hoppers

Abstract The slice method approach to the quasi-static problem of the wall pressure in an asymmetrical converging plane hopper is presented. Stresses acting on a single slice are determined from three linear, ordinary differential equations of equilibrium. Statical indeterminancy is retained by postulating a linear distribution of normal stress acting on the slice, and introducing two coefficients, similar to that of Janssen. These coefficients relate normal stress on the slice to the stress normal to the wall, on the left and right walls. An analytical solution for wall pressure distribution is obtained. An example is presented to illustrate the method.
Synthetic Evolving Systems that Implement a User-Specified Genetic Code of Arbitrary Design

Summary A synthetic genetic system, based on cross-replicating RNA enzymes, provides a means to evaluate alternative genetic codes that relate heritable information to corresponding molecular function. A special implementation of encoded combinatorial chemistry was used to construct complex populations of cross-replicating RNA enzymes in accordance with a user-specified code that relates genotype and phenotype on a molecule-by-molecule basis. The replicating enzymes were made to undergo self-sustained Darwinian evolution, resulting in the emergence of the most advantageous variants. These included both highly active enzymes that sustained the population as a whole and poorly active enzymes that survived as parasites of the active molecules. This evolutionary outcome was a consequence of the information capacity and fidelity of the genetic code, suggesting how these parameters should be adjusted to implement codes tailored to particular applications.